Rhode Island ranked 50th in the nation throughout 2021 with a rental vacancy rate of 2.8 percent, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
The rental vacancy rate is the proportion of the homeowner inventory that is vacant for rent at the time of the survey.
Vacancy rates are a leading economic indicator used by economic forecasters and the federal government to gauge the current economic climate.
The bureau compiles data from a sampling of approximately 72,000 occupied and vacant housing units across the country and District of Columbia. The bureau also collects information on homeownership vacancies, as well as certain characteristics about housing units, such as the age of household members, family status, race/ethnicity and median family income.
Rental Vacancy Rates by State in 2021
| Rank | State | Rental Vacancy Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Dakota | 13.3% |
| 2 | Alabama | 11.7% |
| 3 | District of Columbia | 9.8% |
| 4 | Mississippi | 9.2% |
| 5 | Kansas | 8.8% |
| 6 | South Dakota | 8.7% |
| 7 | Missouri | 8.6% |
| 8 | Texas | 8.4% |
| 8 | Indiana | 8.4% |
| 10 | Illinois | 8.2% |
| 11 | Wyoming | 8% |
| 11 | South Carolina | 8% |
| 13 | Oklahoma | 7.7% |
| 13 | Louisiana | 7.7% |
| 15 | Arkansas | 7.5% |
| 16 | Tennessee | 7.3% |
| 16 | Iowa | 7.3% |
| 16 | Hawaii | 7.3% |
| 19 | New Mexico | 6.9% |
| 20 | Minnesota | 6.6% |
| 21 | West Virginia | 6.5% |
| 21 | Florida | 6.5% |
| 23 | Pennsylvania | 6.3% |
| 24 | Kentucky | 6.2% |
| 25 | Georgia | 6% |
| 26 | New York | 5.9% |
| 27 | Ohio | 5.8% |
| 28 | Nebraska | 5.7% |
| 28 | Michigan | 5.7% |
| 30 | Virginia | 5.4% |
| 31 | North Carolina | 5.3% |
| 32 | Connecticut | 5.1% |
| 33 | Maryland | 5% |
| 34 | Arizona | 4.8% |
| 35 | Wisconsin | 4.7% |
| 36 | Nevada | 4.6% |
| 37 | Washington | 4.5% |
| 37 | Oregon | 4.5% |
| 37 | Colorado | 4.5% |
| 40 | Utah | 4.4% |
| 40 | Idaho | 4.4% |
| 42 | California | 4.3% |
| 43 | Massachusetts | 4.2% |
| 43 | Alaska | 4.2% |
| 45 | Montana | 4.1% |
| 45 | Maine | 4.1% |
| 47 | Delaware | 3.8% |
| 48 | New Jersey | 3.6% |
| 49 | New Hampshire | 3.5% |
| 50 | Rhode Island | 2.8% |
| 51 | Vermont | 2.5% |
