Where in the U.S. Do People Have the Most Second Homes?

Written by: Daniel Gleich

The number of second homes in the U.S. are on the rise, especially with the current real estate market favoring those wealthy enough to make offers that are tens of thousands of dollars over asking. The team at Madison Trust Company wanted to know where the highest concentration of second homes, which are often used as vacation homes, could be found in the United States. To find the answer they analyzed data from U.S. Census Bureau’s 2016–2020 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates and ranked all of the U.S. metropolitan areas on the percentage of homes there that are meant just for seasonal, recreational, or occasional use. These aren’t vacation home rentals, they are homes that are strictly used by the homeowner as a second residence to live in, or use, when they choose. Read on to see which East Coast vacation spots were found to be the best places for a second home.

Most Second Homes 3

Where Are The Most Second Homes in the U.S.?

The Barnstable, Massachusetts metro area has 61,473 second homes, which equals 90.13% of all residences there, the highest rate in the United States. The Barnstable metro area is comprised of the entire “arm” of Cape Cod, which is one of the top vacation spots in the Northeast. With it being in an area that gets cold in the winter, it comes as no surprise to find such a large percentage of second homes there for people to enjoy during the warmer months.

A majority of the metro areas that were found to have the most second homes are located along the coastlines, with a quarter of them in popular Florida vacation spots. It’s safe to assume that any inland metro areas that have the most vacation homes in the U.S. are located near bodies of water, such as the handful of locations along the Great Lakes that were found to have a high rate of second homes.

The 10 Metro Areas With The Most Second Homes

  1. Barnstable, MA has 61,473 second homes, amounting to 90.13% of all residences.
  2. Ocean City, NJ has 50,551 second homes, amounting to 86.08% of all residences.
  3. Salisbury, MD has 72,643 second homes, amounting to 82.55% of all residences.
  4. Naples-Marco Island, FL has 56,423 second homes, amounting to 80.18% of all residences.
  5. St. Geamounting toge, UT has 9,279 second homes, amounting to 78.75% of all residences.
  6. East Stroudsburg, PA has 16,347 second homes, amounting to 75.34% of all residences.
  7. Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL has 84,631 second homes, amounting to 75.34% of all residences.
  8. Bend, OR has 10,271 second homes, amounting to 74.63% of all residences.
  9. Flagstaff, AZ has 13,052 second homes, amounting to 73.36% of all residences.
  10. Hilton Head Island-Bluffton, SC has 20,641 second homes, amounting to 72.84% of all residences.

How Many Homes in the U.S. are Second Homes?

Through our analysis we found that there are a total of 9,458,939 second homes in the U.S. that are for seasonal, recreational, or occasional use. How many homes are in the U.S.? There are more than 142.2 million homes in the United States, according to the U.S. Census, which means that 6.7% of all homes in the United States are used solely as second homes.

Are you thinking of buying a second home? Learn more about how to buy real estate with a self-directed IRA to make your second home ownership dreams a reality.

The 40 Metro Areas Where People Have the Most Second Homes

Metro AreaTotal Number of ResidencesNumber of Residences Used Only for Seasonal, Recreational, or Occasional UsePercentage of Residences That Are Second Homes
1Barnstable, MA68,20561,47390.13%
2Ocean City, NJ58,72450,55186.08%
3Salisbury, MD88,00172,64382.55%
4Naples-Marco Island, FL70,37156,42380.18%
5St. George, UT11,7839,27978.75%
6East Stroudsburg, PA21,69816,34775.34%
6Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL112,33684,63175.34%
8Bend, OR13,76210,27174.63%
9Flagstaff, AZ17,79113,05273.36%
10Hilton Head Island-Bluffton, SC28,33820,64172.84%
11Portland-South Portland, ME49,50935,66572.04%
12Punta Gorda, FL26,06818,45770.80%
13Coeur d’Alene, ID8,3245,88570.70%
14Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ25,05317,45569.67%
15Duluth, MN28,10319,26168.54%
16Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC106,89773,12068.40%
17Wenatchee, WA10,6097,21468.00%
18Yuma, AZ18,98812,88167.84%
19Watertown-Fort Drum, NY17,07311,49967.35%
20Glens Falls, NY16,59311,08566.81%
21North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, FL100,29766,01365.82%
22Prescott Valley-Prescott, AZ17,28611,30765.41%
23Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL59,71737,61262.98%
24Burlington-South Burlington, VT9,9896,27362.80%
25Pittsfield, MA14,3638,94562.28%
26Green Bay, WI13,6378,41161.68%
27Panama City, FL30,52418,78261.53%
28San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA16,0129,81661.30%
29Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ27,36916,45960.14%
30Niles, MI14,5098,62759.46%
31Sebring-Avon Park, FL13,1987,79859.08%
32Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL43,56925,56758.68%
33Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL50,82829,53458.11%
34The Villages, FL13,5797,67356.51%
35Napa, CA6,8553,86756.41%
36Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA189,939107,07956.38%
37Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL376,027210,52955.99%
38Fort Collins, CO10,3985,81555.92%
39Homosassa Springs, FL15,6018,64655.42%
40Tuscaloosa, AL23,20512,75554.97%

Related: Self Directed IRA Basics, What is a Self Directed IRA Custodian, Self Directed IRA with Checkbook Control

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