ATTOM counted 269,195 U.S. residential properties in the foreclosure process in the fourth quarter, and 8,040 of them, or 3%, were vacant “zombie” properties, the property-data company said in its Oct. 29 vacancy and zombie foreclosure report. The zombie share slipped from 3.3% in the third quarter. Florida’s 2,220 was the largest count the report cites.
ATTOM defines the zombie foreclosure rate as the percentage of properties in the foreclosure process that are vacant because the owner has abandoned the property. The abandonment happens before the foreclosure ends, so a zombie home can sit empty and unmaintained while the lender’s case moves through court.
For homeowners, the question is whether that number touches their own street. Nationally it is small: 8,040 out of 105.1 million residential properties ATTOM analyzed. Locally it can be very different, since the report shows a handful of metros and ZIP codes where abandoned homes make up a large share of everything in foreclosure, and anyone living next to one has reason to know what the report says about their area.
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Which states have the most zombie properties?
Florida leads the counts the report cites, at 2,220 zombie properties, though that is down 19.6% from the third quarter. California follows with 267, down 10.4%. Pennsylvania has 252, up 17.2%, Texas has 192, up 15.7%, and Maryland has 180, up 19.2%.
The direction of travel differs from state to state. Zombie counts rose from the prior quarter in 29 states. Among states with at least 50 zombie properties, Wisconsin posted the biggest jump, up 20.9% to 52, followed by Maryland, Pennsylvania, Texas and North Carolina, which rose 15.2% to 129. The largest declines came in Arizona, down 34.9% to 56, then Florida, California, South Carolina and Oklahoma.
Florida’s total alone is more than a quarter of the national 8,040, a concentration that stands out even after its drop. Maryland shows up twice in the data, with 180 zombie properties statewide and Baltimore at the top of the metro rate list below, a reminder that the national 3% hides places where the share is several times higher.
Where are abandoned homes the biggest share of foreclosures?
The metro areas with the highest zombie rates were Baltimore and Youngstown, Ohio, at 13% each, followed by Akron, Ohio, at 11.5%, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, at 10.7%, and Scranton, Pennsylvania, at 9.4%. Ten metros had no zombie properties at all, including El Paso, Texas, and Little Rock, Arkansas.
The ZIP-code figures are starker. In Baltimore’s 21205, 42.5% of properties in foreclosure were zombies, and in 21223 the share was 40%. Two Indianapolis ZIP codes, 46201 and 46218, were each at 32.3%, and Carthage, New York’s 13619 was at 32.1%.
How common are empty homes overall?
ATTOM put the national vacancy rate at 1.2% in the fourth quarter, down from 1.3% in the third. By state, vacancy ran highest in Oklahoma at 2.4%, Kansas at 2.3%, Alabama and West Virginia at 2.1% each, and Missouri at 2.0%. It was lowest in New Hampshire at 0.3%, then Vermont, New Jersey and Connecticut at 0.4% each.
Homes owned by institutional investors, a group ATTOM tracks separately, numbered 30.6 million, and 2.7% of them, or 840,384, were vacant. Investor vacancy was highest in Indiana at 6.5%, Alabama at 5.8%, Oklahoma at 5.4%, Kansas at 5.2% and Louisiana at 5.1%. It was lowest in New Hampshire at 0.6%, then Vermont and Utah at 0.9% each, Hawaii at 1.0% and New Jersey at 1.1%.
ATTOM CEO Rob Barber said the “fourth-quarter data showed modest declines in both vacancy and zombie foreclosure rates nationwide.” He added that “vacant and abandoned homes continue to represent a relatively small share of the nation’s housing stock.”
The vacancy and zombie figures describe a share of a small total. The 269,195 properties in the foreclosure process are about a quarter of one percent of the 105.1 million residential properties ATTOM analyzed, and the zombie portion is smaller still. The numbers matter most at the neighborhood level, where a few empty houses can be the whole story for a block.
Is foreclosure activity itself rising?
ATTOM’s monthly tally says yes, from a low base. Its August 2026 foreclosure report, released Sept. 17, counted 40,277 properties with foreclosure filings, up 13% from a year earlier. Foreclosure starts were 25,894, up 7%, and completed foreclosures, known as REOs, reached 5,794, up 42%.
South Carolina had the highest August foreclosure rate, with one filing for every 1,547 housing units, followed by Nevada at one per 1,920, Florida at one per 2,397, Texas at one per 2,445 and Maryland at one per 2,530. Barber said in that report that “overall foreclosure volumes remain well below historical norms.”
Where can a homeowner behind on payments turn?
Homeowners who have missed payments can talk to a HUD-approved housing counselor, who can advise on defaults, forbearances and foreclosures, often at little or no cost, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The agency lists 1-855-411-CFPB (2372) for finding approved counseling agencies, and its page points to consumerfinance.gov/mortgagehelp for more of them. The ATTOM report itself offers no advice on what to do, so that call is the first step for anyone already behind.
Behind on a mortgage payment, or worried about the house next door?
Foreclosure counts are rising from a low base in ATTOM’s monthly data, and a vacant home on the block can drag on the neighborhood while the house a retiree owns keeps carrying its own bills. Owners who wait to look at what the home costs and what it could raise often have fewer options by the time a notice arrives.
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This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
Warren Cohen is a finance writer based in Phoenix, Arizona, covering personal finance topics including credit, banking, and beginner investing. He earned his degree in business administration from Arizona State University and began his career working in consumer finance, where he gained direct experience with lending and credit systems. He now writes for personal finance websites and fintech platforms, focusing on clear, practical content that helps readers make informed financial decisions.
