The 10 emptiest US cities

[Scorpio]

The 10 emptiest US cities

Based on the numbers of homeowner and rental properties that are unoccupied, these places rank the highest in vacancies among the nation's 75 largest cities.
By Paul Toscano, CNBC.com

Empty city block © Image Source/Getty Images

It's no secret that the U.S. housing market has seen better days. From falling home values and impaired labor mobility to backed-up inventories and a flood of foreclosures, there are countless ways that real estate affects the economy at large.

One of the unfortunate results of a bad housing market is an increase in vacant homes, which has grown by 43.8% since 2000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Homes can be vacant for a number of reasons; the properties include both unoccupied, available rentals and unoccupied homes for sale. As of the 2010 census, there were approximately 15 million vacant housing units in the country, with an 11.4% gross vacancy rate nationwide.

Much like the range of home values from city to city, homeowner and rental vacancy rates vary dramatically depending on where you live. Every quarter, the census publishes data on homeowner and rental vacancies in the 75 largest U.S. cities that reveal which metro areas have the highest number of empty homes. CNBC.com ranked the following cities by giving equal weight to rental and homeowner vacancies.

So which major U.S. cities are the emptiest? Click ahead to find out.

http://money.msn.com/home-loans/the-...iest-us-cities

[Canadian-guerilla]

Detroit is only # 8

[EO 11110]

minus indy it looks like a list of largest cities with white flight

[Irons]

Detroit is only # 8

Cut off the welfare and at the same time provide free one way boat rides across the river and it will be #1.

[SongSungAU]

Detroit is only # 8

That surprised me. What surprised me more is Houston, TX has a higher rental vacancy than Detroit and Houston's homeowner vacancy rate is only one tenth lower than Detroit's. I did not realize it was that bad in Houston.

[EO 11110]

That surprised me. What surprised me more is Houston, TX has a higher rental vacancy than Detroit and Houston's homeowner vacancy rate is only one tenth lower than Detroit's. I did not realize it was that bad in Houston.

huge swaths of houston are now mexico

tire shops, flea markets, taco trucks, payday loans.....not much else

[AgBar]

I was really surprised to not see my city on that list. Maybe it's because of all the demolished houses over the last few years: it ain't empty if it's not there.

[Rollie Free]

Detroit may be underrated because a great many of those former rental properties are now legally condemned.

[Irons]

Detroit may be underrated because a great many of those former rental properties are now legally condemned.

Just think of how many coin stashes are hidden in the walls and foundations of those thousands of empty houses.

Detroit was a rich city, I would bet there is a ton of treasure being bulldozed into landfills.

[Argentium]

Cut off the welfare and at the same time provide free one way boat rides across the river and it will be #1.

Instant ghetto; just add negroes.

[goldmaster]

Instant ghetto; just add negroes.

You can't have ghettos if you don't have whites.

Who do you think creates the ghettos?

Whites, destroying humanity since they discovered the sail.

[hoarder]

I think the reasons are both White flight and manufacturing gone overseas.

[goldmaster]

I think the reasons are both White flight and manufacturing gone overseas.

If you mean white flight as in credit flight, that makes sense.

There is nothing magical about whites that makes neighborhoods better. If whites left, but the credit stayed, whites would be racing to get back into those communities.

As it is now, when the whites leave, the banks stop lending (because they are controlled by whites).

[hoarder]

As it is now, when the whites leave, the banks stop lending (because they are controlled by whites).

Which banks are controlled by Whites??

[honu5050]

washington DC would be number #1