United States Housing Inventory Statistics
There are 1.54 million existing homes for sale in the United States at the end of July 2026, down 0.6% from a year earlier and equal to a 4.6 month supply at the current sales pace of 4.06 million a year. The total housing stock is 149.5 million units, of which 15.6 million are vacant but only 1.02 million are vacant and for sale. Builders had 1.26 million units under construction and were permitting at a 1.44 million annual rate.
Key United States Housing Inventory Statistics
NAR and U.S. Census Bureau data- Existing homes for sale: 1.54 million at end of July 2026, down 1.9% from June and 0.6% from July 2025. (NAR)
- Months supply: 4.6, unchanged from June and from a year earlier. (NAR)
- Total housing units: 149.5 million; occupied 133.8 million (89.5%); vacant 15.6 million (10.5%). (Census Bureau, CPS/HVS Q2 2026)
- Vacant for sale only: 1.02 million, just 0.7% of all units and 6.5% of vacant units. (Census Bureau)
- Vacant for rent: 3.73 million; seasonal: 3.43 million; held off market: 6.47 million. (Census Bureau)
- Homeowner vacancy rate 1.2%; rental vacancy rate 7.3%. (Census Bureau)
- Median time on market for a listing: 29 days in July 2026. (NAR)
- Building permits ran at a 1,443,000 annual rate in July 2026, up 3.1% year over year. (Census Bureau/HUD)
- Housing starts fell to 1,239,000 and completions to 1,212,000, both down double digits from July 2025. (Census Bureau/HUD)
- Units under construction: 1,262,000, down 6.0% year over year; authorized but not started: 279,000, up 10.3%. (Census Bureau/HUD)
How Many Homes Are for Sale in the United States?
1.54 million existing homes were listed for sale at the end of July 2026, according to NAR. At the July sales pace of 4.06 million a year, that is a 4.6 month supply, the same as June and the same as July 2025.
| Measure | July 2026 | June 2026 | July 2025 | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Homes for sale | 1,540,000 | 1,560,000 | 1,550,000 | Down 1.9% vs last month, 0.6% vs last year |
| Months supply | 4.6 | 4.6 | 4.6 | At current sales pace |
| Sales rate (SAAR) | 4,060,000 | 4,090,000 | 4,030,000 | Down 1.7% vs last month, up 0.7% vs last year |
| Median time on market | 29 days | 28 days | 28 days | REALTORS Confidence Index |
Source: National Association of REALTORS, Existing-Home Sales, July 2026 (released August 11, 2026) and June 2026 (released July 9, 2026). Prior-month and prior-year inventory derived from NAR's stated percentage changes and rounded to the nearest 10,000.
The 4.6 month national figure is the yardstick, not the market. Santa Clara County months supply and active listings by city are on the county housing inventory page, and the current month for each of fifteen cities is on the live market stats dashboards.
How Big Is the U.S. Housing Stock?
149.5 million housing units in the second quarter of 2026. 133.8 million are occupied and 15.6 million are vacant. The 1.54 million homes for sale are about 1.0% of the stock.
| Status | Units | Share of all units | Change from Q2 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owner-occupied | 86,985,000 | 58.2% | +780,000 |
| Renter-occupied | 46,827,000 | 31.3% | +450,000 |
| Vacant, year-round | 12,218,000 | 8.2% | +221,000 |
| Vacant, seasonal | 3,425,000 | 2.3% | -18,000 |
| All housing units | 149,454,000 | 100.0% | +1,432,000 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Housing Vacancies and Homeownership, Q2 2026, Table 3, vintage 2025 housing unit controls. Change columns are the Census Bureau's stated differences between Q2 2025 (revised) and Q2 2026 estimates.
Why Are Vacant Homes Not for Sale?
Because most vacant homes are vacant for other reasons. Of 15.6 million vacant units, only 1.02 million are for sale. 3.73 million are for rent, 3.43 million are seasonal, 1.0 million are rented or sold but not yet occupied, and 6.47 million are held off market entirely.
| Vacancy status | Units | Share of vacant | Share of all units |
|---|---|---|---|
| Held off market | 6,466,000 | 41.3% | 4.3% |
| of which: for occasional use | 1,964,000 | 12.6% | 1.3% |
| of which: temporarily occupied by persons with usual residence elsewhere | 1,007,000 | 6.4% | 0.7% |
| of which: other reasons | 3,495,000 | 22.3% | 2.3% |
| For rent | 3,727,000 | 23.8% | 2.5% |
| Seasonal | 3,425,000 | 21.9% | 2.3% |
| For sale only | 1,019,000 | 6.5% | 0.7% |
| Rented or sold, awaiting occupancy | 1,005,000 | 6.4% | 0.7% |
| All vacant units | 15,643,000 | 100.0% | 10.5% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, CPS/HVS Q2 2026, Table 3. Shares calculated by Aegis Luxury Real Estate; subcategories may not sum to totals because of rounding. The Census "vacant for sale only" count and NAR's "homes for sale" are different measures: NAR counts listings including occupied homes on the market, Census counts vacant units regardless of listing status.
The 15.6 million vacant units total is a Census count of every unit not occupied at the time of the survey. Of those, 1.02 million are classified as for sale only and 3.73 million as for rent. The remaining 10.9 million are classified by the Census Bureau as seasonal, rented or sold and awaiting occupancy, or held off market for occasional use, temporary occupancy by persons with usual residence elsewhere, or other reasons. The Census for-sale-only category and NAR existing-home inventory are related but different measures: Census counts vacant units for sale, while NAR inventory includes listed existing homes whether occupied or vacant.
How Much New Supply Is Coming?
Less than a year ago. Building permits ran at a 1,443,000 annual rate in July 2026, up 3.1% year over year, but starts fell to 1,239,000 (down 13.5%) and completions to 1,212,000 (down 16.8%). Units under construction stood at 1,262,000, down 6.0% from July 2025.
| Stage | Total | Single-family | 5+ units | Month over month | Year over year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Permits | 1,443,000 | 894,000 | 490,000 | +5.0% | +3.1% |
| Authorized, not started | 279,000 | 149,000 | 127,000 | +4.1% | +10.3% |
| Starts | 1,239,000 | 808,000 | 421,000 | -12.4% | -13.5% |
| Under construction | 1,262,000 | 579,000 | 666,000 | -0.2% | -6.0% |
| Completions | 1,212,000 | 878,000 | 329,000 | -9.1% | -16.8% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, New Residential Construction, July 2026, released August 18, 2026. Annual 2025 totals: 1,431,600 permits, 1,355,800 starts, 1,488,500 completions. Month over month starts and completions changes carry confidence intervals that include zero.
Aegis Analysis: Derived Statistics
The figures below are calculated by Aegis Luxury Real Estate from the published NAR and Census Bureau tables. Each shows its formula so it can be reproduced.
| Statistic | Formula | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Listings as share of housing stock | 1,540,000 homes for sale (NAR, end of July 2026) / 149,454,000 total units (Census, Q2 2026); two sources, two vintages | 1.03% |
| Vacant for sale as share of all units | 1,019,000 / 149,454,000 | 0.68% |
| Vacant for sale as share of vacant units | 1,019,000 / 15,643,000 | 6.5% |
| Held off market as multiple of vacant for sale | 6,466,000 / 1,019,000 | 6.35x |
| Permits minus starts, annual rate | 1,443,000 minus 1,239,000 | 204,000 units |
| Completions SAAR as share of housing stock | 1,212,000 seasonally adjusted annual rate (July 2026) / 149,454,000 total units (Q2 2026); an annualized flow over a point in time stock | 0.81% |
| Months supply check | 1,540,000 / 4,060,000 x 12 | 4.55, published as 4.6 |
Inputs: NAR Existing-Home Sales, July 2026; U.S. Census Bureau CPS/HVS Q2 2026, Table 3; Census Bureau and HUD New Residential Construction, July 2026. Mixed vintages and flow-over-stock ratios are labelled in the formula column. NAR figures are referenced by URL in the file, not reproduced.
How These United States Figures Are Calculated
Homes for sale, months supply, sales pace and time on market come from the National Association of REALTORS monthly Existing-Home Sales report. Total housing stock and vacancy by reason come from the Census Bureau's Housing Vacancy Survey. Permits, starts, units under construction and completions come from the Census Bureau and HUD New Residential Construction release. Shares and derived counts are calculated by Aegis Luxury Real Estate from those published figures.
| Element | Definition |
|---|---|
| Listings source | NAR, Existing-Home Sales, July 2026, released August 11, 2026. Inventory is total listings at month end including occupied homes |
| Stock source | U.S. Census Bureau, CPS/HVS Q2 2026, Table 3, vintage 2025 housing unit controls |
| Pipeline source | U.S. Census Bureau and HUD, New Residential Construction, July 2026, released August 18, 2026 |
| Months supply | Inventory divided by the seasonally adjusted annual sales rate, times twelve, as published by NAR |
| Vacant for sale | Census count of vacant units for sale only. Not the same as NAR listings |
| Rates | Permits, starts and completions are seasonally adjusted annual rates, not monthly counts. Under construction and authorized-not-started are seasonally adjusted stocks at period end |
| Release identifiers | NAR Existing-Home Sales July 2026 (August 11, 2026); Census CB26-116 (July 28, 2026), press PDF at census.gov/housing/hvs/files/currenthvspress.pdf; Census/HUD CB26-127 (August 18, 2026), press PDF at census.gov/construction/nrc/pdf/newresconst.pdf |
| Refresh | NAR monthly; HVS quarterly (next October 28, 2026); New Residential Construction monthly (next September 17, 2026) |
Every figure on this page resolves to a token in the Aegis Stats Engine with a recorded source, vintage and verification date. No figure originates from a consumer portal, a commercial aggregator, or an automated valuation model.
Official Sources for United States Housing Inventory Data
Every figure on this page can be checked at its origin. These are the primary records, not summaries of them.
Using these figures
Journalists, researchers, students, and other sites are welcome to cite this page and link to the permanent URL so readers can check each figure against its source and see the current version. Aegis-original calculations, the compilation structure and the statistical graphics on this page may be reused with attribution to Aegis Luxury Real Estate and a link to this URL. U.S. Census Bureau and HUD figures are public domain. National Association of REALTORS figures are reproduced here for reference, are not relicensed by Aegis; obtain them from NAR under NAR's terms.
Timothy Alston. "United States Housing Inventory Statistics." Aegis Luxury Real Estate, DRE# 01328224, updated August 18, 2026. https://aegishomesre.com/housing-inventory-statistics/
https://aegishomesre.com/housing-inventory-statistics/
This URL does not change. The page is updated in place rather than republished, so a link placed today continues to resolve to the current figures. For data questions, contact Timothy Alston at aegishomesre.com/contact.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many homes are for sale in the United States?
1.54 million existing homes at the end of July 2026, according to NAR, down 0.6% from a year earlier. That is a 4.6-month supply at the current sales pace of 4.06 million a year.
What is a normal months supply of housing?
Six months is the conventional balanced-market benchmark. The national figure of 4.6 months has been unchanged for a year and sits between the lows NAR reported in 2021 and 2022 and the six-month benchmark.
How many housing units are there in the United States?
149.5 million in the second quarter of 2026: 87.0 million owner-occupied, 46.8 million renter-occupied and 15.6 million vacant.
Are 15.6 million vacant homes available to buy?
No. Only 1.02 million vacant units are for sale. Another 3.73 million are for rent, 3.43 million are seasonal, about 1.0 million are already rented or sold and awaiting occupancy, and 6.47 million are held off market for occasional use, temporary occupancy or other reasons.
Is new construction adding to inventory?
Slowly, and less than a year ago. Completions ran at 1,212,000 a year in July 2026, down 16.8% from July 2025, and starts fell 13.5%. Permits rose 3.1%, but the backlog of authorized-but-not-started units grew 10.3% to 279,000, so more units are being authorized than started.
How does Santa Clara County inventory compare?
The Santa Clara County page reports active listings and months supply by city from MLSListings Inc. This page does not carry the county figures; compare the county months supply there against the national 4.6 published by NAR for July 2026.
Timothy Alston
Timothy Alston is a licensed California real estate Broker serving 53 communities across Santa Clara, San Mateo, Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties. This reference page is maintained as part of an ongoing statistical series and is updated in place when its source data or methodology materially changes.