Housing, 10 Worst Markets in the US. Disaster or Opportunity?

When looking at various economic indicators, various lists pop up revealing what analysts name the best and the worst real estate markets across the nation. BusinessInsider.com has named their ten “sickest” housing markets across America naming vacancy rates, total housing units and unemployment as their three determining factors. While several of these cities certainly belong in the bottom 10 real estate markets, some do not. Take Oklahoma City for example. This week, CNBC named Oklahoma City as the second best housing market noting factors such as the city’s underwater mortgages being 30.9% below the national average. We look to BusinessInsider’s own note that the city has an unemployment rate of only 4.9%, nearly half of the national average. Regardless, BusinessInsider’s analysis based on their chosen data points reveals these 10 cities as the worst real estate markets in America:

10. Oklahoma City, OK Homeowner vacancy rates: 5.2% (6th) Rental vacancy rates: 9.6% (34th) Total housing units: 539,077 Unemployment: 4.9%

 9. St. Louis, MO Homeowner vacancy rates: 3.3% (19th) Rental vacancy rates: 11.4% (18th) Total housing units: 1,236,222 Unemployment:8.6%

8. Kansas City, MO Kansas City tied with Detroit for #8. Homeowner vacancy rates: 3.7% (13th) Rental vacancy rates: 11% (22nd) Total housing units: 883,099 Unemployment: 8.4%

7. Detroit, MI Detroit tied with Kansas City for #8. Homeowner vacancy rates: 2.4% (32nd) Rental vacancy rates: 17.2% (3rd) Total housing units: 1,886,537 Unemployment:11.6%

6. Dayton, OH Homeowner vacancy rates: 4.7% (7th) Rental vacancy rates: 10.7% (23rd) Total housing units: 385,160 Unemployment: 9.3%

5. Baton Rouge, LA Homeowner vacancy rates: 3.9% (11th) Rental vacancy rates: 13% (12th) Total housing units: 329,729 Unemployment:8.4%

4. Atlanta, GA Homeowner vacancy rates: 5.4% (4th) Rental vacancy rates: 11.8% (17th) Total housing units: 2,165,495 Unemployment: 9.7%

3. Memphis, TN Homeowner vacancy rates: 4% (9th) Rental vacancy rates: 13.5% (11th) Total housing units: 550,896 Unemployment:10.1%

2. Indianapolis, IN Homeowner vacancy rates: 5.2% (5th) Rental vacancy rates: 13.5% (10th) Total housing units: 757,441 Unemployment: 7.8%

1. Tucson, AZ Homeowner vacancy rates: 6.8% (1st) Rental vacancy rates: 15.9% (6th) Total housing units: 440,909 Unemployment: 7.8%