Healthy Communities Assessment Tool

The Vacancy Rates indicator measures the share of vacant residential properties within a neighborhood. Physical disorder related to blight and vacant properties is associated with many negative health outcomes, including cardiovascular disease and mental illness. Vacant residential properties are linked with higher levels of crime and illegal activity such as prostitution, drug sales, and drug use by adolescents, as well as increased risk of fire injury. Vacancy rates are also associated with worse maternal and infant health outcomes. High levels of “boarded-up housing” have been found to be a predictor of gonorrhea, premature mortality, diabetes, homicide, and suicide. Vacant housing is also a predictor of high blood lead levels in children. It is important to keep in mind that vacancy is not abandonment. Vacant properties are spaces that are not occupied but may still be maintained, so a vacant property does not automatically mean a blighted one. An abandoned property is a space that no longer has a steward. In some cases, vacancy can eventually lead to abandonment. The Vacancy Rates indicator is an “inverse” measure: the higher the proportion of vacant homes in a neighborhood, the lower the community health. Posted under the Housing domain, the Vacancy Rates indicator also impacts the Blight, Economic Health, Social Cohesion, Health Systems and Public Safety, and Neighborhood Characteristics domains. Data on housing vacancy is available from the U.S. Census.