If two heads are better than one, does that mean two homes are better than one? For anyone who can afford it, owning two homes allows them to live in and experience two different regional cultures and have a built-in place for a weekend getaway. But where are the majority of these second homes located? It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to learn they are concentrated in places typically thought of as tourist destinations.
Hamilton County, N.Y. has the highest share of second homes in the country with 79.3 percent of its homes being allocated as second homes, NAHB reports. Forest County, Pa. and Rich County, Utah are not far behind with 74 percent and 72.7 percent shares respectively.
The county with the most second homes just in sheer numbers is Maricopa County Ariz. with 118,282. Palm Beach County, Fla. is second with 98,627. Florida was home to six out of the top 10 counties with the most second homes.
While areas like California, Arizona, and Florida tend to have the most second homes in the country, there were 913 counties across 49 states where second homes accounted for at least 10 percent of the local housing stock. Connecticut and Washington, D.C. were the only two areas without an area matching that description.
In order to find these statistics, NAHB defined a second home as a non-rental property that is not classified as a taxpayer’s principal residence.