Where it happens
Where heirs’ property concentrates.
Each rate below is a share of residential properties identified as heirs’ property. The study notes that results may vary at state or regional level.
Rural areas
64.5% vs 30%
of identified heirs’ properties are in rural census tracts, which hold 30% of all residential properties
Housing Assistance Council for Fannie Mae (Dec 2023, corrected Mar 2024) · page 27
Counts of identified heirs’ properties vs of all residential properties; FHFA Duty to Serve 2022 rural definition.
Persistent poverty
1.2% vs 0.6%
heirs’ property rate in persistent-poverty counties vs elsewhere
Housing Assistance Council for Fannie Mae (Dec 2023, corrected Mar 2024) · page 28
Counts of residential properties identified as heirs’ property.
Population loss
1.6% vs 0.4%
heirs’ property rate in counties that lost population (2010–2020) vs counties that did not
Housing Assistance Council for Fannie Mae (Dec 2023, corrected Mar 2024) · page 29
Counts of residential properties identified as heirs’ property.
The study says results may vary at state or regional level.
The highest-prevalence counties
5% to 15%
of residential properties in the ten highest-prevalence counties are most likely heirs’ property
Housing Assistance Council for Fannie Mae (Dec 2023, corrected Mar 2024) · page 21
Counts of residential properties in those ten counties.
Top states
Two studies rank the states, in two different ways. Each table is its own study and is not combined with the other.
| State | Market value |
|---|---|
| Texas | $8.47 billion |
| Florida | $3.6 billion |
| New York | $3.42 billion |
| North Carolina | $2.33 billion |
| Maryland | $2.14 billion |
State figure · Dobbs & Johnson Gaither (2023) · Table 2 · parcel data: LightBox, supplied via USDA Forest Service, Nov 2021
| State | Share |
|---|---|
| West Virginia | 10.09% |
| Alabama | 4.45% |
| Montana | 3.20% |
| North Carolina | 1.94% |
| Mississippi | 1.78% |
State figure · Housing Assistance Council for Fannie Mae (Dec 2023, corrected Mar 2024) · p.25 (Table 4)
These studies measure different things: Texas ranks first by market value in one, and 0.09% of residential properties in the other (Housing Assistance Council).
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