According to a report released Monday by the Census Bureau, 2.9% of U.S homes (except for rental properties) are vacant. This is .1% higher then the stats pulled in the 4^th quarter of 2007. This is the highest the vacancy amount has ever been.

So far the West section of the United States has had the highest gain, going from 6.5% in the January-March period of 2007 to its now current figure of 7%. Vacancy amounts also gained momentum in the Northeast, but decreased in the Midwest and the South.

The rising numbers have everyone worried, as vacant areas also bring down the value of surrounding homes, due to lack of vacant home maintenance, and increased vandalism in the area. As reported before, some towns are trying to prevent this domino effect of damage by closing of certain town areas where the vacancy numbers are increasingly high.