Florida ranks tops among states for home foreclosures in October

Florida single-family home sales have been spotty at best for much of this year, showing unease in the housing market. Now, a new report shows Florida topped all other states in the number of home foreclosures in October.

The ATTOM AI data analysis company issued a report on foreclosures across the U.S. for October. In total, 1 in every 3,871 housing units across America were foreclosed last month. Florida, meanwhile, saw 1 in every 1,829 housing units foreclosed in that span.

ATTOM AI analysts said the trend is increasing, with more foreclosures across the country.

“Foreclosure activity continued its steady upward trend in October, the eighth straight month of year-over-year increases. Starts rose nearly 20%, while completed foreclosures were up 32% from last year,” said Rob Barber, CEO at ATTOM.

“Even with these increases, activity remains well below historic highs. The current trend appears to reflect a gradual normalization in foreclosure volumes as market conditions adjust and some homeowners continue to navigate higher housing and borrowing costs.”

Within Florida, the Tampa area along the Gulf Coast had the highest foreclosure rate in the country among metro areas with more than 1 million residents, with 1 in every 1,373 home units foreclosed last month.

“The increase reflects a temporary spike caused by the resumption of data collection in Hillsborough County, which added backlogged records and is expected to normalize in November,” The ATTOM AI report said.

Jacksonville finished second in the U.S., with 1 out of every 1,576 houses in foreclosure. Orlando was third, with 1 in every 1,703 units foreclosed.

North Florida home sales have been fluctuating much of this year. The Northeast Florida Association of Realtors reported a slight uptick in home sales in October compared to the same month in 2024, though the latest figures showed a decrease compared to September.

The Elliman Report showed similar mixed results in home sales in South Florida for October.

Riverside, California, was the fourth-ranked metro market in the country in terms of foreclosures, at 1 in 1,983 homes. Cleveland came in fifth, with 1 in every 2,114 homes in foreclosure last month.

Among states, South Carolina was second behind Florida, with 1 in every 1,982 housing units in foreclosure. Illinois was third, with 1 in every 2,570 homes being foreclosed. Delaware placed fourth, followed by Nevada in fifth.