The Top Foreclosure States in America

For a brief moment this year, Florida was not the state with the highest foreclosure rate. Maryland relieved Florida of that dubious honor in October after foreclosure activity in the state surged, but a 31.1% decline in Maryland foreclosures from October to November was enough to push Florida back to the top, despite declines in that state, as well.

Florida has had the top foreclosure rate among the 50 states for 13 of the past 14 months. One in every 462 housing units in Florida was in some state of foreclosure in November, down 3.9% from October and down 14.75% from November 2013, according to the monthly U.S. foreclosure report from RealtyTrac.

The RealtyTrac U.S. Foreclosure Market Report looks at the total number of properties with at least one foreclosure filing entered into the RealtyTrac database each month, accounting for 90% of the U.S. population. Foreclosure filings include notices of default, lis pendent (notice of pending action), notices of trustee’s sale, notices of foreclosure sale and real-estate-owned properties, which have been foreclosed on and repurchased by a bank. Here are the states that had the highest rate of foreclosure filings in November.

10. South Carolina

1 in 933 housing units

Foreclosure activity declined 28.66% since November 2013 and 12.74% from October 2014, allowing South Carolina to drop from its No. 8 spot in the October foreclosure rankings. Foreclosure starts in South Carolina dropped 28% from last year, well below the national average increase of 5.83%.

9. Indiana

1 in 932 housing units

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Foreclosure starts increased 23.36% from October and 54.6% from November 2013, but overall foreclosure activity declined 18.25% month over month and increased just 2.01% from last year in Indiana. As a result, Indiana fell from its October place at No. 7 to the ninth-highest foreclosure rate.

8. Ohio

1 in 865 housing units

In October, Ohio had the fourth-highest foreclosure rate in the country, but a 22.06% decline in foreclosure filings from October to November allowed the state to drop to eighth place. Year over year, Ohio’s foreclosure rate declined 12.35%.

7. Illinois

1 in 848 housing units

Illinois also saw a slide in foreclosure filings, dropping 16.09% and two spots from October. The November foreclosure rate is down 17.33% from the same time last year, and foreclosure starts dropped 28.11% in the same time period, which was the eighth-largest year-over-year drop.

6. Nevada

1 in 783 housing units

Nevada’s foreclosure rate increased 10.73% since November 2013, despite a 23.91% drop in foreclosures from October of this year. Foreclosure starts skyrocketed 138.41% from November 2013, but the monthly changes bumped Nevada from No. 4 in October to No. 6 on this most recent list.

5. Utah

1 in 750 housing units

Utah wasn’t on the top 10 list in October, but monthly and annual increases in foreclosure activity pushed the state up in the rankings. Foreclosure filings increased 27.54% from October to November, and the year-over-year increase was 19.82%, driven mostly by new notices of default.

4. Delaware

1 in 693 housing units

Foreclosure filings in Delaware declined significantly (down 30.15%) from November 2013, but a slight increase from October (up 8.52%) moved the state from the sixth- to the fourth-highest foreclosure rate in the country last month.

3. Maryland

1 in 581 housing units

Maryland was No. 1 in October after its foreclosure activity spiked 68% in a month and 30% in a year, but a 31.1% decline in filings from October to November let Maryland settle into the rankings two spots lower.

2. New Jersey

1 in 478 housing units

New Jersey foreclosure activity surged in November, up 196.06% from the same time last year. The month-to-month change in foreclosure filings (up 83.58%) moved New Jersey from No. 9 in October to No. 2 in November’s rankings. Foreclosure starts spiked 256.18% from last year.

1. Florida

1 in 462 housing units

Foreclosure activity is actually down in Florida, but the 3.9% decline from October wasn’t enough to keep it off the top of the list, especially after Maryland’s significant drop in activity. Foreclosure filings decreased 14.75% and foreclosure starts dropped 24.35% from November 2013.

Going through foreclosure is a challenging time for any homeowner, emotionally and financially, but as devastating as it can be to lose your home, there are ways to recover. In the immediate aftermath of foreclosure, focus on the other aspects of your finances and credit that you can control, like paying bills on time and keeping your debt levels as low as possible. Eventually, you may see your credit score recover from the foreclosure. Meanwhile, check your credit reports to make sure they’re accurate and review your credit scores regularly to track your progress. You can get two of your credit scores with updates every 14 days for free on Credit.com.