6.2 Million Second Homes, Half in Eight States, Need Their Own Fill Plan

The Situation

One run-out at an empty cottage can cost you an extra truck roll and a tech visit, and maybe the account. The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) estimates there were 6.2 million U.S. second homes in 2024, or 4.3% of the housing stock, down from 6.5 million in 2022. According to NAHB, half of them sit in eight states: Florida, California, New York, Texas, Michigan, North Carolina, Arizona and Pennsylvania. Florida leads with 943,881 units, or 15.2% of the national total, by NAHB's count. NAHB counts a second home as a non-rental property that isn't the owner's main residence. That is the same test used for the mortgage interest deduction. Its count leaves out homes held mainly for investment or business use.

The Facts

NAHB found 738 counties across all 50 states where second homes make up at least 10% of housing. In 272 counties, at least one house in five is a second home; NAHB says that is around 8% of all counties nationwide. According to NAHB, counties where at least half the housing is second homes turned up in fourteen states, including Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Minnesota and New York. NAHB also says counties with more than 25,000 second homes are mostly in or near metro areas. Of the ten counties with the most second homes, only Barnstable County, Massachusetts, and Collier County, Florida, have more than 20% of their housing in second homes, by NAHB's count. Our read, not NAHB's: a county with a low share can still put plenty of seasonal tanks on your routes, and they aren't only on lake and beach roads. Maine leads all states: 14.4% of its housing, about one in seven, was seasonal in 2024, according to a Sun Journal fact brief for the Maine Trust for Local News. The brief notes that the Census Bureau did not measure how many days each home sat empty. Those opening and closing dates have to come from your own customers.

Business Impact

Our read: a degree-day model assumes someone is heating the house, so it can miss the jump in usage when an owner comes back for the season. A run-out can mean an extra truck roll and a technician visit. After a run-out, a qualified professional must check for system leaks when restoring gas.

Action Steps

1. 1.ACCOUNT STEPS: Tag every second-home account on your books.
2. 2.Record each owner's primary address and best phone number or email. Seasonal owners usually live somewhere else, and a note left at the cottage won't reach them.
3. 3.Check whether your service counties are among the 738 where NAHB found second homes make up at least 10% of housing, using its Eye On Housing county analysis.
4. 4.When an owner closes up for the season, ask when they plan to come back. Then put their fill on the schedule ahead of that date.
5. 5.OWNER SAFETY STEPS: Before owners return, remind them to test their CO alarms.
6. 6.Have a qualified technician check the appliances before first use.
7. 7.On first use, watch for yellow or lazy flames, soot, or a stale smell. If you see any of these, stop using the appliance and call your propane retailer.
8. 8.A run-out can put out pilot lights. Don't relight pilots or appliances yourself; wait for your technician.
9. 9.If you smell gas, PERC says to leave the building right away without using flames, light switches or phones. Close the tank valve only if safe and no tank leak is suspected. From a safe distance, call your propane retailer, or call 911 if you can't reach the retailer or it's actively dangerous. Stay out until your technician or emergency responders say it is safe. Before reusing appliances, have your retailer or a qualified professional check the entire system for leaks. Never restore the gas yourself.
10. 10.If there is a fire, get out and call 911 or the fire department first.
11. 11.If a CO alarm sounds, leave right away. Call 911 or the fire department from outside, then call your propane retailer. Stay outside until emergency responders or a qualified professional clear your return.

Competitive Advantage

Our read: an empty tank on the first weekend back may send an owner looking for another supplier.