What is the rental vacancy rate in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA?

Name: Vacancy rate in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

The rental vacancy rate in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA is 3.2% (±2.7 points) (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

The homeowner vacancy rate is 0.0% (±0.3 points).

375 (±188) homes, 2.1% of all housing units, were vacant, a count that includes seasonal homes and homes being sold or rented.

In Rancho Santa Margarita, the rental vacancy rate went from 3.7% in 2015–2019 to 3.2% in 2020–2024 (−0.5 percentage points), not a measurable change.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Rental vacancy rate: 3.2% (±2.7 points)
Homeowner vacancy rate: 0.0% (±0.3 points)
Vacant homes: 375 (±188)

Vacancy in Rancho Santa Margarita against Orange County, its state and the nation

Estimate (90% margin of error)
	Rancho Santa Margarita	Orange County	California	United States
Rental vacancy rate	3.2% (±2.7 points)	4.4% (±0.3 points)	4.2% (±0.1 points)	5.5%
Homeowner vacancy rate	0.0% (±0.3 points)	0.7% (±0.1 points)	0.8% (±0.1 points)	0.9%
Vacant housing units	375 (±188)	63,209 (±2,660)	1,096,644 (±18,928)	14,547,859

The rental vacancy rate is the share of rental homes that are vacant and for rent; it leaves out homes already rented but not yet moved into, and seasonal homes.

In Rancho Santa Margarita, the rental vacancy rate is not measurably different from Orange County (4.4%).

It is not measurably different from California (4.2%).

It is not measurably different from the national figure (5.5%).

Rental vacancy rate in places near Rancho Santa Margarita

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Rancho Santa Margarita
Place	Distance	Rental vacancy rate	Compared with this place
Rancho Santa Margarita	—	3.2% (±2.7 points)	—
Coto de Caza	2.5 mi	0.0% (±10.9 points)	Not measurably different
Trabuco Canyon	3.2 mi	0.0% (±58.2 points)	Not measurably different
Las Flores	3.6 mi	11.9% (±17.6 points)	Not measurably different
Mission Viejo	3.7 mi	5.7% (±2.2 points)	Not measurably different
Lake Forest	4.7 mi	5.1% (±2.6 points)	Not measurably different
Ladera Ranch	6.3 mi	6.9% (±6.6 points)	Not measurably different
Laguna Hills	6.3 mi	9.1% (±4.3 points)	Higher
Laguna Woods	7.7 mi	4.1% (±2.5 points)	Not measurably different

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: Laguna Hills, CA (9.1%).

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

Rental vacancy rate across Orange County, place by place

Rank	Place	Rental vacancy rate
22 (tie)	Placentia	3.7% (±2.2 points)
24	San Clemente	3.5% (±2.2 points)
25	Westminster	3.4% (±1.7 points)
26	La Habra	3.3% (±1.4 points)
27 (tie)	Brea	3.2% (±2.1 points)
27 (tie)	La Palma	3.2% (±4.9 points)
27 (tie)	Rancho Santa Margarita	3.2% (±2.7 points)
30	Santa Ana	3.0% (±0.6 points)
31	Huntington Beach	2.8% (±0.9 points)
32	Los Alamitos	2.5% (±2.8 points)
33	San Juan Capistrano	2.4% (±2.7 points)
34 (tie)	Fountain Valley	2.2% (±1.5 points)
34 (tie)	Tustin	2.2% (±1.1 points)

Showing 13 of 42 places in Orange County, ranked from highest to lowest.

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

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Questions about Rancho Santa Margarita

Is it hard to find a rental in Rancho Santa Margarita?

The rental vacancy rate in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA is 3.2% (±2.7 points); a low rate means few rental homes stand empty and for rent at any time, which usually means more competition for each one.

Is the rental market in Rancho Santa Margarita tighter than it was?

In Rancho Santa Margarita, the rental vacancy rate went from 3.7% in 2015–2019 to 3.2% in 2020–2024 (−0.5 percentage points), not a measurable change.

How many homes are vacant in Rancho Santa Margarita?

An estimated 375 (±188) housing units, 2.1% of the total, including seasonal homes and homes waiting to be sold or rented.

Sources

To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for Rancho Santa Margarita city, California (place:59587, in state:06).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The 2015–2019 figures are DP04_0005E, DP04_0005M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0005E, DP04_0005M, DP04_0004E, DP04_0004M, DP04_0003E, DP04_0003M, DP04_0003PE, DP04_0003PM

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.