2026 mobile home park industry statistics.
Park count, lot inventory, rent levels, cap rates, and 2026 outlook — aggregated from public US Census manufactured-housing data, MHI shipment reports, and BLS housing surveys.
Park count by region
The United States has approximately 44,000 mobile home parks, distributed roughly as follows. Park counts are industry estimates compiled from MHI industry reports, ROC USA, and state-level inventory surveys (the US Census Manufactured Housing Survey tracks new-home shipments, not park counts). Actual counts fluctuate as parks come online (slowly) and existing parks are redeveloped.
| Region | Approximate park count | Approximate lot count | Avg lot rent |
|---|---|---|---|
| South | ~13,500 | ~1,100,000 | ~$430 |
| Midwest | ~9,500 | ~660,000 | ~$435 |
| Sunbelt | ~10,000 | ~1,200,000 | ~$595 |
| West Coast | ~5,200 | ~600,000 | ~$815 |
| Northeast | ~3,200 | ~210,000 | ~$615 |
| Mountain / West | ~2,800 | ~190,000 | ~$535 |
Cap rates and pricing
Mobile home park cap rates compressed substantially through the 2010s — from a 9-10% national average in 2014 to a 5.5-6.5% average in 2021. The 2022-2023 rate-shock reversed some compression, and the market has stabilized since at moderately wider levels. The 2026 picture by tier:
| Tier | Stabilized cap rate range (2026) | Typical asset profile |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 (top metros, agency-financeable) | 6.0% – 7.0% | Stabilized, TOH-heavy, 200+ lots, strong submarket |
| Tier 2 (secondary markets) | 7.0% – 8.5% | Mid-size, mixed POH/TOH, 100-300 lots |
| Tier 3 (rural / value-add) | 8.5% – 10.5% | Smaller parks, infill upside, deferred maintenance |
Within each tier, POH-heavy parks typically price 25-50 basis points wider than comparable TOH-heavy parks because the income stream is considered less durable.
Manufactured housing shipments — leading indicator of demand
Annual manufactured-home shipments (the count of new homes leaving factories) is the cleanest leading indicator of MHP infill demand. Recent years:
| Year | Manufactured home shipments | YoY change |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ~94,000 | +1.5% |
| 2021 | ~106,000 | +12.8% |
| 2022 | ~112,000 | +5.7% |
| 2023 | ~89,000 | -20.5% (rate shock) |
| 2024 | ~103,000 | +15.7% |
| 2025 | ~106,000 (preliminary) | +2.9% |
Source: US Census Bureau Manufactured Housing Survey, monthly shipment reports.
Rent control landscape
Informational only — not legal advice. Rent regulation affecting manufactured-home communities varies by state and locality and changes frequently. Confirm the current rule, the exact figure, and whether it applies to your park with qualified counsel before acting. Selected statewide frameworks as of 2026:
- California — The statewide AB 1482 cap generally exempts mobile-home-park spaces, which are governed by the Mobilehome Residency Law; many California cities and counties have their own local mobilehome rent-control ordinances.
- Oregon — Statewide annual cap on rent increases; manufactured-home-park limits were updated by 2025 legislation (HB 3054). Verify the current percentage.
- Vermont — Mobile-home-park lot-rent regulation under 10 V.S.A. ch. 153.
- Colorado — Manufactured-home-park rent and fee provisions under the Mobile Home Park Act (C.R.S. § 38-12-200.1 et seq.).
- Delaware — Rent-justification framework under the Manufactured Home Owners and Community Owners Act.
Local-only rent control (specific cities/counties): Washington, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Minnesota. Several additional states have introduced statewide proposals in recent legislative sessions that have not yet passed.
For state-by-state detail, see our 50-state rent control hub.
Software adoption among operators
The figures below are Lotly’s directional estimates (not a published survey), based on aggregated platform and market observations. As of 2026:
- ~78% of operators with 500+ lots use a property management platform (up from 51% in 2022)
- ~52% of operators with 100-500 lots use a platform
- ~24% of single-park owner-operators use a platform — most still on spreadsheets
The fastest-growing segment of adoption is the 100-500 lot tier, where operators are aging out of spreadsheets but haven't yet committed to enterprise tools. This is the bullseye market for purpose-built MHP software.
Sources and methodology
Data on this page is aggregated from the following public and industry sources:
- US Census Bureau — Manufactured Housing Survey, monthly shipment reports, American Housing Survey
- Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI) — Annual industry reports, state-by-state shipment data
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) — Consumer Price Index for housing, regional rent data
- MSCI Real Assets (formerly Real Capital Analytics) — Public transaction data, cap rate trends
- State landlord-tenant statutes — Cited individually on each state page
- Lotly aggregation — Anonymized operator data from the Lotly platform
Estimates are approximations and should not be used for individual underwriting decisions without verification against primary sources. For any specific market, validate against recent transaction comparables and local conditions.