The negative equity rate in the U.S. has continued to drop since early 2012.
The Q2 Zillow Negative Equity Report states that the negative equity rate this summer was 12.1 percent, significantly lower than a high of 31.4 percent four and a half years ago. The rate is defined as the share of homeowners that owe more to their lenders than what their home was worth.
Nationally, the suburban and urban negative equity rates are comparable, at 11.2 and 13.7 percent. Some metros have large discrepancies where urban rates are much higher than the suburbs.