Eleven of the top 25 metro areas with the highest foreclosure rates in 2009 are located in Florida, more than any other state.
California accounted for 10, according to data released Thursday by Calif-based RealtyTrac.
In the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater area, there were 62,719 properties that received filings during the year. That's one filing for every 21 households and a 17 percent increase from the previous year. Filings rose 162 percent from 2007.
Along with Florida and California, two other states - Nevada and Arizona - helped dominate foreclosure rates last year.
While that wasn't surprising, some states that have been thought to be insolated from the foreclosure problem showed rising foreclosure rates late in the year. That led experts to question whether states, such as Utah, Illinois, Oregon and Idaho, will see even more foreclosures this year.
"While it was expected that cities from states with the highest levels of foreclosure activity would top the charts, there is evidence that we're entering a new wave of foreclosures, driving more by unemployment and economic hardship than what we've seen over the past years," said James J. Saccacio, chief executive officer for RealtyTrac.
The metros with the highest foreclosure rates in 2009 were Las Vegas and the Cape Coral-Ft. Myers areas, which both saw one foreclosure filing for every eight households. Orlando ranked seventh, with one filing for every 12 households.
The national average was one filing for every 45 households.
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