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How discrepancies in homeownership rates by race persist in Washington, D.C.

A new study from Apartment List reveals the sobering truth about buying a home in the District

Photo via Shutterstock/Jon Bilous

Regardless of education or income, white households have an advantage in achieving homeownership over other races, as reported by Apartment List.

While analyzing Census data from 1980 to 2015, Apartment List found that the homeownership rate in Washington, D.C., is 63.7 percent for white households, compared to 43.5 percent for black households, 43.4 percent for Hispanic households, and 64.4 percent for Asian households.

In comparison, the national average homeownership rates are 64.4 percent for white households, 54 percent for Asian households, 51.1 percent for Hispanic households, and 32.7 percent for black households.

In comparison to the nation’s 50 biggest metro areas, D.C.’s 15.1 percent average gap in homeownership across races is the fourth smallest gap. From 2000 to 2015, that gap narrowed by 6.5 percent, while on a national level, the average gap narrowed by 2.2 percent.

Apartment List also ranked the District as the seventh most diverse metro area in the nation’s 50 largest metros. 47.4 percent of prime “working age” households in the District are white, while 24.6 percent are black, 14.3 percent are Hispanic, 10.5 percent are Asian, and 3.3 percent are other.

See more data on the discrepancies in homeownership rates by race by checking out Apartment List’s full report here.

Racial Divide in Homeownership [Apartment List]