National snapshots echo the divide: the National Association of Realtors reports a 2023 Black homeownership rate of 44.7% versus 72.4% for White householders. "Homeownership, which is so central to the American Dream, remains an unequal and financially frustrating experience for Black families," one source summarized. LendingTree finds median household income in 2024 was $56,020 for Black households and $88,010 for White households, a $31,990 shortfall that shrinks the size of mortgages Black buyers can pursue. Black homeowners were more likely to have carried subprime loans into the crisis, producing higher foreclosure and delinquency rates and deeper equity losses: delinquency in 2009 affected about one in 10 Black homeowners versus one in 25 White homeowners, and Ballardbrief records home equity declines from 2007 to 2009 of 12% for Black households versus 9% for White households. Black homeowners also face higher housing cost burdens in 39 states and pay marginally higher median homeowners insurance in 2023, at $1,360 versus $1,310 for White homeowners.

Source: Washington Post February 21, 2026 17:00 UTC