The Spatial Distribution of the Homeownership Racial Gap

Paul Carrillo () and Rujia Li ()

No 2026-013, Working Papers from The George Washington University, The Center for Economic Research

Abstract: The racial homeownership gap, defined as the difference in homeownership rates between White and minority households, exhibits substantial spatial variation across metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs), across Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs), and even across census tracts within urban areas. These spatial patterns have also changed substantially between 1990 and 2019. Using PUMAs as the unit of analysis, we apply a semiparametric reweighting approach that jointly models location and housing-tenure choices. We decompose local gaps into a component attributable to differences in observed household characteristics, including education and income, and a residual component. Observed characteristics explain a substantial share of average gaps, but the residual varies markedly across locations. This residual is strongly correlated with local racial composition: areas with larger Black and Hispanic population shares tend to exhibit narrower racial homeownership gaps.

Keywords: Homeownership; Decomposition; Spatial Inequality; Urban Economics. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C13 R23 R30 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 79 pages
Date: 2026-09
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-hre, nep-mid and nep-uep
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