Institutional Racism

families live in high-poverty areas while one of every five Hispanic low-income families
lives in high-poverty areas.
Home Ownership
Segregation by Tenure
National trends for homeownership show a general upward trend since the 1980s, with
a 2010 rate of 66.9%. As of 2010, 71% of whites were homeowners. The rates for black,
Hispanics, and all other races remain consistently and significantly below the national
average. In 2010, the rates for blacks, Hispanics, and all other races were 45%, 48%,
and 57% respectively. Looking at all homeowners in 2007, about 87% are white. Lowincome
individuals are less likely to be homeowners than other income groups and pay
a greater portion of their income on housing. Individuals living in poverty represent a
very small portion of homeowners.
Rental
Census information on renters shows significant disparity between the races for renters.
Of all renters, about 71% are white, 21% are black, 18% are Hispanic and 7% are
Asian. Renters are generally less affluent that homeowners. From 1991 to 2005, the
percentage of low-income renters increased significantly.
Influences on Segregation
Current trends in racial and income based residential segregation in the United States
are attributed to several factors, including:
• Exclusionary zoning practices
• Location of Public Housing
• Discriminatory homeownership practices
• Attitudes and preferences towards housing location
• Gentrification
These factors impact both racial and income segregation differently.
Exclusionary Zoning
Exclusionary zoning influences both racial and income-based segregation.
Racial Zoning
Incidences of exclusionary zoning separating households by race appeared as early as
the 1870s and 1880s when municipalities in California adopted anti-Chinese policies.
For example, an 1884 San Francisco ordinance regulated the operation of laundries,
which were a source of employment and gathering places for Chinese immigrants. The
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