2000-2019 City of Portland 25% Decline in Black Homeownership Rate Led to 9% State Decline, but Excluding Portland the Black Homeownership Rate Increased.

In 2001 I authored a report, The State of African-American Homeownership in Oregon, 2000. 

The report included a table showing a count of African-American homeowners in five cities in Oregon with 500 or more African-American renters.

Detailed demographic tenure data apparently will not be available from the 2020 census until 2022. 

So, in the interim I went back to ACS 2019 data and re-constructed the 2000 table to show the 2000-2019 changes in the number of African-American homeowners and renters in these five cities and in the black homeownership rate. I added to that table to show how statewide counts have changed, including subtotals for the rest of the state outside of these 5 cities. 

I am pasting in below two tables. The first shows the 2000 and 2019 black homeownership rate and the percentage change. The second shows the counts of black homeowners and renters and the percentage change from 2000-2019. 

Observations:

There has been a dispersion of black homeowners and renters outside of those 5 cities, and especially the City of Portland. In 2000 Portland had 73% of statewide black homeowners; in 2019 that had declined to 45%

The City of Portland black homeownership rate declined by 25% (from 38.2% to 28.6%), leading to a 9% statewide decline in the black homeownership rate from 37% to 33.6%. That 28.6% City of Portland rate is now BELOW the state average of 33.6%.

In 2 of the 5 cities (Eugene and Beaverton), the black homeownership rate increased. 

Outside of the 5 cities, the Black homeownership rate increased by 12% from 37.4% to 42.1%

Outside of the City of Portland, the Black homeownership rate increased by 15% from 34% to 39.3%.

Despite these increases it's important to keep in mind that the Oregon 2019 ACS  has the White, Non Hispanic homeownership rate at a MUCH higher 66.2%

Originally created and posted on the Oregon Housing Blog.