Homeownership is one of the core engines of wealth-building, legacy-generation and community stability. Yet, for Black households, major barriers persist — and the data in our region are particularly stark.

By the numbers:

* In the Cincinnati Metro Area, Black homeownership is around 34%, compared to White homeownership at approximately 74% — a nearly 40-point gap. (HOME Greater Cincy)
* In Ohio overall, the homeownership rate for Black householders was projected at 34.7% in 2020, versus 73.1% for White householders. (Urban Institute)
* Nationally, the homeownership rate for Black Americans stood around 45.9% (2023) compared to ~73.8% for non-Hispanic White households — a gap of approximately 28-30 points. (Eye On Housing)
* Further: In Ohio the disparity between White and Black homeownership has reached 37 percentage points, significantly wider than the national gap (≈29 points). (Ohio Home)

Why this matters:

* This isn’t just about houses — it’s about asset accumulation, intergenerational wealth, and community stability.
* Regions like ours with extreme gaps reflect cumulative structural obstacles: historic red-lining, unequal mortgage denial rates, income gaps, property value disparities and fewer legacy homeownership pathways. (Ohio Home)
* When nearly two-thirds of Black households in some locales do not own a home while White ownership sits at three-quarters, the resulting wealth, opportunity and neighborhood investment divide is massive.

Call to action:

We need to move beyond acknowledging the gap and toward targeted strategies: home-buyer education, down payment assistance, equitable lending practices, local policy reforms, and community-specific outreach. When homeownership rates improve for Black households, the ripple effects are profound — for families, neighborhoods, and regional economies alike.

Cincinnati’s Vice Mayor, Jan Michele Lemon Kearney, recently hosted a Housing Policy Symposium laying the groundwork for forward thinking, collaborative, actionable calls to action empowering Cincinnati to decrease these disparities.

Let’s lift up this conversation and commit to practical steps here in Southwestern Ohio. The data demand it — and our communities deserve it.