Research

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Homeownership in Baltimore

January 17, 2024

Homeownership declined in Baltimore during the COVID-19 pandemic, exacerbating long standing issues that have fallen particularly hard on Black communities, a new report by several local and national nonprofit organizations has found.

The report, “COVID-19 and Homeownership in Baltimore,” documents how the Black community has lagged in homeownership rates in Baltimore historically. In Baltimore, from 2019 to 2021, the percentage of owner-occupied homes fell from 55% to 53%, while the Black homeownership rate (43%) remained 18 percentage points lower than the white homeownership rate (61%).

The report represents the collaborative efforts of several organizations – the Baltimore Neighborhood Indicators Alliance – Jacob France Institute, the Community Development Network of Maryland, the National Fair Housing Alliance, and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County Community Leadership Program. Read the full report here.

On January 9, 2024, the report was released on a webinar outlining the research findings and proposed solutions. Watch the presentation here:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/QrGPtLxF1KU?si=mFN66maN1u9SX676