Twice as many whites own a home in metro L.A. as African Americans

There is a significant racial home ownership gap in metro Los Angeles, according to new data.

The study, from apartment rentals website Apartment List, found that 44.4% of whites own a home in the L.A. area, more than double the African American home ownership rate of 21.4%.

Asians have the highest rate of ownership, at 50.6%, and the Latino rate is 30.6%.

The report, which is based on census data, also analyzed racial gaps by comparing the rate of white home ownership to the average rate of all other races combined.

By that metric, L.A. outperformed many other regions: Its average race gap of 17.1% gave it the ninth best rate among the largest 50 metros in the nation. Miami has the smallest gap at 13%, and Buffalo has the largest at 40.5%.

However, L.A.’s relatively favorable standing is largely because, simply put, ownership rates in the city are lower across the board. Among adults 25-54, only 38% of Angelenos own a home compared with the national average of 55%.

The area also is trending in the wrong direction. While the national racial ownership gap narrowed by 2.2% from 2000 to 2015, L.A.’s gap grew 1.5%.

Among the top 50 metros, whites and Asians have the highest ownership rates, with whites holding the top spot in 35 cities and Asians in 14.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles area mirrors national racial trends when it comes to the lowest rates of ownership: Black people have the lowest ownership rates in 42 metros, while Hispanics have the lowest rate in seven.

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Twitter: @jflem94

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