Homeownership and home values in Marion County's Black neighborhoods

A 2018 report from the Brookings Institute found that homes in majority-Black neighborhoods in the Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson metro area were valued at $18,000 less than those in similar—yet not predominately Black—neighborhoods. In fact, in 117 of the 119 metro areas included in the report, a home in a majority-Black neighborhood was valued less than those in other neighborhoods. 

Researchers at the Center for Research on Inclusion and Social Policy used the Brookings Institute report to specifically examine trends in Black homeownership in Marion County. The team focused on Marion County only because it has a higher concentration of Black residents (28 percent) than the Indianapolis metro area (15 percent).

Many of the current trends in Black homeownership and have resulted from discriminatory practices and policies, which has led to segregated neighborhoods. Though undoing those causes will be equally complex, in the short term stakeholders should consider:

• In what ways their organization plays a direct role in making affordable housing more attainable specifically for Black residents
• Whether they can help address the systemic lack of resources in those neighborhoods