Texas minorities are less likely than white Texans to own their homes, reports The Texas Tribune. The state’s largest metro areas have some of the most substantial racial disparities among homeowners in the nation, according to U.S. Census data.
Reasons for the gap include a shortage of affordable housing, credit problems and lack of savings for down payments among minorities. Only 28 percent of Hispanic households own their home, according to the data, while less than 9 percent of black households are homeowners. Meanwhile, almost 60 percent of white households are owned.
The gaps are mostly rooted in varying education and income levels among minority populations. The Tribune put the problem in plain language: Minorities are less likely to be able to afford their own homes.