Given how expensive it is to actually buy a house here, maybe it’s not surprising that California’s homeownership rate is on the low end. Just over half of Californians own the home they live in, the second lowest rate of any state in the country. Nationwide, two out of every three households own their homes.

California’s homeowners also skew significantly white. White Californians are twice as likely as Black Californians to own, according to 2022 Census data. That racial gap widened over the years, which also means Black Californians are less likely to build wealth over time, said Carolina Reid, associate professor of city and regional planning at UC Berkeley.

Racial disparities pop up in every corner of the housing market.

“Blacks and Hispanics are more likely to be cost burdened, more likely to live in overcrowded conditions, more at risk of eviction, and displacement,” she said.