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Explore national- and state-level data for hundreds of health, environmental and socioeconomic measures, including background information about each measure. Use features on this page to find measures; view subpopulations, trends and rankings; and download and share content.
Illinois Value:
Difference between the homeownership rates of the white population and the racial/ethnic population with the lowest rate (varies by state)
Illinois Rank:
Difference between the homeownership rates of the white population and the racial/ethnic population with the lowest rate (varies by state)
22.2 - 30.0
30.1 - 31.9
32.0 - 35.1
35.2 - 42.8
42.9 - 49.0
US Value: 29.5
Top State(s): Wyoming: 22.2
Bottom State(s): Minnesota, South Dakota: 49.0
Definition: Difference between the homeownership rates of the white population and the racial/ethnic population with the lowest rate (varies by state)
Data Source and Years(s): U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 1-Year Dataset, 2024
Suggested Citation: America's Health Rankings analysis of U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 1-Year Dataset, United Health Foundation, AmericasHealthRankings.org, accessed 2026.
Stable housing is essential to overall health and well-being. Racial segregation and mortgage discrimination have historically kept Black Americans from purchasing houses, and these issues persist today. Black residents face significant barriers to becoming homeowners due to the lasting effects of segregation laws on generating personal wealth. Research shows that 26.1% of Black mortgage applicants are rejected when applying for a mortgage, compared with only 12.9% of white applicants.
Homeownership plays an important role in wealth accumulation. Wealth is a major determining factor of health, and income inequality remains a significant public health issue. Low-income households, in particular, may accumulate wealth more successfully through homeownership than other means if they can stay in their homes.
According to America’s Health Rankings analysis, the largest racial and ethnic disparities in homeownership are among Black and Hawaiian/Pacific Islander populations compared with white populations.
Strategies to ensure greater access to homeownership include:
Healthy People 2030 identifies housing instability as a key issue within the Economic Stability domain of the other social determinants of health.
Goodman, Laurie S., and Christopher Mayer. “Homeownership and the American Dream.” Journal of Economic Perspectives 32, no. 1 (February 1, 2018): 31–58. https://doi.org/10.1257/jep.32.1.31.
Herbert, Christopher E., Shannon Rieger, and Jonathan Spader. “Expanding Access to Homeownership as a Means of Fostering Residential Integration and Inclusion.” In A Shared Future: Fostering Communities of Inclusion in an Era of Inequality. Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, 2017. https://www.jchs.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/media/imp/a_shared_future_expanding_access_to_homeownership_fostering_inclusion.pdf.
Krisberg, Kim. “Income Inequality: When Wealth Determines Health: Earnings Influential as Lifelong Social Determinant of Health.” The Nation’s Health 46, no. 8 (October 2016): 1–17.
Rolfe, Steve, Lisa Garnham, Jon Godwin, Isobel Anderson, Pete Seaman, and Cam Donaldson. “Housing as a Social Determinant of Health and Wellbeing: Developing an Empirically-Informed Realist Theoretical Framework.” BMC Public Health 20, no. 1 (December 2020): 1138. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-020-09224-0.
Turner, Margery, Rob Santos, Diane Levy, Doug Wissoker, Claudia Aranda, and Rob Pitingolo. “Housing Discrimination Against Racial and Ethnic Minorities 2012.” U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, June 2013. https://www.huduser.gov/portal/Publications/pdf/HUD-514_HDS2012.pdf.
Wainer, Allison, and Jeffrey Zabel. “Homeownership and Wealth Accumulation for Low-Income Households.” Journal of Housing Economics 47 (March 2020): 101624. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhe.2019.03.002.
America’s Health Rankings builds on the work of the United Health Foundation to draw attention to public health and better understand the health of various populations. Our platform provides relevant information that policymakers, public health officials, advocates and leaders can use to effect change in their communities.
We have developed detailed analyses on the health of key populations in the country, including women and children, seniors and those who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces, in addition to a deep dive into health disparities across the country.
