Norfolk is nearly half-Black and half-White, 93,649 Black residents and 94,527 White. But over 25% of African Americans live below the poverty line, compared to just over 10% of Whites. If you are Black in Norfolk, you are twice as likely to experience poverty.
Commissioned by the Urban Renewal Center, the report traces that divide through poverty, neighborhood wealth, homeownership, home values, housing debt, and employment. Despite making up half of the city's households, African Americans account for just 25% of Norfolk's homeowners, a figure that has barely moved since 2010. And as neighborhoods become more Black, median home values decline: roughly $2,272 for each additional percentage point of Black households.