Housing Inequality in New York City: Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Homeownership and Shelter‐Cost Burden

During the 1970s and 1980s, New York City experienced large‐scale and ethnically diverse immigration, which coincided with an increase in housing prices and severe affordability problems. This study utilizes the Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) data from the 1990 Census, to examine the extent to which immigration characteristics shape racial and ethnic differences in housing tenure and housing expenditure in New York City. A multivariate analysis, which encompasses households from seven racial and ethnic groups, reveals that the time of immigration, language proficiency, and residence in areas with a high number of newcomers play a critical role in determining white‐minority differentials in homeownership and shelter‐cost burden. However, the extent to which immigration shapes housing consumption varies substantially across racial and ethnic lines. The findings are discussed in light of their significance for the production and perpetuation of ethnic inequality in multiethnic societies.