Housing discrimination is alive and well in many major U.S. cities, despite federal laws to protect against it. A majority of people in a new Zillow survey of 26 metro areas said they had been discriminated against.


What You Need To Know

  • 57% of people in a new Zillow study said they had experienced housing discrimination

  • LGBTQ+ people were most likely to say they were discriminated against, followed by Blacks and Hispanics

  • The Fair Housing Act of 1968 prohibits the refusal to rent, sell or negotiate housing based on a person's race, color, national origin, religion, sex, family status or disability

  • Zillow surveyed more than 12,000 adults in a mix of 26 metropolitan areas covering each region of the United States in March and April

“Fair housing issues are more likely to be top of mind for younger generations, likely attributable to their higher likelihood of moving, renting and buying a home more frequently than older generations, given their current stage of life,” Zillow Senior Population Scientist Manny Garcia said in a statement.

Fifty-seven percent of people in a Zillow survey of 12,000 adults said they had experienced some type of housing discrimination. LGBTQ+ people were most likely (79%) to report having experienced discrimination, followed by Blacks (69%), Hispanics (64%), Nonwhites (63%), people who rent (61%) and Asian American and Pacific Islanders (58%).

Housing discrimination is the illegal refusal to rent, sell or negotiate housing based on a person’s race, color, national origin, religion, sex, family status or disability, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Prohibited through the federal Fair Housing Act of 1968, it is also illegal for those providing housing to set different terms for the sale or rental of a dwelling, to use different qualification criteria or to fail or delay performance of maintenance or repairs.

Zillow conducted its survey with more than 12,000 adults in a mix of 26 metropolitan areas covering each region of the United States in March and April.