Study finds widespread landlord bias against Native Americans

More than a quarter of Native Americans are discriminated against when attempting to rent homes, according to a study released last week by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

“Discrimination in Metropolitan Housing Markets” found that Native Americans in the metropolitan areas of New Mexico, Montana and Minnesota consistently receive less favorable treatment than similarly qualified whites when inquiring about the same advertised rental unit.

The study showed that Native American renters were discriminated against more than 29% of the time. In comparison, African Americans nationally are discriminated against 22% of the time, Latinos 26% and Asians 21%.

Specifically, the study found that Native American renters in the three states experienced consistent adverse treatment relative to comparable whites in 28.5% of tests. The individual levels were 25.7% in New Mexico, 33.3% in Minnesota and 28.6% in Montana. Systematic bias was high when it came to being told about unit availability.