Housing and Community Development

Indicators features in the Housing and Community Development chapter of Vital Signs 22 track changes to the quality, affordability, and the expansion of housing in Baltimore City. This chapter provides indicators for the following areas:

• Housing Market 

• Affordability and Choice 

• Tax Credits 

• Permits and Code Enforcement 

• Vacant Buildings and Unoccupied Housing 

Data for Vital Signs 22 Housing and Community Development indicators come from city sources including; Baltimore City Department of Housing, Baltimore City Circuit Court, Baltimore City Department of Finance, BidBaltimore. State level data is sourced from the Maryland Department of Planning. Federal sources come from United States Postal Service, Bureau of the Census, American Community Survey (ACS), Department of Housing and Urban Development, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. BNIA-JFI also use proprietary sources including First American Real Estate Solutions (FARES) and RBIntel. When possible, indicators are created by normalizing data by the number of residential properties to establish rates that allow for comparison across neighborhoods and over time. 

Housing Market transactions within neighborhoods provide a glimpse into how well homes in the area are sold to people moving in using formal financing mechanisms. Nine housing market indicators for Baltimore’s neighborhoods are included in Vital Signs 22: percentage of properties that are owner-occupied, total number of homes sold, median price of homes sold, percent of mortgages originated or approved, median number of days on market, percent of homes sold in foreclosure, percent of homes sold for cash, percent of properties under mortgage foreclosure, and percentage of residential tax lien sales. 

Between 2010 and 2020, the percentage of residential properties that were owner-occupied in Baltimore decreased from 60.2% to 52.6%. In 2021, the CSAs with the highest percentage of owner-occupied properties were Claremont/Armistead (82.4%), Cross-Country/Cheswolde (80.9%), and Mount Washington/Coldspring (79.7%). The CSAs with the lowest percentage of owner-occupied properties Southwest Baltimore (21.0%) and Madison/East End (22.1%).   

In 2022, the highest number of homes were sold Inner Harbor/Federal Hill (136), Patterson Park (122), and Canton (105). The lowest number of homes sold were in Cherry Hill (3), Dickeyville/Franklintown (6), and Orchard Ridge/Armistead (6) - areas with lower rates of housing stock availability.

The median sales price of homes sold in Baltimore City in 2022 was $202,000, an increase from $148,000 in 2019. In 2022, the CSAs with the highest median home sales include North Baltimore/Guilford/Homeland ($380,000), Mount Washington/Coldspring ($370,000), and Greater Roland Park/Poplar Hill ($370,000). The CSAs with the lowest median home sales include Sandtown-Winchester/Harlem Park ($50,000), Southwest Baltimore ($50,000), and Cherry Hill ($67,500). 

The Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) is a federal act that requires certain kinds of mortgage lenders to submit records of loans and lending practices to regulatory authorities with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. HMDA reporting allows government regulators to analyze information on mortgage loans and mortgage lending trends.  ¹   HMDA data are used to understand credit accessibility, fair lending, and the mortgage market.  

Although the HMDA data are the most extensive individual-level data on residential mortgage lending, they do not cover the entire mortgage market. Institutions without any branches in a metropolitan statistical area (MSA), and institutions that are not federally insured or regulated, do not make loans insured by a federal agency, or intended for sale to Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, do not have to report HMDA data. Nationwide, only 49% of all mortgages in 2019 are reported in HMDA data.  ²    

In 2022, (74.2%) of all HMDA reported first-lien mortgage applications in Baltimore were either originated or approved but not accepted. The CSAs with the highest percent of originated or approved mortgage applications were Highlandtown (93.2%), Greater Roland Park/Poplar Hill (93.1%) and South Baltimore (91.7%). The CSAs with the lowest percent were Westport/Mount Winans/Lakeland (53.0%) and Midway/Coldstream (57.1%). 

Between 2021 and 2022, the median number of days that a house was listed on the market in Baltimore City increased from (14) to (18).  In 2022, the CSAs with the fewest days on the market were Southeastern (6), Dickeyville/Franklintown (7), Mount Washington/Coldspring (8), and Cherry Hill (8 days). The CSAs with the greatest days on the market were Harbor East/Little Italy (43), Highlandtown (38), Madison/East End (32), and Penn North/Reservoir Hill (32). 

Between 2021 and 2022, the percentage of homes sold under foreclosure or as a real estate owned (REO) sale declined from (2.6%) to (1.8%). In 2022, the CSAs with the highest percentage of homes sold under foreclosure were Claremont/Armistead (33.3%), Westport/Mount Winans/Lakeland (10%), Pimlico/Arlington/Hilltop (8.3%), Downtown/Seton Hill (8.3%), and Penn North/Reservoir Hill (8.3%). Twenty-three CSAs had no homes sold under foreclosure. 

Between 2019 and 2020, the percentage of homes in Baltimore receiving notice of a mortgage foreclosure filing due to delinquent payment declined from 1.0% to 0.3% due to a moratorium on foreclosure filings because of the pandemic. The highest percentage of homes receiving a mortgage foreclosure filing in 2019 occurred in Howard Park/West Arlington (2.3%) and in 2020 occurred in Dorchester/Ashburton (0.7%). The lowest foreclosure filing rates in 2019 occurred in Greater Roland Park/Poplar Hill (0.2%). In 2020, there were three CSAs with zero foreclosure filings: Dickeyville/Franklintown, Cross-Country/Cheswolde, and Greater Roland Park/Poplar Hill.   

Between 2013-2017 and 2018-2022, the percentage of all homes sold in Baltimore purchased for cash decreased from (41.3%) to (30.4%). The CSAs with the highest percentage of homes sold as cash-based purchases in 2022 were Cherry Hill (100%), Sandtown-Winchester/Harlem Park (82%), and Penn North/Reservoir Hill (62.5%). The CSAs with the lowest percentage of the homes sold in cash were Claremont/Armistead (0.0%), Hampden/Remington (11.5%), and Hamilton Hills (11.7%). 

Residential properties with unpaid taxes can be sold as tax certificates at the annual tax lien certificate sale held in May. In 2022, Mayor Brandon Scott removed 2,900 owner-occupied properties from the tax sale list. Given the removal of owner-occupied properties, the percentage of residential properties with tax liens for sale are no longer comparable year-over-year. BNIA-JFI is presently working to improve our methodology for calculating this indicator to better trace annual shifts in the tax sale list.  ³     

Vital Signs measures affordability by the percentage of households in a community paying more than 30% of their total household income on their mortgage or rent. This indicator is called the affordability index.  ⁴  

Between 2013-2017 and 2018-2022, the percentage of households with mortgages paying more than 30% of their total household income on home-related expenses decreased from (34.2%) to (31.0%). During 2018-2022, the CSAs with the highest percentage of homeowners spending more than 30% of their total income on housing included Greater Rosemont (60.5%), Upton/Druid Heights (54.5%), and Sandtown-Winchester/Harlem Park (51.1%). The CSAs with the lowest percentage of homeowners spending more than 30% of their total income on housing were Fells Point (16.4%) and South Baltimore (16.8%). 

Between 2013-2017 and 2018-2022, the percentage of households paying more than 30% of their total household income on rent decreased slightly from (49.8%) to (49.1%). During 2018-2022, the CSAs with the greatest percentage of renters paying over 30% of their income on housing were Southeastern (66.4%), Beechfield/Ten Hills/West Hills (65.9%), and Westport/Mount Winans/Lakeland (64.2%). The CSAs with the lowest percentage of renters who paid more than 30% of their total household income on rent were Harbor East/Little Italy (21.9%), Canton (24.4%) and Highlandtown (30.1%). 

Between 2020 and 2022, the rate of housing vouchers used per 1,000 rental units in Baltimore City increased from 124.3 to 130.3. The CSAs with the highest rates of housing voucher use per 1,000 rental units were Oldtown/Middle East (324.1), Upton/Druid Heights (300.2), and Poppleton/The Terraces/Hollins Market (262.0). The CSAs with the lowest rates of housing voucher use are South Baltimore (4.0), Greater Roland Park/Poplar Hill (6.4), and Highlandtown (16.6).   

On Hold, Indicators Anticipated for Summer 2024 Release

Although Baltimore City has one of the highest property tax rates in the State of Maryland, many residents avail themselves to tax credit programs based on ownership status, income eligibility and/or rehabilitation of historic properties.  Baltimore City residential property owners can apply for two property tax credits for owner-occupants to manage fluctuations in assessed value (homestead tax credit) and to ensure their tax bill does not exceed a percentage of household gross income (homeowner’s tax credit). Property owners must apply for these credits and many homeownership preservation strategies are aimed at raising awareness about how and when to apply. For property owners in designated historic districts, Historic Tax credits help incentivize renovation of buildings located in these districts. Vital Signs 22 tracks the percentage of properties that receive each of these credits to show the rate of uptake of these potential credits in different parts of the city.  ⁵   

Baltimore City’s Department of Housing and Community Development is responsible for issuing permits for rehabilitation, new construction, and demolition, enforcing the building code, and issuing violations. Vital Signs 22 uses these datasets to track both investment in and/or potential neglect of a neighborhood’s housing stock. 

Between 2021 and 2022, the rate of new residential construction permits declined from (0.1) to (0.03) per 1,000 homes. The Newly Constructed Dwelling Property Tax Credit expired in 2019 and was not renewed.  ⁶   The CSAs with the highest rate of new construction permits in 2022 were Southeastern (0.5%), Pigtown/Carroll Park (0.4%) and Cross-Country/Cheswolde (0.4%).  

Between 2021 and 2022, the percentage of residential properties with rehabilitation permits exceeding $5,000 in Baltimore increased from (4.7%) to (5.4%), the highest it’s been in the past decade. The CSAs with the highest percentage of residential properties with rehabilitation permits in 2022 were South Baltimore (9.3%), Madison/East End (8.9%), Upton/Druid Heights (8.8%), Southern Park Heights (8.6%), and Oliver/Johnson Square (8.3%). The CSAs that had the lowest percentage of residential properties with rehabilitation permits in 2022 were Orchard Ridge/Armistead (1.5%), and Morrell Park/Violetville (2.4%). 

Between 2021 and 2022, the rate of new demolition permits per 1,000 residential properties was declined from 2.0 to 1.4, this is the lowest the rate has been in the past decade. The CSAs with the highest rates of demolition permits were Sandtown-Winchester/Harlem Park (20.1 permits per 1,000 residential properties) and Southwest Baltimore (8.7 permits per 1,000 residential properties). 35 CSAs had a rate of 0.0. 

Baltimore tracks vacant housing based on an official violation notice from the City’s Department of Housing and Community Development. Vacant and abandoned housing is relatively easy to identify with boarded up windows and/or other signs of disrepair that makes the structure uninhabitable. Homes that are habitable but still do not have anyone living in them are less obvious from appearance alone but are a growing concern for many neighborhoods. Homes that the United States Postal Service no longer delivers mail to can be considered unoccupied. 

Between 2021 and 2022, the percentage of homes receiving a vacant house notice (VHN) in Baltimore City declined from (7.4%) to (6.7%) which is the lowest rate in the last decade. Since 2012, the greatest declines in VHNs have occurred in Oldtown/Middle East (-30.9%), Oliver/Johnston Square (-11.1%), and the Waverlies (-11%).  

In 2022, the CSAs with highest percentage of vacant and abandoned homes were Southwest Baltimore (28.5%), Sandtown-Winchester/Harlem Park (28.4%), and Oliver/Johnston Square (24.5%). In 2022, there were (19) CSAs with 1% or less of vacant and abandoned properties. 

Between 2021 and 2022, the percentage of vacant and abandoned properties owned by the City declined from (9.0%) to (7.8%). The CSA with the highest percentage of vacant and abandoned properties owned by the City in 2022 was Orchard Ridge/Armisted (33.3%) and Downtown/Seton Hill (22.9%). 22 CSAs did not have any vacant housing owned by Baltimore City. 

Between 2021 and 2022, the percent of residential addresses that did not receive mail from the U.S. Postal Service because they have been identified as unoccupied for more than 90 days increased from 8.1% to 8.4%. The CSAs with the highest percentages of addresses not receiving mail in 2022 were Southwest Baltimore (23.8%) and Midway/Coldstream (22.9%). The lowest percentages occurred in Mount Washington/Coldspring (0.9%) and Dickeyville/Franklintown (1.3%).