Past research has demonstrated the racially and spatially uneven impacts of economic shocks and environmental disasters on various markets. In this article, we examine if and how the first few months of the COVID-19 pandemic affected the market for rental housing in the 49 largest metropolitan areas in the United States. Using a unique data set of new rental listings gathered from Craigslist and localized measures of the pandemic’s severity we find that, from mid-March to early June, local spread of COVID-19 is followed by reduced median and mean rent. However, this trend is driven by dropping rents for listings in Black, Latino, and diverse neighborhoods. Listings in majority White neighborhoods experience rent increases during this time. Our analyses make multiple contributions. First, we add to the burgeoning literature examining the rental market as a key site of perpetuating sociospatial inequality. Second, we demonstrate the utility of data gathered online for analyzing housing. And third, by reflecting on research that shows how past crises have increased sociospatial inequality and up-to-date work showing the racially and spatially unequal effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, we discuss some possible mechanisms by which the pandemic may be affecting the market for rental housing as well as implications for long-term trends.

过去的研究表明，经济冲击和环境灾难对各个市场的影响在种族和空间上是不平衡的。在本文中，我们研究了 COVID-19 大流行的前几个月是否以及如何影响美国 49 个最大都市区的租赁住房市场。使用从 Craigslist 收集的新租赁清单的独特数据集以及对流行病严重程度的本地化衡量标准，我们发现，从 3 月中旬到 6 月初，随着 COVID-19 的本地传播，租金中位数和平均租金下降。然而，这一趋势是由黑人、拉丁裔和多元化社区的房源租金下降推动的。在此期间，大多数白人社区的房源租金都会上涨。我们的分析做出了多重贡献。首先，我们对新兴文献进行了补充，将租赁市场视为长期社会空间不平等的关键场所。其次，我们展示了在线收集的数据用于分析住房的效用。第三，通过反思过去的危机如何加剧社会空间不平等的研究以及显示 COVID-19 大流行对种族和空间不平等影响的最新研究，我们讨论了大流行可能影响社会空间不平等的一些可能机制。租赁住房市场及其对长期趋势的影响。