The Color of Debt
The Black Neighborhoods Where Collection Suits Hit Hardest
In the St. Louis area, the neighborhoods hardest hit by debt collection lawsuits are in the suburbs of north St. Louis County, an area that since 1960 has gone from nearly all white to mostly black. Here’s a closer look at five of those neighborhoods. Note: Data includes suits filed between 2008-2012. | Related story »
Castle Point & Moline Acres
| Median Household Income | Judgments Per 100 Residents | Black Pop. |
|---|---|---|
| $38,674 | 27.6 | 92.1% |
Castle Point and Moline Acres are the neighborhoods hardest hit by collection suits across St. Louis city and county. Debt buyers filed the most suits here, accounting for more than 23 percent of the judgments.
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Kinloch & Berkeley
| Median Household Income | Judgments Per 100 Residents | Black Pop. |
|---|---|---|
| $32,143 | 25.4 | 88.8% |
Kinloch, the oldest African-American community in Missouri, and neighboring Berkeley had over 155 judgments from medical collectors — nearly all of which came from Christian Hospital alone.
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Normandy
| Median Household Income | Judgments Per 100 Residents | Black Pop. |
|---|---|---|
| $31,771 | 23.9 | 82.7% |
Normandy, just southwest of Ferguson, has recently been in the news for its reliance on tickets and court fines for revenue. The city’s school district is among the worst-performing in the state and as a result of academic issues, the district lost its accreditation in 2012.
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Hillsdale & Velda City
| Median Household Income | Judgments Per 100 Residents | Black Pop. |
|---|---|---|
| $31,186 | 23.4 | 95.4% |
The small communities of Hillsdale and Velda City in St. Louis County have struggled particularly with debts from the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District. The public utility accounted for 20 percent of the area’s judgments.
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Jennings
| Median Household Income | Judgments Per 100 Residents | Black Pop. |
|---|---|---|
| $27,409 | 23.2 | 88.2% |
Jennings was sued earlier this year for jailing people who are unable to pay traffic tickets and court fines for minor offenses. The area also had the highest number of judgments from high-cost lenders in the St. Louis area.
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The map displays census tract level data.
Amanda Zamora and Alison Benjamin contributed production and development
Sources: State court records, U.S. Census, ProPublica analysis, Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District, City of Chicago, New Jersey Geographic Information Network.