HOLC Historic Lending Guideline Maps

The Mapping Inequality dataset on PolicyMap comprises of neighborhood risk assessment data for 148 cities across the US. The Federal Home Loan Bank Board (FHLBB), the HOLC’s parent organization, commissioned the City Survey Program in 1935 to collect data on real estate risk levels across 239 cities. As part of the exercise, each neighborhood was evaluated via a network of realtors, lenders, developers, and HOLC staff members, and ultimately assigned a rating or letter grade which signified the neighborhood’s investment prospects for lending. The rating was primarily a function of neighborhood racial and ethnic makeup, housing conditions, and access to public facilities, among other factors.