In 1934 the Federal Housing Administration was formed and initially began what is known as “redlining” by refusing to insure mortgages to those living in African American neighborhoods. The Federal Housing administration referred to The Unwritten Manual when deciding which communities could get insured loans, this manual stated that "incompatible racial groups should not be permitted to live in the same communities." The practice of redlining still occurs today, especially in the St. louis Metropolitan area. This practice is rooted in systemic racism that looks to keep black communities underfunded and impoverished.

This website is published by the National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC) that examines how COVID impacts historically redlined communities. Redlining and disinvestment are not only associated with greater segregation and economic inequality, but with the most basic attributes of public health, life expectancy and social vulnerability. The pink and red colors indicate the areas of the highest social vulnerability and minority populations. North St. Louis is a historically redlined area, which explains the high amount of pink and red in that area.

Figure A. Shows the difference between the pace of COVID-19 deaths between St. Louis City and other suburbs such as St. Charles. St. Louis City is a historically redlined area with a predominantly minority population. From the NCRC’s data of redlined communities, it shows the social vulnerability of North St. Louis, which explains the higher curve compared to other cities.

Figure B. Shows the differences in COVID-19 mortality percentages by counties. The percentages within suburb dominated counties such as St. Charles (light green) is lower than the St. Louis and St. Louis City counties, which are shown in darker green colors.

The map above shows that regions experiencing the highest COVID rates are in North STL

Based on 2010 U.S. Census data, we can see that North STL also contains the highest levels of poverty and a greater African-American population, demonstrating that long-term health effects and regions greatly impacted by COVID may be tied to racial and economic factors.