National Black Economic Intelligence

Know the wealth-building story of your ZIP.

Explore the conditions associated with Black asset ownership, wealth-building capacity, capital access, housing stability and economic friction across U.S. communities.

Certified public release 33,772 governed ZCTAs retained Missing scores remain null, never zero
A Black family playing football together in the front yard of an elegant home.
William Michael Cunningham
ECONOMIST PERSPECTIVE

“Black Wealth Intelligence represents an important advance in how we understand African American economic opportunity. Too often, Black communities are described almost exclusively in terms of deficits—poverty, unemployment, credit problems or other measures of economic distress. This system adds something that has been missing: a geographically precise way to identify wealth-building capacity, asset formation, access to capital and the barriers that may prevent that capacity from being fully realized.”

William Michael CunninghamEconomist and Founder, Creative Investment Research
Cedric B Edwards Sr
WEALTH ADVISOR PERSPECTIVE

“This is wonderful work and a great compilation information for the public and business community. This is one of the main reasons I moved my financial services office to Garden Ridge - 78266 - and why I partnered with a well-known estate planning attorney and CPA in the same community

When we know better we can do better in all aspects of life. I’m very encouraged by this information and will incorporate into my financial practice.

At Edwards Wealth Consultants, we are esteemed for our stewardship of wealth and public trust. Consequently, we must embody the qualities of a river, constantly flowing with information, a reservoir of knowledge, and an inspiration to all. We cannot afford to be stagnant in our endeavors.”

Cedric B Edwards SrManaging Partner
Edwards Wealth Consultants
19311 FM 2252 Ste 100
Garden Ridge Texas 78266

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ZIP COMMUNITY COMPARISON

Compare two ZIP communities.

See Capacity, Friction, qualification, and the underlying published measures side by side. Higher Capacity is better; higher Friction means greater barriers.

National Intelligence

Where wealth-building capacity is strongest — and barriers are greatest.

Rankings are calculated only among communities that meet the governed qualification policy. Ties preserve conventional full-precision rank semantics.

GOOD FOR WEALTH-BUILDING

Wealth Capacity: higher is better.

A higher Capacity score means stronger measured conditions for building and preserving wealth.

#1 here = the strongest Capacity score.
BAD FOR WEALTH-BUILDING

Wealth Friction: higher is worse.

Friction means barriers that make it harder to build or keep wealth, such as unemployment, mortgage denial, poverty, and housing-cost burden.

#1 here = the greatest measured barriers.
Capacity Leaders Top 10 Black Wealth Capacity ZIPs
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Higher score = stronger Capacity. This is the favorable ranking.

Wealth Friction Greatest Wealth-Building Friction
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Higher score = greater barriers. #1 has the greatest Friction.

Capacity Architecture

Four pillars of visible wealth-building capacity.

The certified Capacity Index balances asset stock, wealth-building capacity, capital access and wealth preservation while reducing double-counting among related measures.

40%

Asset Stock

Black homeownership asset capacity and Black federal contractor presence.

25%

Wealth-Building Capacity

Income, employment, labor-force participation, higher education and opportunity environment.

20%

Capital Access

Black mortgage origination access through the governed HMDA capital-access layer.

15%

Wealth Preservation

Housing affordability capacity and the ability to retain economic gains over time.

Wealth Friction

Capacity can grow while friction remains high.

Wealth Friction is intentionally separate from the Capacity Index. It measures visible pressures that can make wealth-building harder even in communities with meaningful economic capacity.

Unemployment Disability Mortgage Denial Housing Cost Burden Poverty Workforce Export
State Intelligence

See how qualified ZIPs perform inside each state.

Choose a state to see qualification coverage, average scores and leading ZIP communities.
What this product is

Economic intelligence—not a net worth estimate.

The National Data System Black Wealth and Asset Capacity product measures visible economic and institutional conditions associated with Black asset ownership, wealth-building capacity, access to capital, wealth preservation and wealth friction across U.S. communities.

It is not a direct estimate of household net worth.

Methodology & Governance

Built to show the evidence, not hide it.

Every published score carries qualification, coverage and ranking information. Unqualified ZIPs remain visible and their scores remain null rather than being treated as zero.

65% Minimum certified Capacity weight available
3 of 4 Minimum Capacity pillars represented
6 of 11 Minimum Capacity components available
4 of 6 Minimum Wealth Friction components
Data access & machine-readable files
INFORMATION & CONNECTIONS

Turn local insight into your next step.

Request more information, connect with a professional, join the newsletter, hire us for custom intelligence, or explore a partnership.

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Wealth Creation & Opportunity
Asset Protection
Wealth Transfer
Community & Economic Development
High Net Worth / Advanced

The Architect’s Message from Christopher C. Herring for Black Wealth Intelligence. Read the full message below.
Read the Architect’s Message

“As the former President of the Alamo City Black Chamber in San Antonio, Texas and Past Chairman of the Texas Black Chamber (TAAACC), I have listened to OUR concerns about how do we build economic power together. This tool - I hope inspires you to work together - and to create businesses that recirculate DOLLARS in our communities. Connect below to find the expert in Your Zip that can help you in the wealth creation journey. God is certainly GOOD!”

Christopher C. Herring · Architect

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