The share of out-of-state ownership of real estate in Durham is one way to track changes in real estate investment and property development. Over the past decade, real estate development has become increasingly driven by national and international firms rather than local companies, a shift which can have profound implications for city planning and housing justice.

It’s important to note that not every out-of-state owner is an investment company or developer, and some out-of-state entities use shell LLCs located in Durham as the actual deeded owner on their properties, so aren’t counted in these data.

This dataset is sourced from parcel ownership information acquired from the Durham County Tax Assessor's office and Durham's Open Data Portal. These data show property ownership for each year as of roughly the beginning of the year. This Compass variable identifies the percent of total residential assessed value owned by entities whose mailing address is located in a state other than North Carolina, taken as a percent of total residential assessed value where the owner has a valid mailing address (excluding, for example, property which has been taken as Right-of-Way). Residential properties are identified as any parcels with a residential land use or with an apartment building. We are missing 2006 data in our dataset, so that year is omitted.