Black Suburbanization: Causes and Consequences of a Transformation of American Cities

Alexander Bartik () and Evan Mast
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Evan Mast: University of Notre Dame

No 21-355, Upjohn Working Papers from W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research

Abstract: Since 1970, the share of Black individuals living in suburbs of larger cities has risen from 16 to 36 percent. We present three facts illustrating how this suburbanization has changed spatial inequality. First, suburbanization entirely accounts for Black households’ relative improvements in several key neighborhood characteristics, while Black city dwellers saw declines. Second, suburbanization accounts for over half of the increase in within-Black income segregation. Selective Black migration and muted suburban “White flight” both contribute to these patterns. Third, total Black population in central cities has plummeted since 2000, driven by young people and declines in high-poverty, majority-Black neighborhoods.

Keywords: suburbanization; racial inequality (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J11 J15 R23 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021-11
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ure
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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