Exploring neighborhood change in 9 mid-sized metropolitan areas in the U.S., 1990-2019

Evelyn D. Ravuri

Community Development, 2026, vol. 57, issue 1, 1-22

Abstract: Patterns of neighborhood change in mid-sized metropolitan areas in the U.S. is a relatively unexplored topic in urban geography. This study examines neighborhood change in 9 mid-sized metropolitan areas (between 500,000 and 1 million population). Five neighborhood types were identified: Poor, Minority; Transitional; Blue-collar; Middle-income; and Upper-income. Only 49.0% of neighborhoods were in the same classification in 2019 as 1990. Poor, Minority and Middle-income neighborhoods increased in all 9 metropolitan areas while Transitional, Blue-collar, and Upper-income tracts declined. Three general spatial reconfigurations occurred during the study period. First, Middle-income neighborhoods arose in a concentric ring-like fashion in each of the metropolitan areas except in the Mountain and Pacific Divisions. Secondly, the suburbanization of poverty was noted in the East North Central, South Atlantic, and East South Central Divisions. Thirdly, an increase of Transitional tracts in the central cities of metropolitan areas of six of the divisions suggests gentrification.

Date: 2026
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DOI: 10.1080/15575330.2025.2460765

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