A Reconsideration of the Income Differences Found Between Migrants and Northern-Born Blacks

Southern-born blacks living in the North differ from northern-born blacks in income, labor force participation, and occupation. These economic gaps cannot be explained by differences in age and education between the birthplace groups. Currently the two main interpretations are: (1) a highly selective migration of blacks from the South involving more than age and education and/or (2) the existence of some fundamental differences between the two birthplace groups. The evidence gathered indicates that a substantial part of the selective migration process is not really taken into account when the controls normally available for age, sex, and education are applied. Further, it indicates that return migration of southern-born blacks is both numerically sizable and largely selective of blacks who did not fare well in the North. Hence, there are important selective processes involved in determining which southern blacks remain in the North as well as in determining their initial migration from the South. Based on certain assumptions about regional differences in the opportunity structure for education, ridits are used in lieu of actual attainment to control for education's influence on North-South differences in income. Whem selective migration is also taken into account, the results are radically different such that the southern income advantage disappears completely. The usual procedures for dealing with educational differences can generate totally misleading results. The approach to educational attainment used here may be applied to a wide variety of empirical questions involving education and similar types of variables.