Migration and Income Differences Between Black and White Men in the North

Blacks moving from the South to the North have had lower levels of education and have taken lower status jobs than northern-born blacks. Nevertheless, data from the 1970 census indicate that after a few years' residence in the North the southern-born blacks are able to earn higher incomes than northern-born blacks, apparently due in part to higher labor force participation rates. For these reasons, controlling for age and education reduces the income difference between blacks and whites, but controlling for age and region of birth increases it. Southern-born whites in the North and West have tended to have lower levels of education, higher unemployment rates, and lower incomes than whites of similar age in the North and West who are not interregional migrants. Interpretations, explanations, and uses of these findings are suggested, especially with regard to past and future changes in the black-white income ratio.