Race, Class, and Changing Patterns of Migration between Poor and Nonpoor Neighborhoods

This study merges data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics and four decennial censuses to analyze historical changes in the determinants of residential mobility between poor and nonpoor neighborhoods. Between 1970 and 1997, blacks and whites became increasingly similar in the rate at which they move between poor and nonpoor neighborhoods, but much of this racial convergence was driven by changes in the relative sociodemographic characteristics of white and black households and shifting ecological conditions of metropolitan areas. Furthermore, race remains a salient factor in determining the likelihood of exiting or entering poor neighborhoods, and there is little evidence of increasing class selectivity in this movement.