Against the grain? Non-White gentrification in a segregated urban landscape

Little is known about the factors that predict Black and Latino gentrification across United States cities, particularly the role of neighborhood racial/ethnic composition and broader patterns of segregation. Using decennial Census and American Community Survey data, this study applies panel logistic Generalized Linear Mixed-Effects Models to assess the prevalence and predictors of Black, Latino, and White gentrification in metropolitan areas from 2,000 to 2,019. Results show that Black and Latino gentrification frequently overlap with each other and with White gentrification, and they share many common predictors. However, both Black and Latino gentrification are strongly associated with neighborhoods predominantly composed of their respective racial or ethnic groups. Additional tests reveal that residential segregation helps explain Black gentrification’s concentration in predominantly Black neighborhoods, but not the similar pattern observed for Latino gentrification. These findings demonstrate that segregation influences non-White gentrification, though its influence varies across racial and ethnic groups.