Black suburbanization in the mid-1980s: trends and differentials.

Abstract

"The 1980 U.S. Census revealed a marked acceleration in the suburbanization of blacks during the 1970s. This paper provides a preliminary answer to whether that acceleration continued in the 1980s by examining the 1985 American Housing Survey (National and Metropolitan Samples). These data sets permit racial and socioeconomic status comparisons in overall suburbanization level and in the propensity of recent movers to choose suburban destinations. Blacks continue to exhibit low levels of suburbanization relative to whites, and only a small percentage of blacks originating in central cities move to suburban areas. However, once in the suburbs, blacks tend to remain there at the same rate as whites. Intrametropolitan racial segregation remains strong, although it shows signs of decreasing." This paper was originally presented at the 1990 Annual Meeting of the Population Association of America (see Population Index, Vol. 56, No. 3, Fall 1990, p. 431).