Neighborhoods and the Black-White Mobility Gap
One of the most powerful findings of the Economic Mobility Project's research to date has been the striking mobility gap between blacks and whites in America. Over a generation, white children are more likely than blacks to experience upward mobility in adulthood, while black children are more likely than whites to experience downward mobility. This report, authored by New York University sociologist, Patrick Sharkey, finds that growing up in a high-poverty neighborhood increases the risk of experiencing downward mobility and explains a sizable portion of the black-white downward mobility gap. These data suggest that public policy efforts that focus on investing in disadvantaged neighborhoods and reducing the concentration of poverty could enhance economic mobility for the children in those neighborhoods.
To view the full report, please click on the report image.
(JULY 2009)
- Figure 1: Average Neighborhood Poverty During Childhood Among Black and White Children Born 1955–1970 and 1985–2000
- Figure 2: Average Neighborhood Disadvantage During Childhood Among Black and White Children Born 1955–1970 and 1985–2000
- Figure 3: Rates of Upward and Downward Mobility by Race and Childhood Neighborhood Poverty Level, Among Children Born 1955–1970
- Figure 4: Growing Up Amidst High Neighborhood Poverty Increases Downward Mobility by One-Half, But Is Less Conclusive for Upward Mobility
- Figure 5: Childhood Neighborhood Poverty Explains One-Fourth to One-Third of the Black-White Downward Mobility Gap
- Figure 6: Childhood Neighborhood Poverty Explains Less Than One-Fifth of the Black-White Upward Mobility Gap
- Figure 7: Blacks’ Neighborhood Characteristics Where Poverty Did and Did Not Decline Between 1980 and 1990
- Figure 8: Effects of a 10 Percentage-Point Decline in Neighborhood Poverty During Childhood on Blacks’ Adult Economic Outcomes
- Table A1: Average Family Income and Income Quintile Cutoffs in Each Generation
- Table A2: Estimated Effects of a Decline in Neighborhood Poverty for Blacks
- Table A3: Balance Between Matched Pairs of Black Treatment and Control Group Members on Neighborhood Characteristics in 1980 and Change From 1970 to 1980, Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) Characteristics in 1980 and Change from 1970-1980, and Family Characteristics in 1980
