ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the authors emphasize income changes in 2,586 suburbs in 35 large metropolitan areas. They focus on relationships between income and population changes. Most suburbs increased in population between 1990 and 2000, but 700 of 2,586 suburbs, 27 percent, declined in population. In the United States, growth usually is believed to be associated with prosperity and rising incomes. Population losses seem to imply stagnation and diminished opportunities, but did the 700 population-losing suburbs usually go down in income? Twenty-five of 40 central cities declined in relative median family income, eight were stable, and seven increased from 1990 to 2000; 12 of 40 declined in relative per capita income, 18 were stable, and 10 increased. Low relative income is associated with problems: poverty, crime, unemployment, poor health, and low school test scores. After accounting for a stable category, 39.3 percent of the suburbs declined in relative median family income as did 42.3 percent in relative per capita income.
