ABSTRACT

This chapter describes a set of trends in average metropolitan area income segregation from 1970 to 2000, including trends for all families, among white and black families separately, and in the segregation of poverty and affluence. It provides the effect of metropolitan area income inequality on overall metropolitan area income segregation during this time period. The chapter explores how income inequality affects the geographic segregation of poverty and affluence and the extent to which it affects income segregation among white and black families differently. If high-income households cluster together within a small number of neighborhoods or municipalities, they may be able to collectively better their own outcomes by pooling their extensive financial and social capital to generate resources of which only they can take advantage. Black income segregation grew rapidly in the 1970s and 1980s at all parts of the black income distribution.