White Flight Revisited: A Multiethnic Perspective of Neighborhood Out-migration

Jeremy Pais, University at Albany, State University of New York (SUNY)
Scott J. South, University at Albany, State University of New York (SUNY)

Using geo-linked data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics and decennial census, we compare probabilities of neighborhood out-migration for Anglos, blacks, Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, and Cubans by varying ethno-racial neighborhood compositions. Analyses for Latinos are disaggregated by nativity status. The results indicate that Anglos have a higher likelihood of moving when they have many minority neighbors but there is no difference whether minority neighbors are black or Latino. Among minorities there is some evidence of “minority flight” from whiter neighborhoods. Cubans, especially foreign-born Cubans, demonstrate the strongest propensity to flee neighborhoods with large black populations, whereas the probability of moving out decreases for Puerto Ricans when their neighbors are more likely to be black. The pattern of out-migration for Mexicans indicates an inclination for ethno-racially integrated neighborhoods and/or an aversion to majority-white and majority-black neighborhoods. Ethno-racial neighborhood composition least affects blacks’ decision to leave their neighborhood.