Skip to main content

Hispanic Population Growth and Black–White Inequality: Changing Demographics, Changing Social Positions?

Spatial Demography volume 8, pages 33–61 (2020)Cite this article

Abstract

Social scientists assert that the growth and redistribution of the Hispanic population has altered local racial and economic dynamics in the United States. Yet, comparably little work tests this perspective. We develop hypotheses based on two key sets of theories—the shifting racial/ethnic color line and (im)migrant incorporation into labor markets—to guide our analysis of the relationship between changing Hispanic population concentration and changes in black–white economic inequality. Our first-differenced analysis draws on county-level data from the 1990 and 2000 decennial Census, the US Department of Agriculture, and CQ Press Voting and Elections Collection. In addition to assessing black–white disparities in income, poverty, and unemployment, we test whether the relationship of interest is more or less pronounced in new destinations. When shifts in Hispanic concentration are associated with changes in black and white economic outcomes, we find improved outcomes for blacks (e.g., lower unemployment and poverty rates) but modestly diminished outcomes for whites. There is some evidence that these patterns result in declining black–white inequality in both new and established destinations; however, the declines are small and exclusive to unemployment and poverty outcomes. Results ultimately suggest limited structural changes as they relate to black–white economic inequality during this period.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Access options

Buy single article

Instant access to the full article PDF.

USD 39.95

Price includes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Notes

  1. The CQ Press Voting and Elections Collection data were accessed here: http://library.cqpress.com/elections/. Rural–Urban continuum codes were retrieved from here: https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/rural–urban-continuum-codes/.

  2. Broomfield, CO—a city located in Boulder County, CO in 1990 – became a separate county in 1998; Yellowstone National Park, MT was reported separately in 1990 but was combined with Gallatin County, MT in 1997; and Takoma Park city, MD was previously part of Prince George County, MD but was associated with Montgomery County, MD in 2000.

  3. We adjust median income in 1990 to reflect 2000 dollars.

References

  • Abascal, M. (2015). Us and them: Black–white relations in the wake of hispanic population growth. American Sociological Review,80(4), 789–813.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Adelman, R. M., & Tsao, H.-S. (2016). Deep South demography: New immigrants and racial hierarchies. Sociological Spectrum,36(6), 337–358.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Alba, R. (2009). Blurring the color line: The new chance for a more integrated America. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Alba, R., & Nee, V. (2003). Remaking the American mainstream: Assimilation and contemporary immigration. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Ayers, J. W., Hofstetter, C. R., Schnakenberg, K., & Kolody, B. (2009). Is immigration a racial issue? Anglo attitudes on immigration policies in a border County. Social Science Quarterly,90(3), 593–610.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bazil, N. (2017). Spatial variation in the hispanic paradox: Mortality rates in new and established hispanic US destinations. Population, Space, and Place,23(1), 1–17.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bonilla-Silva, E. (2004). From bi-racial to tri-racial: Towards a new system of racial stratification in the USA. Ethnic and Racial Studies,27(6), 931–950.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Borjas, G. J. (1987). Immigrants, minorities, and labor market competition. Industrial and Labor Relations Review,40(3), 382–392.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Borjas, G. J. (2002). Welfare reform and immigrant participation in welfare programs. International Migration Review, 36(4), 1093–1123.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Borjas, G. J. (2003). The labor demand curve is downward sloping: Re-examining the impact of immigration on the labor market. Quarterly Journal of Economics,118(4), 1335–1374.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Card, D. (1990). The impact of the mariel boatlift on the Miami labor market. Industrial and Labor Relations Review,40(2), 245–257.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Card, D. (2005). Is the new immigration really so bad? Economic Journal,115(507), F300–F323.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clotfelter, C. T., Ladd, H. F., & Vigdor, J. L. (2012). New destinations, new trajectories? The educational progress of hispanic youth in North Carolina. Child Development,83(5), 1608–1622.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crowder, K., & Downey, L. (2010). Interneighborhood migration, race, and environmental hazards: Modeling microlevel processes of environmental inequality. American Journal of Sociology,115(4), 1110–1149.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crowley, M., & Lichter, D. T. (2009). Social disorganization in new latino destinations? Rural Sociology,74(4), 573–604.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crowley, M., Lichter, D. T., & Turner, R. N. (2015). Diverging fortunes? Economic well-being of latinos and African Americans in new rural destinations. Social Science Research,51(1), 77–92.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Curtis, K. J. (2018). U.S. return migration and the decline in southern black disadvantage, 1970–2000. Social Science Quarterly,99(3), 1214–1232.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Donato, K. M., Tolbert, C. M., Nucci, A., & Kawano, Y. (2007). Recent immigrant settlement in the nonmetropolitan United States: Evidence form internal census data. Rural Sociology,72(4), 537–559.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Donato, K. M., Tolbert, C. M., Nucci, A., & Kawano, Y. (2010). Changing faces, changing places: The emergence of new nonmetropolitan immigrant gateways. In D. S. Massey (Ed.), New faces in new places: The changing geography of American immigration (pp. 75–98). New York: Russell Sage Foundation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dondero, M., & Muller, C. (2012). school stratification in new and established latino destinations. Social Forces,91(2), 477–502.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dustmann, C., Frattini, T., & Preston, I. P. (2013). The effect of immigration along the distribution of wages. Review of Economic Studies,80, 145–173.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fennelly, K. (2008). Prejudice toward immigrants in the Midwest. In D. S. Massey (Ed.), New faces in new places: The changing geography of American immigration (pp. 151–178). New York: Russell Sage Foundation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fetzer, J. S. (2006). Why did house members vote for H.R. 4437? International Migration Review, 40(3), 698–706.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Flippen, C. A., & Parrado, E. A. (2015). Perceived discrimination among latino immigrants in new destinations: The Case of Durham, North Carolina. Sociological Perspectives,58(4), 666–685.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Flores, R. J. O., & Lobo, A. P. (2012). The reassertion of a black/non-black color line: The rise in integrated neighborhoods without blacks in New York City, 1970–2010. Journal of Urban Affairs,35(3), 255–282.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frey, W. H., Liaw, K.-L., Xie, Y., & Carlson, M. J. (1996). Interstate migration of the US poverty population: Immigration “pushes” and welfare magnet “pulls”. Population and Environment, 17(6), 491–533.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Greogry, J. N. (2005). The Southern diaspora: How the great migrations of black and white Southerners transformed America. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hodge, R. W. (1973). Toward a Theory of racial differences in employment. Social Forces,52(1), 16–31.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hooghe, M., & Dassonneville, R. (2018). Explaining the Trump vote: The effect of racist resentment and anti-immigrant sentiments. PS. Political Science & Politics, 51(3), 528–534.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huddy, L., & Virtanen, S. (1995). Subgroup differentiation and subgroup bias among Latinos as a function of familiarity and positive distinctiveness. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology,68(1), 97–108.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huffman, M. L., & Cohen, P. N. (2004). Racial wage Inequality: Job segregation and devaluation across US labor markets. American Journal of Sociology,109(4), 902–936.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Iceland, J. (2004). Beyond black and white: Metropolitan residential segregation in multi-ethnic America. Social Science Research,33, 248–271.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jiménez, T. R. (2008). Mexican immigrant replenishment and the continuing significance of ethnicity and race. American Journal of Sociology, 113(6), 1527–1567.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, K. M., & Lichter, D. T. (2008). Natural increase: A new source of population growth in emerging hispanic destinations in the United States. Population and Development Review,34, 327–346.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kandel, W., & Cromartie, J. (2004). New patterns of hispanic settlement in Rural America. Rural Development Research Report 99, Economic Research Service, USDA.

  • Kornrich, S. (2009). Combining preferences and processes: An integrated approach to black–white labor market inequality. American Journal of Sociology,115(1), 1–38.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kritz, M. M., Gurak, D. T., & Lee, M.-A. (2011). Will they stay? Foreign-born out-migration from new U.S. destinations. Population Research and Policy Review,30(4), 537–567.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lamont, M., & Molnár, V. (2002). The study of boundaries in the social sciences. Annual Review of Sociology,28(1), 167–195.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lamont, M., Silva, G. M., Welburn, J., Guetzkow, J., Mizrachi, N., Herzog, H., et al. (2016). Getting respect: Responding to stigma and discrimination in the United States, Brazil, and Israel. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Lee, J., & Bean, F. D. (2010). The diversity paradox: immigration and the color line in twenty-first century America. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lichter, D. T., & Johnson, K. M. (2006). Emerging rural settlement patterns and the geographic redistribution of America’s new immigrants. Rural Sociology,71(1), 109–131.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lichter, D. T., & Johnson, K. M. (2009). Immigrant gateways and hispanic migration to new destinations. International Migration Review,43(3), 496–518.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lieberson, S. (1980). A piece of the pie: Blacks and white immigrants since 1880. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Liu, C. Y. (2013). Latino Immigration and the low-skill urban labor market: The case of Atlanta. Social Science Quarterly,94(1), 131–157.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Logan, J. L., & Zhang, C. (2010). Global neighborhoods: New pathways to diversity and separation. American Journal of Sociology,115(4), 1069–1109.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marrow, H. B. (2009). New immigrant destinations and the American colour line. Ethnic and Racial Studies,32(6), 1037–1057.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCall, L. (2001). Sources of racial wage inequality in metropolitan labor markets: Racial, ethnic, and gender differences. American Sociological Review,66(4), 520–541.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Monnat, S. M. (2017). Insurance coverage rates in metropolitan and nonmetropolitan new and established destinations. Rural Sociology,82(1), 3–43.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mora, G. C. (2014). Making hispanics: How activists, bureaucrats, and media constructed a new American. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • O’Connell, H. A. (2019). Historical shadows: The links between sundown towns and contemporary black–white inequality. Sociology of Race and Ethnicity,5(3), 311–325.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • O’Connell, H. A., & Shoff, C. (2014). Spatial variation in the relationship between hispanic concentration and county poverty: A migration perspective. Spatial. Demography, 2(1), 30–54.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • O’Neil, K., & Tienda, M. (2010). A tale of two counties: Natives’ opinions toward immigration in North Carolina. International Migration Review,44(3), 728–761.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Orrenius, P., & Madeline, Z. (2006). Does immigration affect wages? A look at occupation-level evidence. IZA Discussion Papers, No. 2481, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA).

  • Ottaviano, G. I. P., & Peri, G. (2012). Rethinking the effect of immigration on wages. Journal of the European Economic Association,10(1), 152–197.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Park, J., & John, I. (2011). Residential segregation in metropolitan established immigrant gateways and new destinations, 1990–2000. Social Science Research, 40(3), 811–821.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Parisi, D., Lichter, D. T., & Taquino, M. C. (2011). Multi-scale residential segregation: black exceptionalism and America’s changing color line. Social Forces,89(3), 829–852.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Parisi, D., Lichter, D. T., & Taquino, M. C. (2015). The buffering hypothesis: Growing diversity and declining black–white segregation in American’s cities, suburbs, and small towns? Sociological Science,2(8), 125–157.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Parrado, E. A., & Kandel, W. A. (2010). Hispanic population growth and rural income inequality. Social Forces,88(3), 1421–1450.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peri, G., & Sparber, C. (2009). Task specialization, immigration, and wages. American Economic Journal: Applied Economics,1(3), 135–169.

    Google Scholar 

  • Quisumbing King, K. (2019). Recentering US empire: A structural perspective on the color line. Sociology of Race and Ethnicity,5(1), 11–25.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ramey, D. M. (2013). Immigrant revitalization and neighborhood violent crime in established and new destination cities. Social Forces,92(2), 597–629.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roth, W. D. (2012). Race migrations: Latinos and the cultural transformation of race. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ryan, C. L., & Bauman, K. (2006). Educational attainment in the United States: 2015. Current Population Reports. Suitland: U.S. Census Bureau.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rzepnikowska, A. (2019). Racism and xenophobia experienced by polish migrants in the UK before and after Brexit Vote. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies,45(1), 61–77.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Saenz, R. (1997). Ethnic concentration and Chicano poverty: A comparative approach. Social Science Research,26(2), 205–228.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Singer, A. (2004). The rise of new immigrant gateways. Washington, DC: The Brookings Institution.

    Google Scholar 

  • Slez, A., O’Connell, H. A., & Curtis, K. J. (2017). A note on the identification of common geographies. Sociological Methods and Research,46(2), 288–299.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Suro, R., & Singer, A. (2002). Latino growth in metropolitan America: Changing patterns, new locations. Washington, DC: Brookings Institute.

    Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, M. C., & Schroeder, M. B. (2010). The impact of hispanic population growth on the outlook of African Americans. Social Science Research,39(1), 491–505.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tolnay, S. E., & Beck, E. M. (1992). Racial violence and black migration in the American South, 1910 to 1930. American Sociological Review,57(1), 103–116.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tolnay, S. E., Vesselinov, E., & Crowder, K. D. (1999). The collective impact of southern migrants on the economic well-being of Northern-Born Black Males, 1970. Social Science Quarterly,80(4), 666–686.

    Google Scholar 

  • Voss, P. R., Long, D. D., Hammer, R. B., & Friedman, S. (2006). County child poverty rates in the US: A spatial regression approach. Population Research and Policy Review,25(4), 369–391.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Waldinger, R. (1997). Black/immigrant competition re-assessed: new evidence from Los Angeles. Sociological Perspectives,40(3), 365–386.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, W., & Logan, J. R. (2016). Global neighborhoods: Beyond the multiethnic metropolis. Demography,53(6), 1933–1953.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The second author is a recipient of the 2018 Career Enhancement Fellowship and would like to acknowledge the Woodrow Wilson Foundation.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Louisiana State University, 126 Stubbs Hall, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, USA

    Heather A. O’Connell

  2. University of Arizona, Tucson, USA

    Christina J. Diaz

Authors
  1. Heather A. O’Connell
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Christina J. Diaz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Heather A. O’Connell.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of Interest

On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary material 1 (DOCX 24 kb)

Appendices

Appendix 1

See Table 3.

Table 3 Hispanic concentration coefficient estimates from first-differenced models for median income with interactions with destination type, 1990–2000
Full size table

Appendix 2

See Table 4.

Table 4 Hispanic concentration coefficient estimates from first-differenced models for unemployment with interactions with destination type, 1990–2000
Full size table

Appendix 3

See Table 5.

Table 5 Hispanic concentration coefficient estimates from first-differenced models for poverty with interactions with destination type, 1990–2000
Full size table

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

O’Connell, H.A., Diaz, C.J. Hispanic Population Growth and Black–White Inequality: Changing Demographics, Changing Social Positions?. Spat Demogr 8, 33–61 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40980-020-00059-2

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40980-020-00059-2

Keywords

  • Black–white inequality
  • Hispanics
  • Race/ethnicity
  • New destinations