The Effects of Local and Extra-Local Neighborhood Conditions on White Mobility Decisions

Kyle D. Crowder, Western Washington University
Scott J. South, University at Albany, State University of New York (SUNY)

We utilize data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, neighborhood data from four censuses, and rapidly developing techniques for spatial data analysis to provide a first exploration of the ways in which the racial composition of extra-local areas – areas surrounding the neighborhood of residence – affects mobility decisions of individual white householders. Results indicate that, net of the influence of other predictors of mobility, changes in the relative size of the non-anglo minority population in extra-local areas affects mobility decisions for homeowners and some other specific groups of white householders, but these additive effects are fairly modest. However, the effect of local minority populations on out-mobility among white householders does appear to be more pronounced if the neighborhood is surrounded by areas containing large and growing minority populations. These results provide unique evidence on previously untested aspects of theories of neighborhood change and individual behaviors that affect segregation.