titlepic Buffalo-Niagara Falls, NY MSA
Data for the Metropolitan Statistical Area
Counties included: Erie County ,Niagara County
Cities included: Buffalo, NY ,Niagara Falls, NY

Neighborhood Inequality


citydata suburbdata

 



Measuring Neighborhood Inequality

We measure neighborhood inequality with a series of exposure indices (P*). Exposure indices refer to the neighborhood characteristics experienced by the average household of a given group. For example, if the value for median household income for blacks is $30,000, this indicates that the average black household lives in a neighborhood where the median household income is $30,000. Similarly, if the value for percent homeowner for whites is 75%, this indicates that the average white household lives in a neighborhood where 75% of the residents own homes. 

 
Are There Racial Differences in Neighborhood Characteristics?

The following table shows a series of exposure indices for each group calculated for key social and economic indicators representing various neighborhood characteristics. In this table, data are provided for households, and households have been classified by the race/ethnicity of the household head. 

Characteristics Indicator Non-Hispanic White Non-Hispanic Black Hispanic Asian
  1990 2000 1990 2000 1990 2000 1990 2000
INDICATORS OF INCOME
Median HH Income 39,889 43,078 21,172 23,418 25,585 26,461 45,862 44,613
Per Capita Income 18,153 21,097 11,553 14,109 13,545 15,431 21,159 22,857
% Below Poverty 9.7 9.4 33.7 29.9 28.1 27.7 11.5 13.5
INDICATORS OF HUMAN CAPITAL
% College Educated 19.4 24.0 11.8 14.6 14.9 17.8 30.8 33.7
% Professional 30.6 33.6 23.1 25.1 26.3 27.8 39.7 40.6
% Unemployed 6.4 5.4 17.1 14.2 12.4 12.0 6.2 6.0
INDICATORS OF HOUSING
% Vacant Housing 4.9 6.3 12.8 17.5 9.5 15.3 5.5 7.2
% Homeowners 67.9 69.9 40.0 43.7 42.3 42.7 64.1 62.0
INDICATORS OF IMMIGRATION
% Foreign Born 4.5 4.5 3.2 3.6 5.1 5.8 7.6 7.9
% Recent Immigrants 0.8 1.4 1.0 1.6 1.2 2.6 2.9 3.5
% Language other than English 8.7 8.0 8.8 9.2 20.1 21.7 10.7 12.3
INDICATORS OF ISOLATION AND INTEGRATION
% Members of Own Group 92.8 90.3 64.3 62.8 14.9 17.5 3.4 4.4
% Non-Hispanic White 92.8 90.3 31.0 29.9 66.9 58.7 84.7 78.2

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Ratio of Minority to White Values

This table shows the ratio of each minority group value to that of whites for every indicator shown in the first table. These ratios represent disparities between minority and white groups. For example, if the ratio of black to white median household income is .65, this indicates that the average black household lives in a neighborhood where the median household income is only 65% of that in the average white household's neighborhood.

Characteristics Indicator Black Hispanic Asian
INDICATORS OF INCOME
  1990 2000 1990 2000 1990 2000
Median HH Income 0.53 0.54 0.64 0.61 1.15 1.04
Per Capita Income 0.64 0.67 0.75 0.73 1.17 1.08
% Below Poverty 3.46 3.19 2.89 2.96 1.18 1.44
INDICATORS OF HUMAN CAPITAL
% College Educated 0.61 0.61 0.77 0.74 1.59 1.40
% Professional 0.76 0.75 0.86 0.83 1.30 1.21
% Unemployed 2.68 2.62 1.95 2.21 0.98 1.11
INDICATORS OF HOUSING
% Vacant Housing 2.59 2.77 1.93 2.41 1.12 1.14
% Homeowners 0.59 0.62 0.62 0.61 0.94 0.89
INDICATORS OF IMMIGRATION
% Foreign Born 0.70 0.80 1.12 1.28 1.68 1.75
% Recent Immigrants 1.19 1.15 1.48 1.93 3.43 2.59
% Language other than English 1.01 1.14 2.31 2.70 1.23 1.53
INDICATORS OF ISOLATION AND INTEGRATION
% Members of Own Group 0.69 0.70 0.16 0.19 0.04 0.05
% White 0.33 0.33 0.72 0.65 0.91 0.87

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Sources of Neighborhood Inequality

Neighborhood inequalities may result from discrimination based on race, class, or nativity. To understand if racial group disparities in neighborhood characteristics are due to class or nativity, we examine neighborhood characteristics of groups who share an income class or a birth status. Click on the buttons below to link to a series of pages for this metro area exploring the effects of race, income class, and nativity on neighborhood inequality. The first button links to a page that provides the income class distribution for each group in 1990 and 2000 (where data are provided for households). From there, you may link to another page that shows the effect of income class on group disparities in neighborhood characteristics. The second button links to a page that provides the nativity distribution for each group in 1990 and 2000 (for nativity, all data are provided for persons, rather than households). From there, you may link to another page that shows the effect of nativity on group disparities in neighborhood characteristics.

income ditribution   nativity distribution

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Copyright (c) 2002 by The Lewis Mumford Center for Comparative Urban and Regional Research