Adolescent Academic Outcomes after Birth of Half-Sibling

Jeremy Pais, University at Albany, State University of New York (SUNY)
Scott J. South, University at Albany, State University of New York (SUNY)
Kyle Crowder, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

This study examines the influence of metropolitan-area characteristics on black and white households’ propensity to move between poor and nonpoor neighborhoods. We find that a nontrivial portion of the variance in the odds of moving to a poor rather to a nonpoor neighborhood exists between metropolitan areas. Net of established individual-level predictors of inter-neighborhood migration, black and white households are more likely to move to a poor or extremely poor tract rather than to a nonpoor tract in metropolitan areas with high poverty rates, a paucity of recently-built housing, and substantial employment in manufacturing and government. Blacks are especially likely to move to a poor tract in larger metropolitan areas and in which poor tracts have a sizeable concentration of blacks. White households are more likely to move to a poor than a nonpoor tract in smaller metropolitan areas and in which poor tracts have comparatively fewer African Americans.