Full Citation
Title: The Great Black Migration: Opportunity and competition in northern labor markets
Citation Type: Journal Article
Publication Year: 2015
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Abstract: Over 7 million African Americans left the South for industrial cities in the North between 1915 and 1970, a period often referred to as the Great Black Migration. For black migrants, the North held the promise both of better-paying job opportunities and of social and political equality. During this period, and particularly between 1940 and 1970 when the majority of black migration occurred, the earnings of black men grew faster than those of white men nationwide. In 1940, black men earned a mean of 40 cents to the dollar earned by white men; by 1970, the black-to-white ratio had increased to 70 cents to the dollar. Although improvement in the quality and quantity of education for black students was the most important cause of the narrowing of this wage gap, migration to a higher-wage region also played a role.
Url: https://www.irp.wisc.edu/publications/focus/pdfs/foc321e.pdf
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Authors: Boustan, Leah P
Periodical (Full): Focus
Issue: 1
Volume: 32
Pages: 24-28
Data Collections: IPUMS USA
Topics: Labor Force and Occupational Structure, Migration and Immigration, Race and Ethnicity
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