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Title: Is spatial mismatch really spatial, and really a mismatch? Recent evidence on employment among Hispanic and Black people in the U.S.

Citation Type: Journal Article

Publication Year: 2022

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/07352166.2022.2067761© 2022 Urban Affairs Association

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Abstract: In 1968, John Kain hypothesized that Black residential suburbanization was not accompanying the suburbanization of jobs, leading to poor employment outcomes, especially for young Black men. This paper reinvestigates “spatial mismatch” in the 2000s to 2010s, focusing on differences between urban and suburban White, Black, and Hispanic residents of the U.S. We find some evidence for spatial mismatch when pooling data from across the entire time frame, and stronger evidence for mismatch among African Americans than among Hispanic people. First, we find that urban Black and Hispanic people have had measurably lower wages than equivalent suburbanites. Second, we find a higher probability of un- and under-employment for urban Black people relative to their suburban counterparts. Third, all else equal, Black and Hispanic people in general have longer commutes than White people do – suggesting that many people of color live in places with inferior access to employment (though suburban residence mitigates this effect). On the other hand, we also find considerable evidence that spatial mismatch may not be as serious a problem as many believe, particularly in recent years. For example, the wage premium for suburban people – White, Black, and Hispanic – has dropped over time, meaning that the effects of spatial mismatch may be falling. Further, urban Hispanic people do not have a higher probability of unemployment, and urban and suburban Black and Hispanic people do not work in different types of occupations, so location is not associated with suburbanites holding more or less “desirable” jobs.

Url: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/epdf/10.1080/07352166.2022.2067761?needAccess=true&role=button

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Authors: Morris, Eric A.; Paul, Julene

Periodical (Full): Journal of Urban Affairs

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Pages: 1-22

Data Collections: IPUMS Time Use - ATUS

Topics: Housing and Segregation, Labor Force and Occupational Structure, Poverty and Welfare, Race and Ethnicity

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