Bucking the Trend: Is Ethnoracial Diversity Declining in American Communities?

Lee, Barrett A.; Hughes, Lindsey Gloe

doi:10.1007/s11113-014-9343-8

Cited by 23 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…Our evidence on counties along the Rio Grande and the lower Mississippi River hints that the potential for diversity decline should also be examined more fully (see Lee and Hughes 2015). Consider the future of a high-diversity county with approximately equal proportions of whites, blacks, Hispanics, and Asians.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 87%

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The Spatial Diffusion of Racial and Ethnic Diversity Across U.S. Counties

2016

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Although increasing racial and ethnic diversity is a demographic trend with society-wide implications, it has advanced farther in some parts of the United States than others. Our research seeks to understand this unevenness at the local level. Drawing on 1980-2010 census data, we use an innovative spatial analytic approach to examine the spread or diffusion of diversity across counties in the 48 contiguous states. Three perspectives—locational persistence, spatial assimilation, and institutional hub—offer different expectations about the nature of the diffusion process. The perspectives are evaluated by mapping changes in the magnitude and structure of diversity and by tracing county transitions between types of diversity clusters. We document considerable stability in diversity patterns over a 30-year period, consistent with the logic of locational persistence. But support is also found for the spatial assimilation and institutional hub models in the form of cluster-type transitions that reflect contagious diffusion and hierarchical diffusion, respectively.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 87%

“…Many communities are experiencing an increase in ethnoracial diversity, but they differ markedly in initial composition and subsequent group-specific growth rates (Hall et al 2016). For some places, the ascendance of one group to numerical majority status has actually produced a diversity decline (Lee & Hughes 2015). …”

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confidence: 99%

The Spatial Diffusion of Racial and Ethnic Diversity Across U.S. Counties

2016

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“…In 2000 and 2010, persons reporting two or more races are assigned to the Other category as well. Although these multirace persons constitute a very small share of the total population, previous research indicated that their inclusion as Other produces a slightly higher than expected rise in diversity between 1990 and 2000 (Lee and Hughes 2015). A sensitivity analysis that omitted the Other category, including those reporting two or more races, did not change any of our substantive findings.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…After that point, ethnoracial transition is expected to accelerate, with the ascendant group filling most vacancies, other groups departing (or at least increasing less rapidly), and the composition of the neighborhood turning more homogeneous. Lee and Hughes (2015) documented this kind of transition at the place level, showing that ethnoracial diversity declines between 1980 and 2010, although rare, were more common in places with high diversity levels at the beginning of the period.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

The Contributions of Places to Metropolitan Ethnoracial Diversity and Segregation: Decomposing Change Across Space and Time

2016

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Although the trend toward greater ethnoracial diversity in the United States has been documented at a variety of geographic scales, most research tracks diversity one scale at a time. Our study bridges scales, asking how the diversity and segregation patterns of metropolitan areas are influenced by shifts in the racial/ethnic composition of their constituent places. Drawing on 1980–2010 decennial census data, we use a new visual tool to compare the distributions of place diversity for 50 U.S. metro areas over three decades. We also undertake a decomposition analysis of segregation within these areas to evaluate hypotheses about the roles of different types of places in ethnoracial change. The decomposition indicates that although principal cities continue to shape the overall diversity of metro areas, their relative impact has declined since 1980. Inner suburbs have experienced substantial increases in diversity during the same period. Places with large white majorities now contribute more to overall metropolitan diversity than in the past. In contrast, majority black and majority Hispanic places contribute less to metropolitan diversity than in the past. The complexity of the patterns we observe is underscored through an inspection of two featured metropolises: Chicago and Dallas.

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“…Because the addition of the multirace option has more than doubled the size of the still-small ‘other’ category in most states (with Hawaii experiencing the biggest gain), diversity receives a minor boost between 1990 and 2000 but overall patterns (trend lines, differences among states, etc.) are minimally affected (see Lee and Hughes 2015). …”

Section: Data and Measuresmentioning

confidence: 99%

A universal trend? State-level changes in US racial and ethnic diversity, 1980 to 2015

Lee¹,

Martin²,

Matthews³

et al. 2017

DemRes

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Background Few studies have examined long-term changes in ethnoracial diversity for US states despite the potential social, economic, and political ramifications of such changes at the state level. Objective We describe shifts in diversity magnitude and structure from 1980 through 2015 to determine if states are following a universal upward path. Methods Decennial census data for 1980-2010 and American Community Survey data for 2015 are used to compute entropy index (E) and Simpson index (S) measures of diversity magnitude based on five panethnic populations. A typology characterizes the racial-ethnic structure of states. Results While initial diversity level and subsequent pace of change vary widely, every state has increased in diversity magnitude since 1980. A dramatic decline in the number of predominantly White states has been accompanied by the rise of states with multigroup structures that include Hispanics. These diverse states are concentrated along the coasts and across the southern tier of the nation. Differences in panethnic population growth (especially rapid Hispanic and Asian growth coupled with white stability) drive the diversification trend. Conclusions The diversity hierarchy among states has remained relatively stable over the past 35 years in the face of universal gains in diversity magnitude and the increasing heterogeneity of racial-ethnic structures. Contribution We document ethnoracial diversity patterns at an understudied geographic scale where diversity may have important consequences across a range of institutional domains.

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Bucking the Trend: Is Ethnoracial Diversity Declining in American Communities?

Cited by 23 publications

References 39 publications

The Spatial Diffusion of Racial and Ethnic Diversity Across U.S. Counties

The Spatial Diffusion of Racial and Ethnic Diversity Across U.S. Counties

The Contributions of Places to Metropolitan Ethnoracial Diversity and Segregation: Decomposing Change Across Space and Time

A universal trend? State-level changes in US racial and ethnic diversity, 1980 to 2015

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