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. 2016 Dec;81(6):1276-1304.
doi: 10.1177/0003122416673029. Epub 2016 Oct 27.

NEIGHBORHOOD ATTAINMENT OVER THE ADULT LIFE COURSE

Scott J South  1 , Ying Huang  2 , Amy Spring  3 , Kyle Crowder  4
Affiliations

NEIGHBORHOOD ATTAINMENT OVER THE ADULT LIFE COURSE

Scott J South et al. Am Sociol Rev. 2016 Dec.

Abstract

This study uses data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, in conjunction with neighborhood-level data from the U.S. decennial census and American Community Survey, to examine the trajectory of individuals' neighborhood characteristics from initial household formation into mid-to-late adulthood. Multilevel growth curve models reveal both different starting points and different life-course trajectories for blacks and whites in neighborhood economic status and neighborhood racial composition. Among respondents who first established an independent household during the 1970s, improvement in neighborhood income over the adult life course is substantially greater for whites than for blacks, while the racial difference in the percentage of neighbors who are non-Hispanic white narrows slightly with age. Racial differences in the characteristics of neighborhoods inhabited during adolescence help to explain racial differences in starting points and, to a lesser extent, subsequent trajectories of neighborhood attainment. Residing in an economically advantaged neighborhood during adolescence confers greater subsequent benefits in neighborhood economic status for whites than for blacks. These findings are used to begin developing a life-course perspective on neighborhood attainment.

Keywords: life course; neighborhood; neighborhood attainment; race; stratification.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Growth Curve for Neighborhood Average Family Income, by Race: Panel Study of Income Dynamics, 1971-2011 Note: Dashed lines represent bounds of 95% confidence interval.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Growth Curve for Neighborhood Percent Non-Hispanic White, by Race: Panel Study of Income Dynamics, 1971-2011 Note: Dashed lines represent bounds of 95% confidence interval.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Growth Curve for Neighborhood Average Family Income, by Race and Neighborhood Average Family Income in Adolescence: Panel Study of Income Dynamics, 1971-2011
Figure 4
Figure 4
Growth Curve for Neighborhood Percent Non-Hispanic White, by Race and Neighborhood Average Percent Non-Hispanic White in Adolescence: Panel Study of Income Dynamics, 1971-2011
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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