Linking Racial Composition, Black-White Inequality, and Regional Difference: The Role of Migration

The percent black-inequality relationship and the unique position of the South have been cornerstones of research on U.S. racial inequality. Using an innovative methodological approach, I address how migration contributes to our understanding of the percent black-inequality relationship. I find that the educationally selective migration of blacks and whites significantly contributes to the percent black-inequality relationship via compositional changes. However, any explanatory power is limited to the non-South. Migration plays a role in understanding this relationship, yet processes related to black population concentration still generate black disadvantage anew, particularly within the South.