Pathways to Integration: Examining Changes in the Prevalence of Racially Integrated Neighborhoods

Ingrid Gould Ellen, Keren Horn, Katherine O’Regan, New York University

Few researchers have studied integrated neighborhoods, yet these neighborhoods offer an important window into broader patterns of segregation. In this article, we explore changes in racial integration in recent decades using decennial census tract data from 1990, 2000, and 2010. We begin by examining changes in the prevalence of racially integrated neighborhoods and find that the share of metropolitan neighborhoods that are integrated increased significantly during this period, from slightly less than 20 percent to slightly more than 30 percent. We then shed light on the pathways through which these changes have occurred. We find both a small increase in the number of neighborhoods becoming integrated for the first time during this period and a more sizable increase in the share of integrated neighborhoods that remained integrated. Finally, we offer insights about which neighborhoods become integrated in the first place and which remain stably integrated over time.