Residential Attainments and Segregation in Los Angeles: Applying New Methods to Connect the Micro and the Macro

Amber Fox, Texas A&M University
Mark Fossett, Texas A&M University

This study examines the residential outcomes of Latinos in the Los Angeles Metropolitan Statistical Area by using restricted census microdata and new methods to connect a micro-level analysis of residential attainments to overall segregation. A new conceptualization of the Separation Index allows for the ability to conduct a micro-level multivariate analysis predicting neighborhood outcomes for individuals by race which translate into the Separation Index. We find that for Latinos, gains in social characteristics translate into greater residential contact with Whites, resulting in lower segregation. However, standardization analysis reveals that the majority of the residential disparity can be attributed to racial differences in the rate at which social gains translate into more contact with Whites. We find that segregation is lower when groups are equalized on social characteristics but there is still a disparity because minorities cannot translate those gains into contact with Whites at the rate that Whites can and segregation persists.