title: Diverging fortunes? Economic well-being of Latinos and African Americans in new rural destinations.
abstract: The geographic diffusion of Latinos from immigrant gateways to newly-emerging rural destinations is one of the most significant recent trends in U.S. population redistribution. Yet, few studies have explored how Latinos have fared in new destinations, and even fewer have examined economic implications for other minority workers and their families. We use county-level data from the 1990 and 2000 U.S. Census and the 2006-2010 American Community Survey to compare the changing economic circumstances (e.g., employment and unemployment, poverty, income, and homeownership) of Latinos and African Americans in new Latino boomtowns. We also evaluate the comparative economic trajectories of Latinos in new destinations and established gateways. During the 1990s, new rural destinations provided clear economic benefits to Latinos, even surpassing African Americans on some economic indicators. The 2000s, however, ushered in higher rates of Latino poverty; the economic circumstances of Latinos also deteriorated more rapidly in new vis-à-vis traditional destinations. By 2010, individual and family poverty rates in new destinations were significantly higher among Latinos than African Americans, despite higher labor force participation and lower levels of unemployment. Difference-in-difference models demonstrate that in both the 1990s and 2000s, economic trajectories of African Americans in new Latino destinations largely mirrored those observed in places without large Latino influxes. Any economic benefits for Latinos in new rural destinations thus have not come at the expense of African Americans.
authors.affiliation: (a)North Carolina State University, Sociology and Anthropology, Campus Box 8107, Raleigh, NC 27695-8107, United States. Electronic address: martha_crowley@ncsu.edu.
authors.forename: Martha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Crowley
authors.affiliation: (b)Department of Policy Analysis and Management and Department of Sociology, 249 MVR, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853-7601, United States.
authors.forename: Daniel T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Lichter
authors.affiliation: (c)National Strategic Planning and Analysis Research Center, Mississippi State University, 201 Research Boulevard, Starkville, MS 39759, United States.
authors.forename: Richard N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Turner
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American; D019352:Censuses; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants; D004651:Employment; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011157:Population Dynamics; D011203:Poverty; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012424:Rural Population; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Blacks; Employment; Hispanic; Immigrants; New Latino destinations; New immigrant destinations