The Reconcentration of Poverty: Patterns of Housing Voucher Use, 2000 to 2008

Abstract

In theory, housing choice vouchers provide low-income families with increased neighborhood options. However, previous research is mixed regarding whether the program promotes integration. Examining the 50 most populous U.S. metropolitan areas, I find that households using vouchers are more economically and racially segregated than an extremely low-income comparison group. However, voucher households in areas with source-of-income protection laws are less racially segregated than voucher households in areas without such laws.

Keywords::

• vouchers
• mobility
• housing
• segregation

Acknowledgments

Funding for this study was provided by Northwestern University's Institute for Policy Research.

Notes

^1. The eligibility threshold for the program is actually 50% of area median income. However, federal law requires that at least 75% of vouchers be targeted to “extremely low income” families, who earn less than 30% of the area median income. To provide a stringent test of the hypothesis that voucher families are more segregated than comparison families, the lower income threshold (30% of area median income) was employed as an upper bound for the comparison groups.

^2. Table A1 provides descriptive information on the percentages of the largest racial or ethnic groups as defined by the census: White (non-Latino), African American or Black (non-Latino), and Latino (of any race). These tables display substantial variation across MSAs. Many of the largest MSAs, such as New York City, Chicago, Dallas, Miami, and Houston, have significant percentages of each of the three major racial or ethnic groups. However, numerous MSAs in the Rust Belt are overwhelmingly White, such as Pittsburgh (84.7%) and Cincinnati (75.9%). The MSAs with the largest fractions of residents identifying as African American or Black were found in the South, including MSAs such as Memphis (51.6% Black), Virginia Beach (34.0% Black), and Atlanta (35.0% Black).

^3. Tables A234A5 provide the specific Herfindahl and dissimilarity index values for each MSA in 2000 and 2008.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Molly W. Metzger

Molly W. Metzger is an assistant professor at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. She received her PhD in Human Development and Social Policy from Northwestern University in 2012. Her research explores the intersections of housing, education, and human development.