Whither the Urban Diaspora? The Spatial Redistribution of Latino Origin Groups in Metropolitan America

• In Event: 2284 - The Contemporary City and Neighborhood Change

Abstract

Recent research on the spatial redistribution of Latinos in the United States features case studies of new rural destinations. Less is known about the extent to which specific Latino origin groups have spread throughout the metropolitan system. We address this imbalance with 1990-2010 census data for the seven largest origin groups. Our analysis shows that all groups have become more dispersed across metropolitan areas, as the spatial assimilation model predicts. However, Cubans and Dominicans remain highly concentrated in their principal gateways, consistent with the locational persistence model, and different groups continue to inhabit different metropolitan areas. Exposure to ethnoracial diversity is greatest among group members in primary gateways, although the hypothesized negative relationship between dispersion and diversity does not reach significance. These results demonstrate one benefit of unpacking Hispanic panethnicity: support for the assimilation and persistence perspectives is revealed to be group-specific.

Authors

• Barrett Lee, Pennsylvania State University

• Michael Martin, Pennsylvania State University