Educational Attainment and Crime in Neighborhoods over 40 Years

• In Event: New Ways to Think about the Temporality of Crime in Communities and Place

Abstract

Since the 1970’s, the number of people with college degrees has increased, and as of 2010, a third of United States now has a college degree. Less clear from this demographic trend are the consequences for neighborhood crime rates over time and space. Research on educational attainment and crime has had mixed results. More educational attainment can be associated with greater inequality and thus leading to more crime, while another approach indicates that more educational attainment can be associated with more social capital, satisfaction with the neighborhood, revitalization, civic engagement, and access to economic resources. All of which indicate that more educational attainment should decrease crime. We employ census tract and violent crime data from 1970-2010 to test how education matters for neighborhoods, and our findings indicate key differences over time and space.

Authors

• Adam Boessen, University of Missouri - St. Louis

• Marisa Omori, University of Miami

• Claire Greene, University of Missouri - St. Louis