Earning Inequality and Spatial Mismatch in Texas

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Earning Inequality and Spatial Mismatch in Texas

• Shujuan Li
• Geog 406
• Instructor Dr. Bednarz

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Introduction

• Earning Inequality
• Earning inequality has increased markedly in the
  United States in recent decades -----------
• Bradbury, Kodrycki, and Mayer

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Introduction

• Economic segregation
• Spatial Mismatch Studies
• The spatial mismatch hypothesis states that
  housing discrimination confines blacks to living
  in a few central city neighborhoods, where jobs
  have become increasingly scarce because employers
  have relocated to the suburbs. (Mayer,1996)

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Objectives

• Earning Inequality in Texas
• Spatial Characteristics of earning segregation
• Spatial Mismatch?

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Data

• Census 1990
• Census 2000

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Earning Inequality in Texas

• Earning Inequality has been increasing in Texas
  since the late 1970s1
• Texas is among the nine states with highest
  levels of income inequality 2
• Only Texas and Louisiana were the two states
  keeping in the top ten from 1970s to today 3
• It was also among the only four states having a
  larger proportion of income going to the richest
  families. 3

1 http//www.epinet.org/content.cfm/datazone_sta
tes_usmap_tx 2 http//www.cbpp.org/1-18-00sfp.ht
m 3 http//www.fiscalpolicy.org/pullingapart.htm

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Spatial Distribution of Household Incoming
Urban area VS rural area
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Spatial Distribution of Household Incoming --
Urban area VS rural area
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Spatial Distribution of Household Incoming --
Central Cities VS Suburban Areas
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Spatial Distribution of Household Incoming --
Central Cities VS Suburban Areas
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Spatial Distribution of Household Incoming --
Central Cities VS Suburban Areas
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Spatial Distribution of Household Incoming --
Central Cities VS Suburban Areas

• There are obvious household incoming segregations
  between central cities and suburban areas.
• From 1990 to 2000, the general spatial pattern of
  household incoming segregation in urban areas had
  been unchanged.
• Segregation conditions in central cities did not
  change much, while area surrounding suburban area
  had obvious increase of household incoming.

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Spatial Mismatch?
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Spatial Mismatch?

• Unemployment Status for the Population 16 Years

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Spatial Mismatch?
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Spatial Mismatch?
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Spatial Mismatch?
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Conclusions

• Texas has serious income inequality problem.
• There are obvious and aggregate rural/ urban
  income segregation.
• Change of income segregation in urban area is not
  very obvious.
• Income segregation did affect job access of inner
  work forces in Houston area.