Economic Segregation Spreads Across America's Cities

As Richard Florida has pointed out, rising income inequality in America has created a growing gap between those with high-paying knowledge-based jobs and lower-wage service sector employees. According to a new report from the Pew Research Center this disparity appears to be effecting where American's are choosing to live, leading to growing residential segregation by income in 27 of the 30 largest cities in the U.S.

Although it would seem logical that a growing disparity in incomes would lead to a growing disparity in the types of homes, and neighborhoods, that residents are able to afford, according to Paul Taylor, one of the report's authors, "Growing income inequality does not automatically lead to growing residential segregation by income. Conceivably, we could still have a middle class hollowing out but people still living in mixed neighborhoods."

Accompanying the report are series of interactive maps depicting the economic segregation of America's 10 largest cities. Of note, "the most economically segregated large cities in America are all in Texas: San Antonio, Houston, and Dallas top the list."