Most Downtowns Still Lagging Behind

In a piece for City Observatory, Daniel Hertz discusses data from a recent study on the changing demographics of American downtowns. The researchers "measured what percentage of people within three miles of their city's central business district lived in a Census tract that was in the top third. Unsurprisingly, in almost every city, that percentage increased dramatically between 1980 and 2010." The article includes a chart demonstrating that shift. 

But that story, which has become accepted canon, still doesn't reflect reality for most cities. From the article: "Still, despite all the progress American central cities have made in economic development, it's important to note that most [central downtown] areas remain disproportionately poor. Even in 2010, cities where upper-income neighborhoods were underrepresented in central areas outnumbered those where upper-income neighborhoods were overrepresented by 32 to 17."

Nevertheless, the data shows a clear trend toward concentrated downtown wealth. Hertz notes how that trend depends on the young, educated demographic. "We were also struck by how much overlap there was between the Cleveland Fed's data and our findings from City Observatory's Young and Restless report late last year."