Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

Previous research has concluded that residential segregation is negatively correlated with educational attainment for blacks, but new research indicates residential segregation may also be related to Bachelors Degree attainment for whites and for metropolitan populations as a whole. The present study extends these findings to explore the link between residential segregation and high school degree attainment. It uses IPUMS 1% and 5% extracts along with data from Brown University’s Diversity and Disparities Project to investigate whether city-level residential segregation rates are correlated with the share of adults who have graduated from high school. The analysis focuses on 3 outcomes: 1.high school degree attainment among adults 25 and older, 2.attainment among black adults in this category, and 3.attainment among white adults in this category. Results of several of my disaggregated analyses indicate residential segregation is negatively correlated with high school degree attainment not just for blacks, but also for whites and for city residents as a whole.