Residential Segregation in New Hispanic Destinations in the United States: The Effect of Spatial Connectedness to Traditional Gateways

Residential segregation is an important indicator of spatial inequality that shapes minoritized groups’ life chances and well-being. Over the past three decades, as an increasing share of the Hispanic population in the US has settled down in new destinations that do not have a strong historical presence of their co-ethnics, researchers also got interested in assessing segregation patterns in these new destinations. However, results from prior research are not conclusive. While some studies documented segregation levels to be lower in new than in traditional destinations, others found the opposite pattern. Aiming at addressing this inconsistency in prior research, we evaluate how spatial connectedness to traditional gateways may moderate White-Hispanic segregation in new destinations.

Our unique spatial perspective is rooted in the theorization of heterogeneity among new Hispanic destinations. By analyzing different socioeconomic forces behind the spatial diffusion of the Hispanic population, we identify two Weberian ideal types of new destinations, with the first type being those arising from the natural expansion of traditional gateways and the second type being those developed out from the changing labor demands. With this theoretical typology, we then propose that spatial connectedness to traditional gateways is a unique indicator that can be used to establish a continuum between the two ideal types.

We will test the significance of this spatial perspective with county-level data from the US Decennial Census and the American Community Survey. Firstly, we will construct a population-weighted spatial measure to quantify the extent to which each new destination is connected to traditional gateways. Then, we can use this measure to explain heterogeneity in segregation among new Hispanic destinations between 2000 and 2020. In the final step, we will incorporate a comparative approach into the study by replicating the analysis on three major Hispanic sub-groups: Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, and Cubans.