Black-White Housing Segregation in the City of St. Louis

Abstract

Data from the 1988 St. Louis Dress Rehearsal Census are used to measure trends in residential segregation between decennial censuses. From 1940 through 1980, St. Louis city exhibited a persistent pattern of segregation, and through 1980, an exceptionally high proportion of its white population lived in exclusively white areas. Between 1980 and 1988, segregation declined significantly at both the tract and block levels and interracial exposure increased, suggesting a decline in the propensity of whites to move out of all-white areas that become minimally integrated. There was an overall decline in white out-migration from the city, implying that citywide net migration influences neighborhood integration potential. Still, St. Louis remains quite segregated compared to 1980 national averages.