The Dimensions of Residential Segregation

TLDR

The paper defines residential segregation as a multidimensional construct with five axes—evenness, exposure, concentration, centralization, and clustering—and recommends adopting specific indices for each as standard measures. The authors surveyed twenty segregation indices, mapped them to the five dimensions, and used intercorrelation and factor analysis on data from many U.S. metropolitan areas to select one representative index per dimension, confirmed by principal components analysis.

Abstract

This paper conceives of residential segregation as a multidimensional phenomenon varying along five distinct axes of measurement: evenness, exposure, concentration, centralization, and clustering. Twenty indices of segregation are surveyed and related conceptually to one of the five dimensions. Using data from a large set of U.S. metropolitan areas, the indices are intercorrelated and factor analyzed. Orthogonal and oblique rotations produce pattern matrices consistent with the postulated dimensional structure. Based on the factor analyses and other information, one index was chosen to represent each of the five dimensions, and these selections were confirmed with a principal components analysis. The paper recommends adopting these indices as standard indicators in future studies of segregation.