Spatial Variation in the Relationship between Hispanic Concentration and County Poverty: A Migration Perspective

Racial/ethnic minority concentration is generally positively related to county poverty. Yet, spatial variation in this relationship may call into question the meaning attached to racial/ethnic concentration. We argue that racial/ethnic concentration reflects more than just the concentration of individuals from a disadvantaged group. In addition, we extend previous work by taking a migration perspective to explain spatial non-stationarity in racial/ethnic concentration’s relationship with county poverty. Factors related to the migration process, including migrant selectivity and spatial differentiation in place characteristics, could alter the relationship between a minority group’s concentration and poverty. We employ spatially informed methods and 2006–2010 American Community Survey data to examine the relationship between Hispanic concentration and county poverty. The GWR results indicate significant spatial variation in the percent Hispanic-county poverty relationship. Hispanic migration regimes capture some of the observed relationship non-stationarity, suggesting migration-related processes partially drive Hispanic-county poverty relationship non-stationarity. However, we discuss other explanations that should be considered in future research. This work advances research on spatial inequality by examining the social implications of migration and by investigating the role of place in shaping the meaning of minority concentration.