Thursday, February 02, 2012

Racial 'opportunity gap' is smallest in South, West – USATODAY.com

Racial 'opportunity gap' is smallest in South, West – USATODAY.com: African Americans and Latinos are more likely to have jobs, live in better-off neighborhoods and attend better-performing schools in small to medium-size metro areas in the South and West, according to an Urban Institute report out today.

The Washington think tank found the "opportunity gap" that separates blacks and Latinos from whites is greatest in the Midwest and Northeast. The study was based on five factors: residential segregation, neighborhood affluence, public school quality, share of employment and share of homeownership.

"The story of both opportunity and challenges in the U.S. varies widely from one metropolitan area to another," says Margery Turner, the institute's vice president for research, who conducted the study. "Many blacks and Latinos are overcoming barriers. There are many success stories … but gaps remain, and they are significant