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Hard times are driving African-Americans away from Chicago area

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Illinois

* Greg Hinz has a story up on an analysis of US Census Bureau data by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning…

For instance, while the unemployment rate in the region dropped from 9 to 7.6 percent overall, among blacks it dipped just four-tenths of a percentage point, or 0.4 percent. That’s significantly smaller than the drops among Latinos, Asians and non-Hispanic whites, even though the unemployment rate was and remains far higher among blacks, more than 17 percent.

Similarly, median household income among blacks is still off nearly a tenth—9.4 percent—among blacks. In comparison, among whites, the drop was 1.5 percentage points; among Hispanics, 4.2 percentage points, with Asians gaining a bit. And while the drop-off in labor force participation rates was smallest among blacks in the 2010-17 period compared to other groups, blacks already had and still have the lowest rate, with just over 60 percent holding a job or actively looking for one.

* The result, Greg reports, is that African-Americans are leaving…

Among non-Hispanic whites, Asians and Latinos age 16 to 64, a clear majority of 53 percent to 64 percent, respectively, of those leaving the region already hold jobs. But among blacks, only 42 percent are employed. The remaining 58 percent of those moving either are unemployed or out of the workforce and not looking at all.

CMAP Associate Policy Analyst Aseal Tineh said there could be various reasons for the latter distinctions, such as more rapid aging among white residents. But overall, it’s likely that African-Americans here are having a harder time finding jobs, and a harder times getting jobs that pay well, she said. Beyond that, the report itself notes previous research that black commuters tend to have a longer trip to work than other area residents.

The full study is here.

posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Dec 6, 18 @ 9:44 am

Comments

The transportation recommendations were very interesting, as the economy continues to shift more towards services labor needs to be more mobile. I’d like to see ride share and transit authorities come together on comprehensive solutions.

https://www.cmap.illinois.gov/2050/mobility/transportation-equity

Comment by njt Thursday, Dec 6, 18 @ 9:58 am
You can be broke anywhere. Might as well head someplace where the climate isn’t an assault on the body and psyche half the year.

To the issue, the reverse Great Migration of black citizens from Chicago has been going on for quite some time. The powers-that-be ain’t trying to stop it, either.

Chris Kennedy was more than a little right in his “strategic gentrification” remarks that he got ripped for. If you’ve got eyes that see, it’s as plain as day.

Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Dec 6, 18 @ 10:08 am
And why shouldn’t they. Maybe it’s time we stop treating all black citizens as one monolithic group. Maybe they are just like every other group of people. They want to have jobs, safe places to live, decent schools for their children and government that doesn’t play favorites. OF course that doesn’t serve the needs of the Democratic party and the community groups that need concentrations of disadvantaged people.

Comment by NeverPoliticallyCorrect Thursday, Dec 6, 18 @ 10:15 am
African-American voters overwhelmingly rejected the Rauner philosophy, which is stripping labor rights and slashing salaries and benefits so that the privileged and wealthy have a permanent advantage before they economically invest in the communities. The solutions have to be something else.

The solutions have to come from someplace else

Comment by Grandson of Man Thursday, Dec 6, 18 @ 10:15 am
So much for the Fleeing because of taxes crowd.

Comment by PublicServant Thursday, Dec 6, 18 @ 10:18 am
@NeverPoliticallyCorrect
No one is arguing that it’s the people’s fault, or that they should be forced to stay. The problem is that conditions in the city drive black residents away, many of whom probably would like to stay in the neighborhoods they grew up in. And it’s easy to see what the problems are - critical underinvestment, lack of affordable housing, completely bass-ackwards policing strategies, school closings. The solution can’t just be to throw up our hands and say “good riddance.”

Comment by Actual Red Thursday, Dec 6, 18 @ 10:22 am
Blame the weather and not the lack of pro business reforms that will create more private sector jobs and raise wages?

And you guys think I am a bot who posts Kremlin propaganda

Comment by Lucky Pierre Thursday, Dec 6, 18 @ 10:26 am
===Fleeing because of taxes crowd===

Are you forgetting that Tribune series which showed black homeowners are paying way more than they should?

Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Dec 6, 18 @ 10:29 am
===…lack of pro business reforms that will create more private sector jobs and raise wages?===

The voters rejected Raunerism at a level of embarrassment that can only be compared to an incumbent more than 100 years ago.

So there’s that.

To…

“…will create more private sector jobs and raise wages?”

Trump tells me daily… millions of jobs, good paying jobs.

Are you now pointing to Trump’s economics?

It can’t be Rauner’s, his is already rejected.

Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Dec 6, 18 @ 10:34 am
–OF course that doesn’t serve the needs of the Democratic party and the community groups that need concentrations of disadvantaged people.–

It’s fun to play talk-radio blabbermouth, but you’re kind of missing the point, aren’t you? No one in power is attempting to keep poor black people from leaving. Just the opposite, by actions and inactions.

Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Dec 6, 18 @ 10:44 am
“the lack of pro business reforms”

African-Americans don’t want substantial stripping of collective bargaining rights, RtW, repealing prevailing wage, slashing salaries, benefits and protections. Their votes say it’s exploitation. Policy makers should focus on other approaches.

Comment by Grandson of Man Thursday, Dec 6, 18 @ 10:45 am
“It concluded that, as has been widely reported in earlier reports, the recovery here has been “slow and lagging behind many peer metropolitan areas.” But the lag among black residents is particularly striking.”

Why has the Chicago region had a slower recovery than peer metropolitan areas? Could it be a absolute tone deafness to the conditions that companies need to expand and hire more workers?

“And while the drop-off in labor force participation rates was smallest among blacks in the 2010-17 period compared to other groups, blacks already had and still have the lowest rate, with just over 60 percent holding a job or actively looking for one.”

Hard to believe raising the minimum wage from $8.25 to $15 will improve the demand for low skilled labor or the business climate in these hard hit areas.

Comment by Lucky Pierre Thursday, Dec 6, 18 @ 10:47 am
–And you guys think I am a bot who posts Kremlin propaganda–

Victim whine duly noted. But be fair. You forgot to include that you’re really bad at it.

Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Dec 6, 18 @ 10:48 am
– The solutions have to come from someplace else

It looks like they are going someplace else to find them.

Comment by Touré's Latte Thursday, Dec 6, 18 @ 10:56 am
==lack of pro business reforms that will create more private sector jobs and raise wages==

Any source for this claim?

Comment by supplied_demand Thursday, Dec 6, 18 @ 11:02 am
“It looks like they are going someplace else to find them”

The anti-union people should also consider doing the same.

Comment by Grandson of Man Thursday, Dec 6, 18 @ 11:10 am
Life happens.

Comment by VanillaMan Thursday, Dec 6, 18 @ 11:17 am
Employers are bigoted. Other groups aren’t having trouble. I would leave too.

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Dec 6, 18 @ 11:34 am
==the lack of pro business reforms==

Which reforms specifically? The election is over. The people rejected the Governor’s ideas. So what other reforms should we be talking about?

Yes, the issue discussed here is a problem. You, however, need new talking points.

Comment by Demoralized Thursday, Dec 6, 18 @ 11:49 am
==Employers are bigoted.==

I certainly hope that was snark.

Comment by Demoralized Thursday, Dec 6, 18 @ 11:49 am
=lack of pro business reforms=

Let’s just call that what it is, a reduction in wages, benefits, and protections.

You are not good at math are you? IN a competitive (for businesses) labor market lowering wages does not make you “competitive”, it makes it more difficult to find labor. Even unskilled labor.

What makes a business more competitive? Innovation, service, excellence, doing things or making things that cannot be gotten elsewhere.

Comment by JS Mill Thursday, Dec 6, 18 @ 11:53 am
JS Mill

You might want to focus on the private sector. It is what pays for the government and a growing economy is the only solution to the budget crisis.

Wages are rising and unemployment is lower nationally. If job openings are few and far between, wages rise to attract workers.

If 40 percent of any demographic does not have a job,wages will stagnate or fall.

Comment by Lucky Pierre Thursday, Dec 6, 18 @ 12:01 pm
==You might want to focus on the private sector. It is what pays for the government ==

I’ll be sure to tell my public sector friends they don’t have to pay taxes.

Comment by Demoralized Thursday, Dec 6, 18 @ 12:30 pm
Don’t be so deliberately obtuse, government salaries are paid for by the private sector economy.

I never said the public sector workers don’t pay taxes.

It is circular logic to believe government workers taxes pay for their wages.

Comment by Lucky Pierre Thursday, Dec 6, 18 @ 12:37 pm
==government salaries are paid for by the private sector economy.==

==It is circular logic to believe government workers taxes pay for their wages.==

You are in fact saying that in effect government workers don’t pay taxes. You want to talk about being obtuse? That’s obtuse and it’s an absolutely ridiculous argument, though we should expect nothing less from you.

Comment by Demoralized Thursday, Dec 6, 18 @ 12:48 pm
A confluence of factors I believe have conspired to drive African Americans from Chicago:

-Gentrification
-Labor Market Discrimination (i.e. bigotry)
-Unfair Property Tax Assessments (shoutout to Rich for reminding me about that Trib story)
-Police department that preys on African Americans (also see Ferguson PD, NYPD, etc.)
-Woefully broken criminal justice system (i.e. blacks are arrested more often and charged more harshly than whites for the same crime)

Comment by Homer Simpson's Brain Thursday, Dec 6, 18 @ 2:33 pm
Rich,
Your mention of the way in which so many impoverished citizens - many of them persons of color - pay inflated property taxes year after year is something that I often mention to my friends/colleagues when I discuss why the Machine is so entrenched here. Yet year after year, the same decisions are made and the same people seem to make their way in to office. And we wonder why the exodus happens…

Comment by Just a taxpayer Thursday, Dec 6, 18 @ 7:38 pm
-the same people seem to make their way in to office.-
Berros is gone.

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Dec 7, 18 @ 7:31 am