Evidence from Chicago shows that declining job accessibility for the poor is a result of socioeconomic, but not spatial, factors

In recent decades, America’s cities have experienced a trend towards the suburbanization of housing and jobs, whilst at the same time, economic restructuring has reduced the number of well-paying low-skilled jobs, and caused rising rates of poverty. But how have these changes affected job opportunities for the poor? Using data from Chicago from 1990 to 2010, Lingqian Hu finds that the suburbanization of poor job seekers and their matching job opportunities has benefited them and improved their job accessibility. At the same time, however, the reductions in the number of relevant jobs and increasing poverty levels have adversely affected poor job seekers, especially in the inner city.