Recent Trends in Residential Segregation in New England

Residential segregation in Boston has drawn considerable attention in recent years, but much less notice has been given to the issue with respect to the rest of New England. This regional brief focuses on residential segregation between all minority groups and non-Hispanic white residents in metro areas throughout the region. New England’s population is predominately non-Hispanic white; however, the region has diversified considerably since 1990, as most of the population growth has occurred among minority groups. Residential segregation by race/ethnicity declined over that same period in nearly every medium-sized and large metro area in New England, though the levels remain modestly higher than the national averages. Contrary to the broader trends, many of New England’s small metro areas saw increases in residential segregation during the 1990–2017 period. While racial and ethnic minorities in the region tend to be clustered in fewer neighborhoods relative to the rest of the United States, they are less isolated from non-Hispanic whites; that is, on average, a minority resident of a New England metro area has a considerably higher share of white neighbors compared with minorities elsewhere in the country.