| Abstract: | This study builds on recent research on the growth of suburban poverty by tracking bi-annual poverty trends in inner suburbs from 1989 to 2005 through data reported by the Panel Study of Income Dynamics. Contrary to analyses based on the 1990 and 2000 censuses, this research finds that inner-ring suburban poverty increased from 1989 through 1997 but then declined and stabilized at levels similar to those of 1989. It will be shown that most of these changes were driven by transitions into and out of poverty, and that the migration of the poor between central-city and suburban neighborhoods has little effect on poverty rates. These results suggest that such poverty is highly dependent upon economic conditions, which may indicate an increase in inner-ring poverty since 2005. |
