2008
Abstract:
This paper examines the impact of living in ethnic enclaves in different parts of the
metropolitan area on low-skilled Latino immigrants’ employment accessibility. It does so
by comparing the employment status and commuting times of Latinos living in and out of
ethnic neighborhoods in central city, inner-ring suburbs and outer-ring suburbs in
Chicago, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. Using 2000 Public Use Microdata Sample
(PUMS), this paper finds that enclave effect is much muted and spatial mismatch effect
evident in the central cities. But in the suburban areas, while as likely to work as nonenclave counterparts, enclave residents tend to commute longer to jobs, suggesting the
importance of ethnic networks in enclave neighborhoods. These disparities in commuting
duration are not fully compensated for by their wage earnings or neighborhood-level
housing costs. Further distinguishing Latino immigrants by gender shows that women are
more enclave-disadvantaged than men.
