Racial differences in exposure to crime: The city and suburbs of Clevelandin 1990

Do minorities five in higher crime neighborhoods because they lack the clas s resources to live in better areas, or do racial differences in exposure t o crime persist even for blacks and whites of comparable backgrounds? Does living in the suburbs reduce exposure to crime equally for whites and black s? This study analyzes the determinants of living in local areas with highe r or lower crime rates in the Cleveland metropolitan region;in 1990. Multiv ariate models pre estimated for whites and blacks, with separate models for city and suburban residents and for violent crime and property crime. With in the city, exposure to both types of crime is strongly related to socioec onomic status for both races, but there are also strong independent effects of race on exposure so violent crime. In the suburbs, whites are concentra ted in communities with low crime rates regardless of their social class. T here are substantial class differences among suburban nonwhites,,but even a ffluent blacks live in places with a higher violent crime rate than do poor whites.