Illinois Residential Segregation Data

This data is part of a series on segregation in Illinois that resulted from a six-month Governing investigation.

To assess current levels of residential segregation, Governing analyzed the latest 2017 five-year American Community Survey estimates from the Census Bureau. Our primary measure is what's known as the index of dissimilarity, with higher values (on a scale of 0 to 1) representing higher levels of segregation between blacks and whites. We compute these at the metro area-level, rather than for cities, to account for segregation taking place over longer distances. (Read the full report methodology.)
Our results showed particularly high levels of segregation for Peoria, which also ranked sixth highest of any metro area nationally with a black population of at least 10,000. The Danville metro area wasn't far behind. Kankakee, Rockford and Springfield are all also among the top third most segregated areas for black and whites.

 

Changes in Segregation Over Time

Historical Census data were compiled to calculated dissimilarity indices showing changes over time. Nationally, levels of segregation have declined over the long term. That's the case for most parts of Illinois. However, black-white segregation remains about where it was in 1980 for the Champaign-Urbana, Danville and Peoria metro areas. 


Research from Brown University offers the following guidelines in interpreting changes in values over one decade:

• Change of 0.1 and greater: "Very significant change"
• Change of 0.05-.1: "Moderate change"
• Less than 0.05: "Small change or no real change at all"

See methodology for how values were computed. 

Metro Area Comparisons

Governing further compared downstate Illinois metro areas with other metros of similar sizes and demographics. The largest metro areas -- Peoria, Rockford and Springfield -- all recorded significantly higher dissimilarity indices than comparable regions in other parts of the country. Danville also had the highest level of segregation in its group. Segregation wasn't as elevated in the college towns of Bloomington and Champaign-Urbana.

For each area of interest, metro areas were considered demographically similar if they met the following criteria:

1. Total population +/- 30 percent of area
2. Black share of the population +/- 30 percentage points of area

In general, other areas of the industrial Midwest and northeastern U.S. similarly tend to have higher levels of black-white segregation. (See national results for segregation for all metro areas.) 

Bloomington-Normal Metro Area

Metro Area	Dissimilarity Index	White Population	Black Population	Total Population
Springfield, OH	0.617	114,419	10,984	135,520
Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA	0.605	144,829	12,074	170,055
Mansfield, OH	0.595	104,284	9,372	121,533
Jackson, MI	0.595	135,108	13,066	158,989
Midland, TX	0.561	78,607	9,410	165,430
Carbondale-Marion, IL	0.529	115,757	12,671	139,491
Sebastian-Vero Beach, FL	0.526	112,347	13,103	147,981
Wichita Falls, TX	0.479	104,299	13,148	150,940
Bowling Green, KY	0.477	141,891	12,055	169,250
Elizabethtown-Fort Knox, KY	0.466	120,531	13,599	150,253
Jefferson City, MO	0.464	130,468	11,456	151,056
Beckley, WV	0.459	108,298	8,295	121,699
Manhattan, KS	0.448	99,530	10,888	134,680
Gainesville, GA	0.442	118,722	14,050	192,865
Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL	0.424	168,951	19,238	203,360
Abilene, TX	0.420	110,168	13,111	169,000
Hanford-Corcoran, CA	0.397	49,728	8,916	150,183
Bloomington-Normal, IL	0.387	138,256	13,850	173,231
Columbia, MO	0.375	163,498	16,505	202,353

Champaign-Urbana Metro Area

Metro Area	Dissimilarity Index	White Population	Black Population	Total Population
Muskegon, MI	0.719	132,180	23,239	172,707
Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ	0.606	153,899	38,978	272,926
Springfield, IL	0.571	171,916	25,010	210,550
Racine, WI	0.529	141,849	20,797	195,101
Waco, TX	0.509	148,355	39,061	263,009
Kalamazoo-Portage, MI	0.497	202,780	27,499	259,830
Champaign-Urbana, IL	0.492	157,340	27,110	224,379
Panama City, FL	0.471	139,208	19,358	180,117
Wilmington, NC	0.467	212,008	39,741	277,496
Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL	0.424	168,951	19,238	203,360
College Station-Bryan, TX	0.411	142,682	27,287	248,554
Charlottesville, VA	0.353	160,357	25,233	211,777
Jacksonville, NC	0.333	128,724	26,342	192,685
East Stroudsburg, PA	0.329	113,048	21,807	167,306

Danville Metro Area

Metro Area	Dissimilarity Index	White Population	Black Population	Total Population
Danville, IL	0.675	62,383	10,995	79,207
Pine Bluff, AR	0.590	44,276	45,427	93,590
Cape Girardeau, MO-IL	0.574	83,532	8,538	97,136
Sebring-Avon Park, FL	0.497	68,505	9,268	100,177
Hot Springs, AR	0.486	80,927	7,952	97,994
Rome, GA	0.478	68,872	13,938	96,471
Kokomo, IN	0.425	70,737	5,791	82,457
Hinesville, GA	0.271	35,460	29,132	79,977

Kankakee and Decatur Metro Areas

Metro Area	Dissimilarity Index	White Population	Black Population	Total Population
Danville, IL	0.675	62,383	10,995	79,207
Gadsden, AL	0.638	80,750	15,847	103,132
Michigan City-La Porte, IN	0.605	88,538	12,093	110,839
Battle Creek, MI	0.598	105,142	14,191	134,327
Kankakee, IL	0.576	79,961	16,681	110,801
Decatur, IL	0.528	82,514	14,906	107,587
Lima, OH	0.522	84,618	12,231	104,157
Rome, GA	0.478	68,872	13,938	96,471
Jonesboro, AR	0.449	101,686	15,261	128,344
California-Lexington Park, MD	0.390	83,340	15,760	110,979
Lawton, OK	0.317	74,514	20,185	129,066

Peoria Metro Area

Metro Area	Dissimilarity Index	White Population	Black Population	Total Population
Peoria, IL	0.724	344,643	35,675	412,991
Fort Wayne, IN	0.599	306,402	41,552	401,228
Rockford, IL	0.571	241,646	36,630	341,150
Naples-Marco Island, FL	0.568	227,002	24,395	356,774
Canton-Massillon, OH	0.536	351,629	26,756	402,098
Evansville, IN-KY	0.514	274,955	21,191	315,263
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL	0.510	304,727	28,526	383,141
Lexington-Fayette, KY	0.492	389,724	54,008	500,689
Lubbock, TX	0.478	167,660	20,760	309,722
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC	0.418	296,323	23,764	364,044

Rockford Metro Area

Metro Area	Dissimilarity Index	White Population	Black Population	Total Population
Peoria, IL	0.724	344,643	35,675	412,991
Fort Wayne, IN	0.599	306,402	41,552	401,228
Rockford, IL	0.571	241,646	36,630	341,150
Ann Arbor, MI	0.555	255,347	42,415	361,509
Roanoke, VA	0.536	246,934	40,586	313,069
South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI	0.531	242,025	36,829	320,010
Kalamazoo-Portage, MI	0.497	202,780	27,499	259,830
Ocala, FL	0.473	245,045	42,355	343,778
Vallejo, CA	0.438	169,436	59,862	434,981
Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC	0.420	339,273	54,776	432,772
Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV	0.412	231,342	23,084	278,666
College Station-Bryan, TX	0.411	142,682	27,287	248,554
Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL	0.374	200,734	21,850	261,048

Springfield Metro Area

Metro Area	Dissimilarity Index	White Population	Black Population	Total Population
Muskegon, MI	0.719	132,180	23,239	172,707
Niles, MI	0.718	116,416	22,567	154,948
Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ	0.606	153,899	38,978	272,926
Springfield, IL	0.571	171,916	25,010	210,550
Decatur, AL	0.570	116,498	18,493	152,445
Racine, WI	0.529	141,849	20,797	195,101
Sebastian-Vero Beach, FL	0.526	112,347	13,103	147,981
Waco, TX	0.509	148,355	39,061	263,009
Kalamazoo-Portage, MI	0.497	202,780	27,499	259,830
Champaign-Urbana, IL	0.492	157,340	27,110	224,379
Wichita Falls, TX	0.479	104,299	13,148	150,940
Panama City, FL	0.471	139,208	19,358	180,117
Elizabethtown-Fort Knox, KY	0.466	120,531	13,599	150,253
Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL	0.424	168,951	19,238	203,360
College Station-Bryan, TX	0.411	142,682	27,287	248,554
Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL	0.374	200,734	21,850	261,048
Charlottesville, VA	0.353	160,357	25,233	211,777
Jacksonville, NC	0.333	128,724	26,342	192,685
East Stroudsburg, PA	0.329	113,048	21,807	167,306