In continuing our commemoration of National Black (African American) History Month, this blog post looks back to the earlier young adult migration analysis snapshot and specifically the black populations moving to (and from) the Atlanta area. Our snapshot took data from migrationpatterns.org which tracked the movement of persons born between 1984 and 1992 at the time of childhood (measured at or around the age of 16) and then 10 years later to see where they moved (if at all).
While low-income Black young adults have dominated all-around migration to Atlanta, we have isolated the highest 2 income quintiles from the lowest 2 income quintiles to see to where and from where Black young adult have historically migrated over the last twenty years. The charts below tell the tale.
For ease of visual interpretation, in-migration to the Atlanta commuter zone is shown with gold charts, while out-migration from Atlanta is shown in blue charts. To distinguish between national metro areas and regional ones, we have plotted in-state (i.e., ‘regional’) commuter zones as a hollow fill, with national metro areas shown with a solid fill.
Figure 1: In-Migration Originations, All Income Levels
Over the course of the study, the total Black young adult migration into Atlanta totaled 77,067 persons. Of the top regions from which those young adults moved (across all income levels), the largest is the New York commuter zone, with nearly 4,400 in-migrants over the study’s timeframe. The top 6 commuter zones producing the most in-flow of Black young adults to Atlanta have all come from out of state, with only Augusta, Macon, and LaGrange cracking the Top 10 list.
Figure 2: In-Migration Originations, High Income
When filtered to just show the 2 highest income quintiles from the study, we notice that the absolute number of in-migrants drops substantially, and that Washington, D.C. occupies a much more prominent role in this list. And of the 2 regional commuter zones on this list (Augusta and Macon), only about 15% of the total Black young adults migrating into Atlanta are from this high income category.
Figure 3: In-Migration Originations, Low Income
When we filter in-migration to just show low-income Black young adults moving to Atlanta, the data show Washington, D.C. completely dropping off the chart. Still, the largest sources of low-income Black young adults are the large, national metro markets of New York, Miami, Chicago, and Detroit. Key takeaway: this study found that nearly 72% of the Black young adult population moving to the Atlanta commuter zone has come from the lowest 2 income quintiles.
Figure 4: Out-Migration Destinations, All Income Levels
Over the course of the study, the total Black young adult migration leaving Atlanta totaled 41,881 persons. As with in-migration, New York was found to the the top commuter zone of choice for Black young adults. One of the largest changes from in-migration to this list is regarding the Miami commuter zone. Sending nearly 3,000 Black young adults to Atlanta, we see only about 1,000 Black young adults leaving Atlanta for Miami. Regionally, we continue to see LaGrange and Macon on the out-migration lists that follow, although Augusta is not a top regional market to which Black young adults are moving; Savannah has taken its place among top regional markets.
Figure 5: Out-Migration Destinations, High Income
For those high-income young adults leaving Atlanta, Washington, D.C. and New York are the top destinations, just as they were the top places of origin for high-income in-migration.
Figure 6: Out-Migration Destinations, Low Income
New York is easily the top destination for Black young adult out-migration in the lowest income categories, with LaGrange a distant second. We note that low-income out-migration accounts for over 67% of the total out-migration to New York, while it accounted for 74% of total out-migration to LaGrange, nearly 72% of total out-migration to Macon, and over 71% of total out-migration to Savannah. Key takeaway: while the absolute number of Black young adults leaving Atlanta is smaller than those arriving, the income story is nearly identical. Almost 72% of the Black young adults leaving Atlanta are in the lowest income quintiles.