Segregation
levels for Hispanics lie midway between those for blacks and Asian-Americans,
with indexes of dissimilarity commonly in the high 40s and 50s, only rarely
in the high 60s. The census category "Hispanic" obscures significant
intragroup variation, however. In L.A. and San Antonio, "Hispanics"
generally designate those of Mexican origin; in NY, of Puerto Rican origin,
in Miami, of Cuban origin.
Observe that segregation levels for Hispanics are substantially lower than
for blacks in Miami, modestly lower in NY, LA and Houston, and about the
same in San Antonio. This reflects the political and economic dominance
of Cuban-Americans in Miami, in contrast with the much poorer Mexican-Americans
in San Antonio. Observe also that blacks and Hispanics are also highly segregated
from one another (except in certain neighborhoods of NY), and that Hispanics,
like blacks, mostly live in low-income areas. In fact, due to the poverty
of recent Hispanic immigrants from Mexico and Central America, per capita
income for Hispanics is lower than that for blacks.
