Race, segregated urban mobility, and socioeconomic ascent: A neighborhood network approach

Past research on neighborhood ascent—socioeconomic increases among residents and housing—focuses on residential environments, overlooking how connections beyond their boundaries influence neighborhood change. Using geocoded tweets from over 375,000 Twitter users in the 50 most populous US cities, we explore how a city’s mobility network relates to neighborhood socioeconomic (SES) ascent from 2010 to 2019—whether ascent is more likely in cities more or less structurally connected via residents’ routine travels. We find that neighborhoods located in cities with greater racially segregated mobility, particularly initially lower-SES neighborhoods, are more likely to ascend compared to those in cities where residents more frequently visit neighborhoods of different racial compositions than their own. While ascent patterns are similar across White and Hispanic neighborhoods, regardless of city type, neighborhoods with no racial majority are more likely to ascend in cities with greater segregated mobility. Black neighborhoods are least likely to ascend, underscoring how deeply entrenched racial hierarchies continue to shape neighborhood trajectories. Our results highlight broader urban dynamics structuring neighborhood ascent, revealing how stratification processes extend well beyond where people live.