Social Cohesion:
Connection Across Social Communities/
Social Isolation
Index of Dissimilarity, 2000
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The index of dissimilarity measures the proportion of households that would have to move to make each neighborhood have the same racial make-up as the overall metropolitan area. By this measure, in the Kansas City area, nearly 70 percent of households would have to move, making it the 15th most segregated large metro in the nation (those over 1 million population). Compared to its peers, it's the third most segregated, behind St. Louis and Indianapolis.
Social Isolation
Index of Social Isolation, 2000
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Another measure of segregation is the index of social isolation. This index measures the likelihood that someone of one race or ethnicity will encounter someone from another race or ethnicity living in their neighborhood.
Blacks have a 40 percent chance of encountering white, non-Hispanics neighbors in metropolitan Kansas City, ranking it second lowest among its peers. Hispanics, on the other hand, have a 63 percent chance of encountering white neighbors, which places the Kansas City region in the middle of its peers.
This measure is sensitive to the overall size of the minority group. Where the group is very small, it is nearly impossible for members not to encounter other racial groups. This contributes to the top rankings:; Salt Lake City has an abnormally small share of blacks and St. Louis an unusually small share of Hispanics.
Isolation by Census Block
Percent White/Non-White, 2000
Percent white in block minus metro percent white
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It is easy to see why the Kansas City region scores high on indices of segregation and isolation when one examines the location of whites and minorities by census block within the metropolitan area. Areas where whites predominate are shown in shades of blue. Areas where non-whites predominate are shown in shades of red. Areas in grey are where there are fewer than 20 people in a block, usually industrial areas and floodplains. Often, such areas completely separate white and non-white communities.
Vestiges of past legally sanctioned discrimination are also apparent, such as the line between black and white communities formed by Troost Avenue in Kansas City, Missouri.
Change to the Index of Dissimilarity over Time
Index of Dissimilarity, 1980-2000
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While segregation is still prevalent, it is improving. All peer metros experienced a significant decline in the Index of Dissimilarity between 1980 and 2000. However, the Kansas City region's 8.4 percentage point drop places its performance in the bottom half of its peers.
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