The Nation - News from May 15, 1989

The regions of the country offering the best economic opportunities for black Americans are New England, Washington, D.C., and the West Coast, according to a University of Michigan study. Prof. Reynolds Farley, research scientist at the school’s Population Studies Center in Ann Arbor, said the differences are the varying opportunities offered blacks in the different regional economic structures and selective migration. According to the Census Bureau’s regional data, the 1987-88 per capita income for blacks was highest in New England, where it was $9,800, compared to $14,500 for whites. In the data for major cities, blacks earned $9,560 in Los Angeles, compared to $13,235 for whites, while in the San Francisco Bay area, they earned $11,300 per capita, compared to $18,500 for whites.