Status Inconsistency and Geographic Mobility in the United States
March 2026
Working Paper Number:
CES-26-20
Abstract
This study examines how neighborhood status and individual status jointly shape geographic mobility in the United States. Drawing on restricted-use American Community Survey data, we conceptualize neighborhood status as the relative standing of a census tract's median family income compared to demographically similar reference neighborhoods, and individual status as a household's relative income rank within its tract. Building on comparison theory and status inconsistency perspectives, we test whether mismatches between neighborhood and individual status influence short-distance (within-county) and long-distance (between-county) mobility. Multinomial logistic models reveal that disadvantaged neighborhood status increases within-county mobility, particularly when paired with high individual status, supporting spatial assimilation arguments. Conversely, low individual status in high-status neighborhoods heightens mobility, consistent with relative deprivation theory rather than status signaling. Results suggest that status inconsistency plays a central role in residential decision-making and that neighborhood status primarily affects short-distance mobility. The findings advance research on stratification and internal migration by integrating relative contextual and positional mechanisms.
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ethnicity,
ethnic,
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neighborhood,
mobility,
resident,
geographic,
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assimilation,
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National Science Foundation,
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American Community Survey,
Alfred P Sloan Foundation,
Longitudinal Employer Household Dynamics,
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Census Bureau Disclosure Review Board,
2010 Census,
Disclosure Review Board,
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