Previous studies of ethnic residential segregation have typically focused on minority residential patterns, and have treated whites mainly as a “reference group” in segregation index calculations. However, with the growth in multiethnic metropolitan areas, many where whites are no longer the majority group, there is a need to bring the residential patterns of whites to the fore. Using data from the 1970 to 2000 decennial censuses and the 2005-2009 American Community Survey, we calculate levels of white segregation, analyze the effect of defining the white population in different ways, and, drawing upon several theoretical perspectives, we examine the metropolitan correlates of white segregation. We find that white segregation from others declined significantly over the 1970 to 2005-2009 period. In addition, the dissimilarity of whites, Asians, and Hispanics from all nongroup members have converged over time, such that by 2005-2009, there is little difference in the level of segregation of each group. Nevertheless, we find some evidence consistent with the “group threat” perspective, as white segregation is higher in areas with relatively large black populations. However, the magnitude of group threat appears to have declined since 1980. Overall, our findings suggest some easing of the white-nonwhite divide over the 40-year period following the height of the Civil Rights movement.
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