The Effect of Latino Immigration and Settlement Patterns on Neighborhood Homicide Rates in Philadelphia: 1990-2000

Abstract

Since the year 2000, the Latino population in the United States has increased by over 25%. In Philadelphia, the nation's sixth-largest city, census data reveals immigrants from Latin America comprise the largest growing population in the city. Despite this surge in population, little attention in the research literature has been paid to the effect of Latino immigration on neighborhood crime rates. It remains unclear whether new immigrants destabilize inner-city neighborhoods or cause an increase in collective efficacy and a decrease in crime rates. This study examines the association between neighborhood crime rates and Latino immigration over a 10-year period (1990-2000) through the use of data from the U.S. Census and the Philadelphia Police Department. Latino immigration was found to be positively related to homicide in Latino ethnic enclaves, and had little to no effect on homicide in non-enclave neighborhoods.