Thesis Defense Announcement

The College of Arts and Sciences announces the Final Thesis of

Jennifer Marshall

for the Degree of Master of Science

on May 4, 2018 at 10:00 AM in Room 216, Johnson Hall

Advisor: Angela Antipova

Recessional Poverty and Segregation in Shelby County, Tennessee

ABSTRACT: The Great Recession of 2007-2009 and minor recession in 2001-2002 caused increases in financial strife for which the United States is recovering over 10 years later. Memphis ranks high for poverty, yet few studies evaluate Shelby County, Tennessee for poverty and segregation. This project adds to spatial recessional research by investigating changes in poverty and segregation in the county. Through a tract-level analysis, I located poverty and segregation in Shelby County for 2000 and 2009. I hypothesize that Blacks and Hispanics are the poorest of all groups and experience the most residential segregation. Results from 2000 showed that Black and Hispanic residents lived in poverty twice as much as their White and Asian counterparts. As found by Frey and Meyers (2005), White and Asian groups were the most evenly dispersed. In 2009, Black and Hispanic groups had the highest share of tracts that were in poverty and near poverty states.