As of February 2026 Black people have been moving in masses back to the South, leaving major cities like Detroit, Chicago, NY, and Los Angeles, and moving to Texas, Atlanta, and Fla. Housing costs, gentrification, redistricting, and other issues have persuaded Black Americans to seek homes elsewhere.
There have been several Black migrations throughout American history for different reasons, with the end of slavery and redlining being the biggest reasons. The first phase, between 1910 and 1930, was triggered by the combination of newly available factory jobs in northern cities —which were further increased by U.S. involvement in World War I—the slowdown and eventual government restriction of immigration. Together, these events caused desperate employers in cities such as New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Detroit to look to southern Black workers to fill their largely unskilled jobs.
The second phase, between 1940 and 1970 of the Great Migration, took place after a national migration lull during the Great Depression. The increase in manufacturing during World War II brought even more employment opportunities to northern cities as well as to western coastal cities such as Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Between 1940 and 1970, roughly 80 percent of all gains in the Black population lived outside of the South. In contrast to their largely rural settlement patterns at the beginning of the Great Migration. In 1970, 8 in 10 Black residents lived in metropolitan areas, with one in four living in New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, or Detroit. During that time, Los Angeles was experiencing redlining.
When U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt took office in 1933, he acted quickly to work toward bringing relief to Americans who were suffering economically through the Great Depression. His reforms were collectively known as The New Deal. “We must scrupulously guard the civil rights and civil liberties of all our citizens, whatever their background. We must remember that any oppression, any injustice, any hatred, is a wedge designed to attack our civilization,” Roosevelt said.
During this time, racism and segregation were at an all-time high in Los Angeles, and the city officials banned Black Americans from buying property in certain areas of the city.
While renters inherently understand impermanence, practices like price gouging, volatile rents, and illegal landlord actions can create problems that force them to leave.
Racial discrimination in housing was legal until 1968. During this time, many Black residents moved to Pasadena, but extreme discrimination pushed them to the neighboring unincorporated community of Altadena, which is right above Pasadena.
It’s been 60 years, but another migration is happening, but in reverse. According to 2023 data from the Pew Research Center, more than half (56 percent) of Black Americans currently live in the South. Texas has the largest Black population of any state, with more than 4.3 million residents, followed by Fla. This marks a reversal from the Great Migration of the 20th century, when Black Americans moved away from the South in search of opportunity and safety in Northern and Western cities.
The cost of living was one of the greatest reasons for relocation, as cities like San Francisco and New York are notorious for their high living costs, making it difficult for many to afford a decent standard of living. The average price of a 1-bedroom apartment in California is $2,900, while the average price of a 3-bedroom apartment in Texas is a little under $ 2,000.
The South also saw significant economic growth in recent years, with many companies choosing to establish their headquarters or major offices in Southern cities. This economic boom has led to an increase in job opportunities, attracting Black Americans in search of stable employment and career growth.
Beyond economic factors, the desire for racial solidarity and a sense of community is also driving Black Americans to the South. The South has a rich history of Black culture and community, and many Black Americans are choosing to move to the South to be part of these vibrant communities.
“Moving back to the South felt like reclaiming my history,” says Michelle Carter, a Dallas-based high school educator who returned after spending years in Chicago, during an interview with MSR media. “There’s something powerful about walking on land where your ancestors fought to survive and knowing that you’re part of that story. It’s grounding in a way I didn’t expect.”
The New Southern Migration is significantly impacting both the regions Black Americans are leaving and the regions they are moving to. Northern and Western cities are experiencing a decline in their Black populations, leading to changes in their demographic makeup. On the other hand, Southern states are seeing an increase in their Black populations, leading to diversification of these states and changes in their cultural, social, and political landscape. This shift is reshaping America and redefining the concept of home for many Black Americans.
The Los Angeles Black community has seen a decline over the last decade as some residents move toward the Inland Empire or Northern California due to high housing costs and low wages. UCLA researchers found Black population declines in the state’s major metropolitan areas; nearly a quarter of the state’s Black residents now live outside such urban centers as San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, Los Angeles, and Oakland, likely because of housing affordability issues. That figure is up from 17 percent of Black residents living outside urban centers in 2000.
The research shows Black homeownership declined by nearly 6 percent between 2000 and 2020, while other ethnic groups did not experience such a decrease.
Despite such efforts as improving access to high school courses required for college entrance and reforming criminal justice, progress toward closing the racial gap in social and economic outcomes for white and Black Californians has been slow at 4 percent since 2000, the report says.
“According to that rate of change, closing the racial gap between Black and white Californians would take over 248 years,” said Michael Stoll, faculty director of the Black Policy Project and author of the report.
Even though there have been improvements to the quality of life for Black communities in California, racial inequality stubbornly persists and may continue for centuries unless more is done, Stoll said.
The gap between high and low incomes is wider in California than in most other states. California families in the top 10 percent of the income distribution earned 11 times more than families in the bottom 10 percent in 2022. That’s $305,000 vs. $29,000 a year, respectively.
The release of the Official 2023-2025 State of Black Los Angeles County Report exposes the inequities originated by institutional racism in Los Angeles County that continue to hinder economic mobility and prosperity for many Black Angelenos. Black residents have the highest unemployment rate in L.A. County at 10.6 percent. This is compared to those of Asian descent at 5.4 percent, Hispanic at 6.8 percent, and white residents at 6.9 percent. The rate at which Black residents earn a college degree in Los Angeles County is 41.5 percent.
The report highlights that Black residents are more likely to experience housing instability and homelessness compared to other racial groups. Rent burden seems to be one of the main causes of this instability, as 65 percent of Black Angelenos pay more than 30 percent of their gross income on rent. This is compared to 43 percent of their non-Black counterparts paying more than 50 percent of their income on rent. Black residents are also noted to have the highest eviction rate in the county.
Los Angeles is struggling with an inhumane crisis of affordable housing and homelessness exacerbated by high rents, a lack of housing throughout the city, and inequity of development between neighborhoods. This city’s housing and homelessness crisis is a major factor of concern.