Effects of neighborhood characteristics on the mortality of black male youth: evidence from Gautreaux, Chicago.

We estimate the effect of neighborhood characteristics on the mortality of poor black male youth in families relocated through the Gautreaux Assisted Housing Program, a residential mobility program implemented in Chicago, USA in 1976. Within our sample (N=2850), 52 post-placement deaths were observed, the majority of which (30) were homicides. All-cause and homicide mortality rates were substantially lower among those relocating to Census tracts with higher fractions of residents with college degrees, which suggests that relocating to more-advantaged neighborhoods can ameliorate the mortality risks faced by this population.