Variations in Correlates of Race-Specific Urban Homicide Rates*

Recent research has begun to address patterns and causes of homicide among African Americans, the population most at risk as victims and offenders. Seeking to add to this literature, a race-specific analysis of homicide rates and macrostructural variables among U.S. central cities is performed. A variety of factors from past homicide studies serve to predict white rates of homicide, allowing for the development of a broad profile of white communities with low rates of homicides. In contrast, only two factors (population size and residential segregation) are statistically-significant predictors of homicide rates among African Americans, resulting in an essentially non-descriptive community profile. The results suggest that the two groups may be subject to different social forces, and the ensuing discussion poses the possibility that understanding differences in homicide rates among African-American communities may require an incorporation of factors not normally considered in homicide research.