A cool interactive map has come out showing how cities/metros have changed over time in terms of segregated census tracts. http://www.theatlanticcities.com/politics/2013/04/new-interactive-graphic-charts-integration-268-cities/5336/ Here are the results for Ohio’s metros.

The number is based on the dissimilarity index, with 0 being the most racially integrated and 100 being the most racially segregated. They are for the entire metro area’s census tracts.

Most to Least Segregated Metros in 1970
1. Cleveland: 88.3
2. Dayton: 86.5
3. Toledo: 84.3
4. Cincinnati: 80.8
5. Columbus: 79.2
6. Youngstown: 77.2
7. Akron: 76.8
8. Canton: 74.4

So in 1970, it’s pretty clear that all of the metros were very segregated, with Cleveland, surprisingly, being the most segregated of the bunch.

Most to Least Segregated Metros in 2010
1. Cleveland: 72.1
2. Cincinnati: 66.4
3. Youngstown: 64.9
4. Dayton: 62.9
5. Toledo: 62.7
6. Columbus: 59.2
7. Akron: 57.3
8. Canton: 53.0

Fast forward 40 years and they’ve all become less segregated. Cleveland is still the worst and Canton is still the best. Every other metro has shifted positions. Columbus dropped a spot.

Change from 1970-2010, Best to Worst
1. Dayton: -23.6
2. Toledo: -21.6
3. Canton: -21.4
4. Columbus: -20.0
5. Akron: -19.5
6. Cleveland: -16.2
7. Cincinnati: -14.4
8. Youngstown: -12.3

Dayton has seen the biggest improvement, Youngstown the least.