Racial (In)variance, Disadvantage, and Lethal Violence

Abstract

This research is a race-specific analysis of homicide victimization risk in the United States. It contributes to the literature by examining risk factors at multiple levels using data from the National Health Interview Survey, National Death Index, and Census. The direct association between community resource deprivation and victimization is racially invariant. For Blacks, however, low income increases victimization risk and this association is exacerbated in disadvantaged communities, whereas income tends to have a protective effect across levels of aggregate resource deprivation among Whites. This suggests racial variance in how community characteristics moderate the association between family income and homicide victimization risk.