Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas, was selected because we wanted to include a city that could help to tell a story about middle-class Southern Black people. The citys size was also important – we selected a large city to ensure there were enough middle-class Black Americans to participate in the focus groups.
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada, was selected due to its sizable Latino population, city size, and location in the western part of the country.
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita, Kansas, was chosen for two distinct reasons. First, it is unexpected. As a relatively small city in the middle of the country, there is not a lot of available research about their middle class. Second, and critically, according to the 2012-2016 American Community Survey, Wichita is demographically very similar to the U.S. overall (including on factors like: gender, ethnicity, marriage rates, and education).
Prince Georges County, Maryland
Our initial hope was to conduct focus groups with White and Black men in Central Pennsylvania. Due to difficulty in recruitment of middle-class Black men in Central Pennsylvania, we transitioned to hosting a focus group in Prince Georges County, which is known nationally for its concentration of Black wealth and thus made a suitable location for our middle-class Black male focus group.
Lebanon, Pennsylvania
Central Pennsylvania was one of the final locations selected. We chose this smaller, rural town as the previous 3 locations were larger and urban. Additionally, in order to reflect geographic diversity, we wanted a location that was in the East of the U.S., but not coastal.
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People of the Voices of the Middle Class
