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Environmental Migration and Race during the Great American Drought, 1935-1940

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Listed:
  • Christopher Sichko
  • Ariell Zimran
  • Aparna Howlader

Abstract

We study racial differences in internal migration responses to one of the most severe climatic shocks in US history—the drought of the 1930s. Using data from the 1940 census on 65 million adults, we find that individuals exposed to more severe drought between 1935 and 1940 were more likely to make an inter-county move and that this responsiveness was greater for black individuals than white individuals. This racial difference was particularly pronounced among the rural population. Black individuals' migration premium came despite their systematic disadvantage in the economy of the 1930s and evidence along dimensions other than race that disadvantage limited individuals' ability to adapt to the drought through migration. Federal relief spending under the Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA) magnified this racial difference, reducing the migration response to drought for white individuals and increasing it for black individuals. These results help to better understand how the reaction of different groups aggregate to determine the magnitude and composition of migration responses to natural disasters, as well as the roles of migration and government policy in disadvantaged groups' responses to natural disasters.

Suggested Citation

  • Christopher Sichko & Ariell Zimran & Aparna Howlader, 2025. "Environmental Migration and Race during the Great American Drought, 1935-1940," NBER Working Papers 33409, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:33409
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D63 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement
    • J15 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination
    • N32 - Economic History - - Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Welfare, Income, Wealth, Religion, and Philanthropy - - - U.S.; Canada: 1913-
    • N52 - Economic History - - Agriculture, Natural Resources, Environment and Extractive Industries - - - U.S.; Canada: 1913-
    • O13 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Agriculture; Natural Resources; Environment; Other Primary Products
    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration
    • Q12 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Micro Analysis of Farm Firms, Farm Households, and Farm Input Markets
    • R11 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Regional Economic Activity: Growth, Development, Environmental Issues, and Changes
    • R23 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Household Analysis - - - Regional Migration; Regional Labor Markets; Population

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