THE STRUCTURAL COVARIATES OF URBAN HOMICIDE: REASSESSING THE IMPACT OF INCOME INEQUALITY AND POVERTY IN THE POST-REAGAN ERA* TOMISLAV V. KOVANDZIC LYNNE M. VIERAITIS MARK R. YEISLEY Florida State University zyxwv Numerous studies have explored the relationship between rates of homicide and income inequality and poverty. However, a general con- sensus on the theoretical and empirical connections among these vari- ables has yet to be reached. This article reports the findings of a city- level analysis zyxwvu of this relationship, using 1990 data for the 190 largest cities in the United States. In order to address several methodological and theoretical concerns in prior literature, three separate measures of inequality and three categories of disaggregated homicide rates are ana- lyzed. The results suggest that both inequality and poverty have sign@- cant and independent positive effects on rates of homicide in zyx U.S. cities following the largest increase in the economic gap between rich and poor in our nation’s history. While numerous studies have assessed the relationship between rates zy of homicide and income inequality and poverty (Bailey, 1984; Blau and Blau, 1982; Kposowa et al., 1995; Land et al., 1990; Messner, 1982,1983; Messner and Tardiff, 1986; Williams, 1984), they have often yielded inconsistent and divergent findings. Since most of the studies have been conducted, there have been sweeping changes in economic and social circumstances throughout the United States. To date, studies of the relationship among income inequality. poverty, and homicide have not analyzed data more recent than 1980, which suggests that a reanalysis of this relationship with current data is warranted. In addition to the need for an updated analysis, the debate regarding the appropriate unit of analysis should be resolved. Previous studies have uti- lized a diverse range of units, including states (Loftin and Hill, 1974; Smith and Parker, 1980), counties (Kposowa et al., 1995), standard metropolitan statistical areas (SMSAs) (Blau and Blau, 1982; Fowles and Merva, 1996; *We would like to acknowledge the helpful comments and suggestions made by Gary Kleck, Theodore G. Chiricos. and Michael J. Lynch, who reviewed earlier versions of this manuscript. The manuscript also benefited considerably from the comments of the reviewers and the editor of Criminology. CRIMINOLOGY VOLLJME 36 NUMBER 3 1998 569