This isn't what the Census reports.
The Census reports huge middle class losses for Chicago. The poor aren't leaving; it's the middle class [[of all races) that's leaving the city.
Generally speaking, poor people don't have a lot of choice in their housing options. They're often tied to neighborhoods because of family situations, Section 8 subsidies, and the like. They can't just buy some McMansion in the cornfields.
What you see in Chicago [[and most other Midwest cities) is that the middle class is fleeing in droves, the poor are staying, and there's a growing core population of post-collegiate types. Most of those post-collegiate types are out of the city once they marry and have kids.
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