Work and home location: Possible role of social networks

This research explores to what extent people’s work locations are similar to that of those who live around them. Using the Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics data set and the 2000 decennial census, we investigate the home and work locations of different census block residents in the Twin Cities (Minneapolis–St. Paul) metropolitan area. Our aim is to investigate if people who share a residence neighborhood also share work locations to a degree beyond what would be explained by distanhe observed patterns is the role neighborhood level and work place social networks play in locating jobs and residences respectively.

Research highlights
► We explore to what extent people share work locations with those in their residential neighborhood.
► Using quadratic assignment procedure we find significant joint home and work location patterns.
► Sharing a work location is found to be higher in census blocks with more mature households.
► A possible reason is the role neighborhood and work contacts play in finding jobs and residences.