Migration Patterns in Mixed Cities in Israel: Socioeconomic Perspectives

Migration is a change in the permanent residence of a person or group. Migration studies differentiate migration between countries from migration between localities within the same country. This Taub Center study examines migration patterns within Israel between 2017 and 2020 by socioeconomic cluster of migrants and the impact of these patterns on the social fabric of cities. The research, conducted by Prof. Benjamin Bental and Dr. Labib Shami, examines migration to and from cities (external migration) and within cities (internal migration) in eight cities with mixed Jewish and Arab populations: Jerusalem, Akko, Ramla, Lod, Haifa, Ma’alot-Tarshiha, Nof Hagalil, and Tel Aviv-Yafo.

Distribution of population in mixed cities

An examination of the distribution of the population in the mixed cities based on socioeconomic clusters reveals that in Nof Hagalil and Ma’alot-Tarshiha there is no representation of either Jews or Arabs in the two lowest (1–2) or the two highest clusters (8–10). That absence of population in the higher clusters is also observed in Ramla, Lod, and Akko. Approximately 68% and 42% of the Jewish population of Tel Aviv-Yafo and Haifa respectively, reside, in the areas belonging to the highest clusters, while only 11% of the Arab population reside in either city in these clusters. In Jerusalem, only a small percentage of the population reside in areas belonging to clusters 8 and 9, most of whom are Jews. The research findings indicate that the majority of Arab residents in mixed cities are concentrated in areas belonging to lower clusters than those inhabited by Jewish residents. In Haifa and Tel Aviv-Yafo, the disparities are particularly prominent as approximately 73% and 82% of Arabs, respectively, reside in lower clusters, compared to Jewish residents, of whom 42% and 68%, respectively, reside in areas belonging to clusters 8‒10.

External migration patterns: migration to and from the city

The external migration balance of the Arab population in Jerusalem is very low. The total population of Haifa, Nof Hagalil, and Akko is declining despite the positive external migration of Arabs to these cities, due to the negative external migration of Jews. In Jerusalem, Ramla, and Tel Aviv-Yafo, the negative external migration balance in both groups leads to a reduction in their respective populations each year. The composition of migration to Jerusalem and Ramla contributes to an increase in the proportion of the Arab population in these cities. In Lod, the external migration balance of Jews is positive, while among Arabs, it is negative. As a result, Lod’s population has grown at an average rate of 0.5% per year, with an increase in the Jewish population. In Ma’a lot-Tarshiha, the external migration patterns of the two population groups are diametrically opposed: Jews are leaving and Arabs are joining. Due to the positive external migration balance, both the city’s population and the Arab population within it are growing.

Internal migration patterns: migration within the city

The migration trends of residents within cities reflect changes in their economic situation. In most mixed cities — Nof Hagalil, Akko, Ramla, Haifa, Jerusalem, and Lod — residents from both population groups moved during the period examined in the research from areas belonging to lower socioeconomic clusters to areas belonging to higher clusters. In Tel Aviv-Yafo and Ma’alot-Tarshiha, however, the picture is different. In Tel Aviv-Yafo, most internal migrations within the city were from areas belonging to higher clusters relative to the city’s overall socioeconomic ranking to lower areas. The migration of local residents from higher cluster areas to lower ones may reflect processes of gentrification — the displacement of long-time residents in areas with rising house prices in favor of new residents arriving from outside. In Ma’alot-Tarshiha, Arabs moved from cluster 5 to cluster 7 (improved housing), while Jews moved from clusters 5 and 6 to cluster 3 which is lower than the city’s ranking (5).

Aggregate migration balance and its effect on the future of the city

In general, weighting the external and internal migration trends described above indicates the possibility of future improvement in the socioeconomic ranking of all mixed cities, except for Ma’alot-Tarshiha. In Jerusalem, Nof Hagalil, Akko, and Ramla, the improvement resulting from the local residents’ transition to higher-ranked areas is further reinforced by the pattern of external migration. Although these cities are losing population from both higher and lower ranked areas, the rate of population loss in the lower ranked clusters is faster. In Lod, the trend is even stronger — external migration to areas belonging to the highest ranked clusters stands at 1.6%, compared to zero migration rate to lower ranked clusters.

In Tel Aviv-Yafo, although most relocations of local residents are from higher ranked clusters to lower ranked ones, when this trend is weighted with external migration patterns, in which migrants into the city settle in higher clusters and migrants leaving the district are from lower ranked clusters, the city’s status strengthens. Ma’alot-Tarshiha is the only city whose socioeconomic ranking is liable to be negatively affected by the external and internal migration patterns it experiences.