Understanding the Immigrant Experience Lessons and themes for economic opportunity Owen J. Furuseth and Laura Simmons UNC Charlotte Urban Institute Charlotte-Mecklenburg Opportunity Task Force March 10, 2016
America is becoming more diverse Source: Pew Research Center
Immigration is a major driver of population growth and change U.S. population is projected to grow 48% from 2005 to 2050. More than 80% of that growth will be immigrants and their descendants. Hispanic population is now growing more from U.S. births than immigration. 20 15 10 5 0 Hispanic population growth in millions 3.1 5.6 3.1 4.4 8.1 7 6.5 9.6 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s U.S. births Immigration Source: Pew Research Center s tabulations of Census PUMS data
Charlotte has transformed from a black/white Old South city to a multiethnic New South city 900,000 800,000 700,000 600,000 4% 5% 13% 6% 14% Asian Hispanic African American White 500,000 400,000 300,000 <0.1% 31% <0.1% 2% 32% 1% 8% 33% 34% 35% 200,000 100,000 68% 66% 56% 45% 44% 0 1980 1990 2000 2010 2014 Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Decennial Census and American Community Survey 1-year estimates for Charlotte
What brought immigrants to Charlotte? Strong Economy Job Opportunities Receptive Community Growing service-based economy Labor shortage across occupational spectrum Bank of America phenomenon in early 1990s Year-round employment Entrepreneurship encouraged Opportunities for women Little immigration history or experience meant less prejudice Immigrants filled gaps in labor force, not competing for jobs Immigration was a non-political issue
What does Charlotte s immigrant population look like today?
135,000 immigrants live in Mecklenburg County. One in seven (14%) Mecklenburg residents are immigrants. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2014 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
Charlotte s immigrants are diverse
They arrived at different times, from different parts of the world One-half immigrated before 2000. One-half came from Latin America. 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% North America (Canada), 1% Europe, 11% Africa, 9% Oceania, 0.4% Latin America, 51% 10% Asia, 28% 0% Before 2000 2000-2009 2010 or later Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2014 American Community Survey, 5-year estimates for Mecklenburg County.
One-third are U.S. citizens Among European immigrants, over half are citizens; for Latin Americans, only one-fifth have citizenship. 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% Citizen Not a citizen, arrived pre-2000 Not a citizen, arrived post-2000 0% All immigrants Latin American Asian European African Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2014 American Community Survey 5-year estimates for Mecklenburg County
One-half speak English very well, but 30% are language isolated English ability is highest among European immigrants and lowest for Latin Americans. 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Percent that speak English: Only Very well Less than very well All Latin American Asian European African 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% % language isolated 0% European Latin American All immigrants Asian African Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2014 American Community Survey 5-year estimates for Mecklenburg County
How are Charlotte s immigrants faring socio-economically?
30% lack a high school degree; one-eighth have graduate/professional degree Nearly half of Latin American immigrants lack a high school degree. Almost one-quarter of Asians have a graduate/professional degree. 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Graduate or professional High school, associate's, or bachelor's Less than high school All immigrants Latin American Asian European African Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2014 American Community Survey 5-year estimates for Mecklenburg County
35% earn less than $25,000; nearly 20% earn more than $75,000 40% 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% Immigrants by annual earnings > $25k $25-49k $50-74k $75k + Median household income for Latin American and African immigrants is > $40,000. $80,000 $70,000 $60,000 $50,000 $40,000 $30,000 $20,000 $10,000 $0 Asian African European All immigrants Latin American Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2014 American Community Survey 5-year estimates for Mecklenburg County
One-fifth of immigrant families live in poverty (27,500 immigrants) 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% Family poverty rate Latin American African All immigrants Asian European 18,000 Latin American immigrants live in poverty. 28% of Latin American and 23% of African immigrant families live in poverty. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2014 American Community Survey 5-year estimates for Mecklenburg County
6% are unemployed and looking for work 10% of African immigrants are unemployed. 10% of European immigrants are self-employed. 12% Unemployment rate 12% Self-employment rate 10% African 10% European 8% 6% All immigrants Latin American 8% 6% Latin American All immigrants 4% European Asian 4% African Asian 2% 2% 0% 0% Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2014 American Community Survey 5-year estimates for Mecklenburg County
Many have low-status occupations, but a sizeable group have high-status jobs 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% Production, transportation, and material moving Natural Resources, Constrution and Maintenance Service Sales and Office Management, Business, Science and Arts 10% 0% All immigrants Latin American Asian European African Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2014 American Community Survey 5-year estimates for Mecklenburg County
Nearly one-half are home owners, but one-sixth of owners are cost-burdened 70% of European immigrants own their home. 44% of Latin American immigrant home-owners are cost-burdened. 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% All immigrants Latin American Asian European African Cost-burdened owner Not cost-burdened owner Renter Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2014 American Community Survey 5-year estimates for Mecklenburg County
Many immigrant children attend CMS schools Impacts of immigration can be seen in the racial/ethnic makeup of CMS students. Other, 3% Students from over 150 different countries attend CMS schools. 30,000 language minority students attend CMS schools. Hispanic, 22% Asian, 6% Black, 40% White, 29% Source: Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools 2013 fact sheet; North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, 2015-16
Many of those with limited English ability struggle to graduate high school 100% 95% 90% 85% 80% 75% 70% 65% 60% 4-year Cohort Graduation Rate Asian Black Economically disadvantaged White All students Hispanic Limited English Proficient Only 64% of Limited English Proficient students graduate within 4 years- the lowest graduation rate of all subgroups in CMS. Hispanic students have the lowest graduation rate of the racial/ethnic sub-groups. Source: North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, 2014-15 NC School Report Cards for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
How well are immigrants faring in terms of economic mobility?
Examines change over time for immigrants themselves and intergenerational change across first, second, and later generations Multiple markers of socioeconomic mobility Data from Current Population Survey 2003-2013
Immigrants arrive in the U.S. with varying levels of education Indian immigrants bring an average of 16.3 years of education. For Mexican immigrants, the average is 9.4 years.
Despite these large differences, there is strong intergenerational progress Second generation immigrants met or exceeded schooling level of native-born Americans. Second generation Mexican and Central American immigrants made great progress relative to their parents but were still well below native-born Americans.
Employment success differed by gender Immigrant men had higher rates of employment than native-born men and higher rates than later generations, especially for the less-educated. Immigrant women had substantially lower employment rates than native-born, but later generations approached parity with native-born women.
Employment success differed by race/ethnicity Second and later generations of: Hispanic men had higher employment than first generation immigrants, when lower educational attainment is accounted for. Asian men attained similar employment levels as white non-hispanic men. Black immigrant men moved toward employment levels of native-born Blacks.
Immigrants often concentrate in certain occupations and industries Subsequent generations display intergenerational improvement in occupational distributions, similar to education and earnings. Immigrant groups concentrated in low-status occupations experience substantial improvement in occupational position by the second generation but do not reach parity with nativeborns in later generations.
Like employment status, occupational progress differs by gender Immigrant women experience greater gains than immigrant men, and the gap between nativeborns narrows greatly in later generations. Second generation men are more likely to have jobs with healthcare and retirement benefits than their immigrant parents.
Immigrants earned less than nativeborn workers with comparable skills, initially, but improved with time in U.S. Immigrants experience a substantial penalty as skin color darkens. Asian immigrants do as well as native-born whites. Hispanic/Mexican immigrants experience slower earnings assimilation.
Black and Hispanic immigrants see less intergenerational mobility Black immigrants from Africa and the Caribbean bring high levels of schooling and subsequent generations meet or surpass native-born blacks in educational attainment. But they still experience a skin color penalty when it comes to earnings. Other studies find some evidence suggesting that third and later generations of Hispanic immigrants will not experience upward mobility.
Where do Charlotte s immigrants live? NUMBER OF IMMIGRANTS PERCENT IMMIGRANTS > 1,000 500 1,000 < 500 > 25% 15 25% < 15% Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2014 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
Majority of immigrants are from: Latin America Asia Europe Africa % foreign-born Low High Multi Low: <15% foreign-born High: >15% foreign-born Regional immigrant groups are spread out across the county. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2014 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
Of neighborhoods where immigrants make up 15% or more of the population, the majority of immigrants are from: Latin America Asia No single majority group Latin Americans prevail in East and Southwest Charlotte. Asians are more prominent in University City and pockets of South and East Charlotte. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2014 American Community Survey 5-year estimates