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New Briefs from Mathematica Shed Light on Latino Immigration in New Rural Areas
Contact:Contact: Heather Koball, (609) 936-2785 or Cheryl Pedersen, (609) 275-2258
PRINCETON, N.J. (December 29, 2008)—The number of Latino immigrants in rural areas in the U.S. has tripled since 1990. In addition, many are moving outside the traditional rural destinations of the Southwest to new rural destinations in the Southeast, Midwest, and Northwest. Two new briefs from Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., highlight issues associated with this growth.
Mathematica’s first brief quantifies the process of Latino immigrant economic and social integration in new rural destinations, showing that immigrants to these areas are disadvantaged by lower levels of education and limited length of residence in the U.S., relative to immigrants in traditional rural and metropolitan destinations. In addition, they are more isolated linguistically. However, they are more economically secure than their counterparts in traditional rural destinations in terms of lower poverty and higher full-time work rates.
The second brief examines changes since 1990 in the integration of Latino immigrants in new rural destinations, noting declines in social integration, as measured by decreases in citizenship rates and increases in linguistic isolation. Using decennial 1990 census data and 2005-2006 American Community Survey data, the brief looks at trends and examines integration by length of residence in the U.S.
The decline in social integration corresponds to the growing proportion of Latino immigrants in new rural destinations who are recent arrivals in the U.S. The proportion of Latino immigrants in new rural areas who were citizens fell from 30 percent to 19 percent over this period. The number who were linguistically isolated rose from 40 percent in 1990 to 53 percent in 2006. However, Latino immigrants are faring better economically in new destinations. Between 1990 and 2006, immigrants’ full-time employment rate rose from 55 to 69 percent in new rural areas. This is due in large part to a shift from employment in agriculture-related jobs to those in the construction industry. However, with the recent downturn in the housing market, economic integration may be adversely affected.
“Many rural communities are unprepared for the challenges presented by significant numbers of newcomers who may require distinct social services and struggle to learn English,” said Heather Koball, a senior researcher at Mathematica and lead author of the briefs. “These briefs may prove helpful in providing a comprehensive picture of the trends in Latino immigrant integration in these new rural areas.”
The briefs, "Integrating Latino Immigrants in New Rural Destinations," Trends in Family and Communities, Issue Brief #1, by Heather Koball, Randy Capps, William Kandel, Jamila Henderson, and Everett Henderson, and "Social and Economic Integration of Latino Immigrants in New Rural Destinations," Trends in Family and Communities, Issue Brief #2, by the same authors, are available at www.mathematica-mpr.com/Family_Support/latinoimmigrants.asp. Funding for this project was provided by the Rural Development program of the National Research Initiative, Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Mathematica®, a nonpartisan research firm, conducts high-quality, objective policy research and surveys to improve public well-being. Its clients include federal and state governments, foundations, and private-sector and international organizations. The employee-owned company, with offices in Princeton, N.J., Washington, D.C., Cambridge, Mass., and Ann Arbor, Mich., has conducted some of the most important studies of health care, education, welfare, employment, nutrition, and early childhood policies and programs in the United States.