At Home in the Nation’s Capital: Immigrant Trends in Metropolitan Washington

Center on Urban and Metropolitan PolicyBrookings Greater Washington Research Program

The Brookings Institution

Audrey SingerJune 12, 2003

1 Los Angeles 3,449,444 36.22 New York 3,139,647 33.73 Chicago 1,425,978 17.24 Miami 1,147,765 50.95 Houston 854,669 20.56 Orange County 849,899 29.9

7 Washington DC 832,016 16.98 Riverside-San Bernardino 612,359 18.89 San Diego 606,254 21.510 Dallas 591,169 16.8

Percent Foreign Born

Foreign Born Population

Metropolitan Washington ranks 7th in number of immigrant residents

Source: US Census Bureau

Top Ten Immigrant Populations by Metropolitan Area, 2000

The Brookings Institution

Data and Methodology

• Study uses 1980, 1990 and 2000 Census data.

• Define foreign-born as:

* All persons born outside the United States

* Census 2000 did not ask about immigration status

* Includes legal permanent residents, temporary migrants (e.g., students), refugees and asylum seekers, and undocumented migrants.

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Washington Metropolitan Area in 2000

FREDERICK

CHARLES

LOUDOUN

STAFFORD

CALVERT

WILLIAMPRINCE

FAIRFAX

MONTGOMERY

PRINCE GEORGE'S

DC

FAUQUIER

CULPEPER

BERKELEY

SPOTSYLVANIA

WARREN

CLARKE

JEFFERSON

KING GEORGE

ARLINGTON

ALEXANDRIA

The Brookings Institution

127,579

256,535

489,668

832,016

0

100,000

200,000

300,000

400,000

500,000

600,000

700,000

800,000

900,000

1970

Metropolitan Washington’s foreign-born population grew by 70 percent in the 1990s, or nearly 350,000 immigrants

1970 1980 1990 2000Source: US Census Bureau

Immigrants in the Washington Metropolitan Region 1970-2000

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Outer Suburbs9%

Prince George's 13%

Montgomery 28%

Far Suburbs1%

DC9%

Arlington 6%

Alexandria 4%

Fairfax 30%

Outer Suburbs2%

Far Suburbs0%

Fairfax 13%

Montgomery 28%

Alexandria 4%

Arlington 9%

DC26%

Prince George's

18%

1970Total Foreign Born

127,579

Share of Foreign Born by Jurisdiction, 1970 and 2000

Source: US Census Bureau

2000Total Foreign Born

832,016

The Brookings Institution

2.8%

7.6%

24.4%

13.8%

26.7%

25.4%

27.8%

12.9%

16.9%

0.0% 5.0% 10.0% 15.0% 20.0% 25.0% 30.0%

Far Suburbs

Outer Suburbs

Fairfax County

Prince George's County

Montgomery County

Alexandria city

Arlington County

District of Columbia

Washington DC PMSA

More than one-quarter of the population of Arlington, Alexandria and Montgomery counties are immigrants

Source: US Census Bureau

Share Foreign Born by Jurisdiction, Washington Metropolitan Area, 2000

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-20

-10

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

110

Washington DCPMSA

District ofColumbia

ArlingtonCounty

Alexandria city MontgomeryCounty

Prince George'sCounty

Fairfax County Outer Suburbs Far Suburbs

Per

cent Chan

ge

% Change Total Population

% Change in Native Born Population

New immigrants made up nearly half of the overall population growth in the region in the 1990s

Source: US Census Bureau The Brookings Institution

Fauquier

Frederick

Charles

Fairfax

Loudoun

Culpeper

Montgomery

Berkeley

Stafford

Calvert

Spotsylvania

Prince George's

Warren

Clarke

Prince William

Jefferson

DC

King George

Arlington

Alexandria

Manassas

Fairfax

Fredericksburg

I 66

I 95

I 70

I 270

I 495

Route 50

I 95

In 1990, immigrants resided close to the core of the region

Percent Foreign Born (By Census Tract)

Less than 5%

5% - 15%

16% - 25%

26% - 35%

Greater than 35%

Source: US Census Bureau

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Fauquier

Frederick

Charles

Fairfax

Loudoun

Culpeper

Montgomery

Berkeley

Stafford

Calvert

Spotsylvania

Prince George's

Warren

Clarke

Prince William

Jefferson

DC

King George

Arlington

Alexandria

Manassas

Fairfax

Fredericksburg

I 66I 95

I 70

I 270

I 495

Route 50

I 95

In 2000, the core of the region became more densely settled, while the suburban areas increased their shares

Percent Foreign Born (by Census Tract)

Less than 5%

5% - 15%

16% - 25%

26% - 35%

Greater than 35%

Source: US Census Bureau

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0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

Far Suburbs

Outer Suburbs

Fairfax County

Prince George's County

Montgomery County

Alexandria city

Arlington County

District of Columbia

Entered 1990-2000 Entered 1980-1990 Entered 1970-1980 1965-1969 Before 1965

Source: US Census Bureau

In 2000, nearly half of metropolitan Washington’s immigrants had arrived in the United States in the 1990s

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Europe12%

Other2%

Africa11%

Asia36%

Latin America/Caribbean

39%

Europe AsiaN. Europe 3.1 E. Asia 11.6W. Europe 3.7 S. Central Asia 11.4S. Europe 1.8 S.E. Asia 10.4E. Europe 3.5 W. Asia 2.5

Other 0.0 Other 0.2

AfricaLatin America and Caribbean

E. Africa 3.2 Caribbean 6.2M. Affrica 0.6 Central America 22.4N. Africa 1.6 South America 10.1S. Africa 0.3

W. Africa 5.1Other 0.4

Region of Birth of the Foreign-Born in the Washington Metropolitan Area, 2000

Source: US Census Bureau

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Washington has the second largest Salvadoran community in the United States, however, they constitute only 13 percent of the region’s immigrants

Nigeria

2%

Hondu

ras 2%

Ethiop

ia 2%

Pakis

tan 2%

Germany 2

%

Iran 2

%United Kingdom 2%

Jamaica 2%

El Salvador13%

Other Ea

stern A

frica

1%

Bolivia 2%

Peru 2%

Philippines 4%

China 3%

Mexico4%

Vietnam4%

India5%

Korea6%

Guatemala 2%

Other35%

Cana

da 1%

Source: US Census Bureau

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Seven Corners 61.2Bailey's Crossroads 54.0Lincolnia 47.7Jefferson 37.8

Langley Park 64.5Adelphi 40.9Wheaton-Glenmont 39.6Chillum 38.0

Columbia Heights West & Forest Glen 58.8Buckingham 52.7

Mt. Pleasant & Columbia Heights 32.6Kalorama Heights & Adams Morgan 25.2

Many neighborhoods across the region have high shares of immigrant residents

Largest Share Foreign-Born, by Selected Place, 2000

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Potomac

Arlington

Reston

McLean

Burke

Rockville

Alexandria

Bethesda

Oakton Chantilly

Annandale

Aspen Hill

Centreville

Springfield

Fairfax

Gaithersburg

Germantown

Silver Spring

Groveton

Greenbelt

Mount Vernon

Fairland

North Bethesda

Wheaton-Glenmont

Jefferson

Chillum

White Oak

Herndon

North Potomac

West Springfield

Adelphi

Tysons Corner

Montgomery Village

Lincolnia

Idylwood

Takoma Park

East Riverdale

Bailey's Crossroads

Langley Park

Seven Corners

Redland

Percent of the Total Population that is Foreign Born in Selected Places, 2000

Percent Foreign Born

20% - 30%

31% - 40%

> 40%

GAITHERSBURG (34.4%)

El Salvador 17.1 China 6.8 India 6.6 Mexico 5.2 Iran 4.2

ANNANDALE (34.5%)

Vietnam 15.6 Korea15.2 Bolivia 8.4 El Salvador 7.9 India 4.0

SILVER SPRING (35.2%)

El Salvador 22.5Ethiopia 5.6Vietnam 5.4Other Western Africa 3.8Guatemala 3.7LOGAN CIRCLE/SHAW (23.9%)

El Salvador 25.2 Guatemala 11.6 Mexico 10.1 China 7.4 Vietnam 4.0

BUCKINGHAM (52.7%)

El Salvador 25.9Bolivia 24.9Guatemala 9.5Mexico 5.5Pakistan 4.1

Source: US Census Bureau The Brookings Institution

English Language Proficiency

•17 percent of region’s foreign-born speak only English

• 62 percent report they speak English well or very well

• 21 percent report they cannot speak English well

or at all

• Higher shares of immigrants in Arlington, Alexandria and the District cannot speak English well or at all

• Larger numbers living in Montgomery and Fairfax are

not proficient in English

The Brookings Institution

FairfaxPrince George's

Montgomery

DC

Prince William

Loudoun

Arlington

Alexandria

Calvert

Charles

Fairfax

Manassas Park

I495

I270

I 495

Route

50

I66

Linguistic Isolation in the Washington Metropolitan Area, 2000

Linguistic Isolation- Households Where No One Over 14 Speaks English 'Very Well'

Percent of the Foreign Born who Entered in the 1990s

Tracts Greater than 47.5%

Percent Linguistically Isolated

Tracts Greater than 20%

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Linguistic Isolation in the Washington Metropolitan Area, 2000

FairfaxPrince George's

Montgomery

DC

Prince William

Loudoun

Arlington

Alexandria

Calvert

Charles

Fairfax

Manassas Park

I495

I270

I 495

Route

50

I66

Linguistic Isolation- Households Where No One Over 14 Speaks English 'Very Well'

Percent of the Foreign Born who Entered in the 1990s

Tracts Greater than 47.5%

Percent Linguistically Isolated

Tracts Greater than 20%

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14.7

12.7

19.0

20.321.3

18.5

19.8

10.7 10.6

0.0

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0

Atlanta Chicago Dallas Houston Los Angeles Miami New York SanFrancisco

Washington,DC

Perc

ent G

row

th

% Native Born in PovertyPercent Foreign Born in Poverty

Compared with other immigrant gateways, Washington’s poverty rates for foreign-born residents is lower

Source: US Census Bureau The Brookings Institution

0.0 2.0 4.0 6.0 8.0 10.0 12.0 14.0 16.0 18.0 20.0

Far Suburbs

Outer Suburbs

Fairfax County

Prince George's County

Montgomery County

Alexandria city

Arlington County

District of Columbia

Percent in Poverty

Average 10.6% for foreign-born

The share of poor immigrants varies across jurisdictions; thecore has higher shares, inner suburbs have larger numbers

Source: US Census Bureau

The Brookings Institution

Median Household Income and Areas of Immigrant Residential Concentration, 2000

Fairfax

Prince George's

Montgomery

Prince William

Loudoun

District of Columbia

Charles

Arlington

Alexandria

Fairfax

Manassas

Falls Church

Manassas Park

Manassas Park

Median Household Income

Less than 50% of Median Income

50% - 100% of Median Income

101% - 150% of Median Income

Greater than 150% of Median Income

Percent of Total Population that is Foreign Born

Greater than 17%

Poverty Rate of Foreign Born Population Greater than 25%

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Median Household Income and Areas of Immigrant Residential Concentration, 2000

Fairfax

Prince George's

Montgomery

Prince William

Loudoun

District of Columbia

Charles

Arlington

Alexandria

Fairfax

Manassas

Falls Church

Manassas Park

Manassas Park

Median Household Income

Less than 50% of Median Income

50% - 100% of Median Income

101% - 150% of Median Income

Greater than 150% of Median Income

Percent of Total Population that is Foreign Born

Greater than 17%

Poverty Rate of Foreign Born Population Greater than 25%

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Median Household Income and Areas of Immigrant Residential Concentration, 2000

Fairfax

Prince George's

Montgomery

Prince William

Loudoun

District of Columbia

Charles

Arlington

Alexandria

Fairfax

Manassas

Falls Church

Manassas Park

Manassas Park

Median Household Income

Less than 50% of Median Income

50% - 100% of Median Income

101% - 150% of Median Income

Greater than 150% of Median Income

Percent of Total Population that is Foreign Born

Greater than 17%

Poverty Rate of Foreign Born Population Greater than 25%

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www.brookings.edu/urban