METROPOLITAN POLICY PROGRAM

Audrey Singer, Senior Fellow

Latin American Immigrants in the Washington, DC Metropolitan area

Latin American Immigrants: Civic and Political Participation in the Washington DC-Metro Area

Woodrow Wilson CenterNovember 1, 2007

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Suburban residence

Global origins

A very fast-growing immigrant population

Washington DC’s foreign-born population is characterized by:

METROPOLITAN POLICY PROGRAM

New York

Los Angeles

Miami-Fort Lauderdale

Chicago

San Francisco-Oakland

Houston

Washington

Dallas-Fort Worth

Riverside-San Bernardino

Boston

27.9 5,117,290

34.7 4,407,353

36.5 1,949,629

17.5 1,625,649

29.5 1,201,209

21.4 1,113,875

19.9 1,017,432

17.7 1,016,221

21.6 827,584

16.0 684,165

%FB Millions

Metropolitan Washington ranks 7th in number of foreign-born residents

Source: US Census Bureau, ACS 2005

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Washington DC’s foreign-born population, 2006

Rank Country Estimate Percent

Total Foreign Born 1,063,033 100.0

1 El Salvador 133,191 12.5

2 India 62,311 5.9

3 Korea 58,934 5.5

4 Mexico 43,633 4.1

5 Vietnam 43,215 4.1

6 Philippines 40,517 3.8

7 China 40,422 3.8

8 Guatemala 33,843 3.2

9 Bolivia 32,344 3.0

10 Ethiopia 27,703 2.6

11 Peru 27,676 2.6

12 Other Western Africa 25,270 2.4

13 Honduras 22,763 2.1

14 Iran 20,443 1.9

15 Nigeria 20,277 1.9

Source: US Census Bureau, ACS 2006

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Latin American immigrants are the largest regional origin group in the metro area

Other 2%Europe 9%

Africa 14%

Asia 36%

Latin America 39%

Source: US Census Bureau, ACS 2006

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In 1980, birth countries were primarily South American and Caribbean

Latin American Immigrants, 1980

12%

8%

6%

6%

6%

5%5%5%5%

4%

38%

Jamaica

Cuba

El Salvador

Colombia

Trinidad & Tobago

Argentina

Chile

Peru

Ecuador

Guyana

Other LAC

Source: 1980 Census

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By 2006, most were from Central America

Latin American Immigrants, 2006

32%

10%

8%8%

7%

5%

4%

3%

3%

2%

18% El Salvador

Mexico

Guatemala

Bolivia

Peru

Honduras

Jamaica

Trinidad and Tobago

Colombia

Brazil

Other LAC

Source: US Census Bureau, ACS 2006

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Washington’s Latin American population has grown by 600 percent in 25 years, twice as fast as the total immigrant pop

Source: US Census Bureau, ACS 2006

Latin American Immigrants in the Washington Metropolitan Area, 1980-2006

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

350,000

400,000

450,000

19801980 1990 2000 2006xxxx

59,823

161,663

319,903

417,885

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2000 or later34%

1990-199931%

1980-198923%

Before 198012%

One-third of all Latin American immigrants in Washington arrived in the United States since 2000

Source: US Census Bureau, ACS 2006

Period of Entry to the United States, Latin American Immigrants, 2006

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Source: US Census Bureau

Latin American immigrants have settled in the core of the region and the inner suburbs

o

o

LOUDOUN

FAIRFAX

MONTGOMERY

PRINCE GEORGE'S

PRINCE WILLIAM

D.C.

ARLINGTON

ALEXANDRIA

Percent of Total Population that is Latin American Immigrant

0.1% - 5.3%

5.4% - 13.4%

13.5% - 27.1%

27.2% - 67.0%

No Latin American Immigrants

1 Dot = 200 Latin American Immigrants Source: Census 2000 SF3

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Sources: 1980, 1990 and 2000 censuses; 2006 ACS

Recently however, the suburbs continue to attract Latin American immigrants, the inner core’s population began to decline after 2000

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

District of

Columbia

Arlington

County, VA

Alexandria

city, VA

Montgomery

County, MD

Prince

George's

County, MD

Fairfax County,

VA*

Loudoun

County, VA

Prince William

County, VA**

1980 1990 2000 2006

Number of Latin American Immigrants in Washington Area Jurisdictions, 1980-2006

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Latin Americans are now the majority of immigrants in Prince William and Prince George’s Counties

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

1980 1990 2000 2006

Per

cent

Lat

in A

mer

ican

District of Columbia Montgomery County, MD Arlington County, VA Prince George's County, MD Fairfax County, VA* Loudoun County, VA Prince William County, VA**

Sources: 1980, 1990 and 2000 censuses; 2006 ACS

Percent of Foreign-born Population that was born in Latin America, 1980-2006

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Washington’s Latin American immigrants differ greatly from the total population along demographic lines

Source: US Census Bureau, ACS 2006

Age Latin American

Immigrants Total

Population <18 years 7.7 24.6 18-64 years 86.5 65.7 65+ years 5.9 9.6 Sex Ratio, 18-64

Educational Attainment Less than high school 37.5 10.4 High school graduate 24.9 20.7 Some college/AA degree 18.2 22.4 Bachelor's degree/higher 19.4 46.4

Limited English Proficient 66.7 43.4

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Their household characteristics also differ from the total population…

Source: US Census Bureau, ACS 2006

Latin American

Immigrants Total

Population Household Characteristics Median Household Income $55,456 $79,223 Living below poverty line 9.0 5.9 Mean Household Size (persons per household) 3.36 2.51 Mean Persons per Room 0.66 0.44 Homeowners 56.0 67.6

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…as do their labor market characteristics

Source: US Census Bureau, ACS 2006

Employment Status

Latin American

Immigrants Total

Population Total, in the labor force 100.0 100.0 Employed 95.4 95.4 Unemployed 4.6 4.6 Not in the labor force 20.2 21.5

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Latin Americans are more likely to work in service or construction jobs

Occupation, Washington Metropolitan Area, 2006

15%

7%

48%

23%

6% 1%

32%

24%

19%

16%

8% 1%

Service

Construction, Extraction, Maintenance, and Repair

Management, Professional & Related

Sales and Office

Production, Transportation and Material Moving

Other

Latin American Immigrants Total Metro Population

Source: US Census Bureau, 2006 ACS