Chapter 6 Geographic Dispersion and Internal Migration of Immigrants

Abstract

We study the correlates of immigrant location and migration choices to address the following questions: What location-specific, economic, and demographic factors are associated with these choices? Does the influence of these factors differ by immigrant characteristics? What are the factors associated with the observed increase in immigrant geographic dispersion during the 1990s? Our analysis suggests that: (1) There is significant heterogeneity in the correlates of immigrant location and migration choices; associations vary by immigrant birthplace, age, gender, education, and duration of residence in the United States. (2) Economic factors are, for the most part, weakly associated with immigrant location decisions. (3) Immigrants appear to be more attracted to states with large (growing) populations; less attracted to states with a high proportion of other foreign-born persons; more attracted to states with high unionization, and less attracted to states with high crime. (4) The association between location-specific characteristics and immigrant location choices changed between 1990 and 2000 for some immigrant groups and this explains most of the increase in geographic dispersion during the 1990s. In contrast, changes in location attributes and changes in immigrant composition explain relatively little of the increase in dispersion.

Citation

Kaushal, N. and Kaestner, R. (2010), "Chapter 6 Geographic Dispersion and Internal Migration of Immigrants", Epstein, G.S. and Gang, I.N. (Ed.) Migration and Culture (Frontiers of Economics and Globalization, Vol. 8), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 137-173. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1574-8715(2010)0000008012