Indigenous migrants from Latin America are a neglected group in the United States and their well-being has received poor attention in the economic literature. Little is known about the needs, financial welfare, health, or education status among Hispanic American Indian households. This study uses primary data derived from New York City pertaining to pre-Hispanic groups, a demographic cohort that presents challenges in terms of research access. National-level data usually aggregates all Spanish-speaking individuals as Hispanics and fails to acknowledge the nuanced presence of these pre-Hispanic groups. Integrating Hispanic American Indian migrants who have a language barrier and low education into labor markets remains a challenge. Thus, we examine several factors that may affect household income, such as education, acculturation, and stigma/discrimination. Using logit and random forest methodologies, we substantiate that education retains its prominence as the primary determinant of income for indigenous migrants. There is a need for culturally tailored policies to promote upward mobility of this population.
JEL: I00, I24, I31