Recent Immigrant Settlement in the Nonmetropolitan United States: Evidence from Internal Census Data*

Abstract

In the 1990s, studies have documented widespread growth of immigrants in U.S. communities not known as common destinations in the past. This trend has fueled population growth in some nonmetropolitan areas and offset population decline in other areas. In this paper, we examine the implications of recent foreign born in-migration for rural America. Our focus is on a collection of 59 nonmetropolitan counties where growth in foreign born stock offset declines in U.S. native population and resulted in increased local population by 2000. To understand these nonmetropolitan offset counties, we use confidential Census Bureau data that offer us the detailed geography and larger sample size needed to closely examine spatial shifts in the foreign born population, especially those recently arrived. Our findings illustrate dramatic compositional shifts in the populations of these areas, and suggest new demographic complexity in nonmetropolitan areas in the 21 st century.There is a new and growing scholarly literature that examines immigrants in nonmetropolitan areas of the United States. From early case studies of the foreign born in meatpacking towns (Gouveia and Stull 1997;Stull, Broadway, and Erickson 1992;Stull, Broadway, and Griffith 1995) to recent studies that examine the incorporation of particular groups, such as Mexicans, in new localities (Zú ñ iga and Hernández-Leó n 2005), scholars now recognize that immigrant populations are changing the landscape of rural America. Studies document shifts in foreign born population away from the

Diverging fortunes? Economic well-being of Latinos and African Americans in new rural destinations

“…On average, they have less education, fewer job skills, and more limited knowledge of English than native-born Latinos. Hourly wages are low in comparison to natives and many other immigrant groups (Donato et al, 2007;Jensen, 2006;Kandel and Cromartie, 2004;Smith and Edmonston, 1997). Economic vulnerability is most pronounced among undocumented workers and Latino families with children, who shy away from government programs or who are ineligible in the wake of newly-restrictive welfare reform legislation (Hernandez and Charney, 1998;Lichter and Crowley, 2002;Oropesa and Landale, 1997).…”

Pioneer settlement of U.S. immigrants

“…Employers, in turn, hire immigrant workers because they view them as hard working and cooperative employees who work for lower wages and help keep labor costs down (Donato et al 2008). It is also argued that native workers are unavailable for jobs that immigrants take, either because they are unwilling to accept the low wages offered or because too few of them live in the new destinations that attract immigrants (Donato et al 2007;Johnson and Fuguitt 2000;Piore 1979).…”

“…A host of intermediary actors, including labor recruiters, refugee resettlement agencies, government agencies, churches, and NGOs, often play a role in channeling immigrants to new destinations. Several studies show the role of labor recruiters in flows of low-wage workers to nonmetropolitan areas (Donato, Stainbeck, and Blankson 2005;Hernández-León and Zúñíga 2000;Johnson-Webb 2002;Piore 1979). Some argue that the seasonal migrations of Mexican and Caribbean agricultural workers, which initially were stimulated and managed by labor recruiters, evolved into permanent settlements in nonmetropolitan areas as immigrants developed ties to natives in those areas that allowed them to find year-round employment (Lichter 2012;Villatoro 1998).…”

The interplay of spatial diffusion and marital assimilation of Mexicans in the United States, 1980–2011

“…Urban and rural areas alike have seen substantial increases in their Mexican population including non-traditional areas, outside the Borderlands, and the Great Lakes region, which has led to the formation of 'new' Mexican communities (Singer 2004;Donato et al 2007;Leach and Bean 2008;Riosmena and Massey 2012;Barcus and Simmons 2013). This spatial diffusion of Mexicans into settlement areas with a smaller number of co-ethnics should have created structural opportunities that facilitate intermarriage.…”