Posted on July 30, 2007

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Immigrants' Ability to Achieve Economic Success in U.S. Is Slowing, Study Finds

America continues to be the land of opportunity for immigrant families, but the degree of upward economic mobility for newer arrivals has slowed from that experienced by earlier waves of immigrants, a report from the Economic Mobility Project, an initiative of the Pew Charitable Trusts, finds.

Written by Ron Haskins, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, the report draws on Harvard University research based on data from the Current Population Survey. The report found that one million legal immigrants are entering the country annually, compared to about 300,000 per year in the 1960s, and that about 500,000 illegal immigrants arrive each year. Compared to the 1960s, the fraction of legal immigrants from European nations and Canada has declined, while the number from Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean has increased from about half to nearly three-quarters of all immigrants.

Immigrants continue to experience strong upward economic mobility over generations, the report finds, and education remains a crucial factor in their success. However, immigrant wages have dropped steadily over the past six decades. Although second-generation immigrant workers earn higher wages than non-immigrant workers — as they have for many decades — that difference has narrowed since 2000, raising questions about the earning ability of future immigrants. The report also noted that, upon arrival in the United States, immigrants from industrialized nations tend to earn more than non-immigrants, while those from non-industrialized nations tend to earn less. By the second generation, however, wages for immigrants from both groups move toward average non-immigrant wages.

"The great story of America is that it still offers a job to first generation immigrants and better jobs to their children," Haskins said. "Historically, the U.S. economy has successfully created opportunity and economic mobility for immigrant families, but the scale of recent immigration — and especially of poorly educated immigrants — could be cause for future concern."

“Immigrants Still Climbing America's Economic Ladder, but Trends Suggest Progress Is Slowing.” Pew Charitable Trusts Press Release 7/25/07.

Primary Subject: Public Affairs
Location(s): Asia, Canada, Caribbean, Europe, International, Latin America, National

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