According to a new analysis released by the Pew Research Center, Asian and Hispanic immigrants who have recently arrived to the nation, show other changes, such as having formal third-level education and English language proficiency.

According to the study, Latin Americans represent 38% of U.S. immigrants who have arrived in the last five years, beginning in 2017, compared to 35% of Asians.

It is interesting to note that in 2010, Latin American immigrants (48%) accounted for a much larger proportion of newcomers than those from Asia (30%).

Latin America and the Caribbean is by far, the largest region of origin among immigrants who have lived in the country for more than 10 years. In 2017, immigrants from Latin America accounted for more than half (54%) of long-term residents, compared with 25 per cent from South and East Asia. But now things are changing.

The research shows that about 7.6 million immigrants have lived in the country for five years or less and that these constitute 17% of the foreign-born population, a proportion that has returned to the 2010 levels after a slight decrease.

According to a 2018 survey made by the Pew Research Center, “Recently arrived immigrants have markedly different education, income and other characteristics from those who have been in the U.S. for more than a decade. Proposed changes to U.S. immigration laws could favor highly skilled immigrants, which could further change the demographics of the foreign-born population. American adults support encouraging highly skilled people to immigrate and work in the United States,”

With university degrees

Data attributed to Jeffrey Passel, senior demographer at Pew, and D’Vera Cohn, senior writer and editor at the same organization show during the previous reporting period, the proportion of undocumented immigrants 25-64 years of age with college degrees grew from 15 percent to 17 percent.

That is slow to moderate growth. But among the newcomers – those who have been in the country for five years or less – the changes were dramatic.

The proportion of new immigrants with college degrees reached 30 percent in 2016, up from 17 percent in 2007. Meanwhile, the percentage of recent undocumented immigrants who lacked high school diplomas dropped from 44 percent in 2007 to 31 percent in 2016.

English as a Second Language

English proficiency among newly arrived immigrants is on the rise. Among those who came to the United States in the past five years, 45 percent said in 2017 that they speak only English at home or speak it very well, compared to 38 percent in 2010.

Because of this increase, newcomers are closing the gap with longer-term immigrants, who have seen little change in their English proficiency. About half of immigrants who have lived in the United States for more than 10 years, expressed in 2017 that they only used English at home or spoke it very well, a percentage that has scarcely changed since 2010.

Translated by José Espinoza

Leer en español

The post China on the verge of overtaking Hispanics as the majority of undocumented immigrants appeared first on El Sol News Media.

According to research by Apartment Life, a San Francisco-based real estate company, revealed that as the poorest inhabitants of the Philadelphia region spend more to keep a roof over their heads, the area’s wealthiest dwellers are spending less.

The research was made by Philadelphia journalist Aaron Moselle, a general assignment reporter for WHYY, who writes stories for the web and the radio. Her professional work focuses on homelessness, poverty and income inequality.

Concerning the growth of the income value, Igor Popov, chief economist of Apartment Life, pointed out that “if you´re well-off already well, your income seems to be growing faster. But if you’re not doing so well, housing costs are outpacing your income and making it even harder to get ahead”.

 This reality can be seen graphically if you look at the bars between 2007 and 2018. During this period, the cost of housing for residents in the region who earn less than the average national income grew by 8%. By contrast, the cost did not rise at all for dwellers earning above average, according to company census data. The average household income in the metropolitan region was US$61,400 in 2017.

According to the reporter, located at @ awmoselle, Philadelphia and other major cities have seen an influx of wealthier residents. This fact has increased the demand for higher rental housing, and flooded the market with elegant, bright multi-family properties.

“With less competition for these units, prices dropped,” Popov said. At the same time, most major cities continue to face a shortage of affordable housing options for lower-wage residents.

In addition, people who struggle to make ends meet do not spend much less on rent than people who get larger checks, even though they earn much less.

“Housing costs just don’t vary that much,” Popov said. “For all intents and purposes, you’re paying the same amount in housing if you’re in the bottom quartile as if you were in the very middle of the distribution.”

This is not a new trend. The difference is that it is worsening as income inequality – the gap between rich and poor – widens.

According to the study, in 2008, the richest residents of the metropolitan area earned more than 12 times what the poorest inhabitants of the area earned. In 2017, those wealthy dwellers earned 17 times more than the poorest residents.

 Housing advocates say it is a dangerous dynamic that could push low-income residents into homelessness or out of town – and make places like Philadelphia much less diverse than they are now.

Translated by José Espinoza

Leer en español

The post Philly housing costs are more expensive for the poor than for the rich (Study) appeared first on El Sol News Media.