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Washington
Metropolitan Area’s Immigrants Ahead financially than Rest of Country
The Latin Quarter News
The Washington Metropolitan Area (WMA) region has been ranked last in immigrant poverty of 11 metropolitan areas in the
US with largest immigrant population.
WMA is the only one metropolitan region in which immigrants appear less likely to be poor
than natives.
1. Only 7% of those in immigrant-headed households locally lived below the poverty line,
compared with nearly 22%
nationally.
2. The poverty rate for the region’s non-immigrant residents is 11%, according to the
study, compared with 12% nationally.
3. The figures highlight the unusual nature of the region’s fast growing immigrant
population -which is more educated, more diverse, and apparently less poor than in
other cities, including high cost living cities like San Francisco, New York, Los
Angeles.
4. Some immigrants appear poor because many also support relatives in their homelands who
are not considered household members.
The study used the federal government’s definition of poverty, which for a typical
family of four is an income of about $16,400.
Why are DC immigrants more educated?
Washington, DC booming economy, inclusion of foreign-born diplomats as immigrants, and the
fact that immigrants here appear better educated.
In 1996 and 1997 more than half of all adults living in immigrant households in the area
had completed college -compared with 35% of other residents here, and 24% of adult
immigrants nationally.
Local immigrants are more likely than other area residents to be high school dropouts, but
their dropout rate is half the national rate for immigrants. “Education is the single
most important predictor of poverty status.”
Local area immigrant work force is polarized, with unusually high levels of unemployment
both in high income technical and low income service jobs.
Large differences also exist by country of origin, with many immigrants from Central
Americans arriving with little schooling and many from Asia bringing college degrees.
However, the local booming economy is providing jobs as fast a they come. So many low wage
restaurant workers and janitors here are more likely to live above the poverty line than
other cities, in part because so many are working multiple jobs.
The local economy is great right now for immigrants, and immigrants, particularly
Hispanics, are good for the Greater Washington Metropolitan area.
Hispanic Latino Market in
the Metropolitan Washington Area
Total Hispanic market power
$3.7 Billion
Mean household income
$42,980
Per capita buying power
$10,165
The over 400,000 consumers in the MWA are considered the most affluent Hispanics in the
US.
About 90 % are foreign-born and
native Spanish speakers
About 73 % speak spanish at home
Source: Quality Management Resources and Sytel, Inc.
Washington, DC will continue to loose population until the turn of the century, when the
District will begin to gain population, because of international immigration and births.
The highlights are:
Population
Total NonHisp
NonHisp NonHisp
Hispanic
African-Am White
Asian
Estimated
1995
554,000 345,100( 62.3) 156,200
(28.2) 12,700(2.3)
38,800 (7)
Projected 2000 523,000
2005
529,000
2015
594,000
2020
625,000
2025
655,000 376,600 (57.5)
171,000 (26.1) 26,900(
4.1) 79,900 (12.2)
The figures in parentheses are the percentages of
each group.
The District is expected to gain 135,000 people from international immigration between
1995 and 2025.
The District likely will have a net loss of 156,000 people through migration to other
parts of the United States (that is, 156,000 more people will move out of DC to other
communities than move in from those communities). During the same time, Maryland also will
have a net loss, and Virginia will have a net gain.
The District will become more ethnically and racially diverse, because the black
population will grow more slowly than other groups. African Americans will remain a
substantial majority.
Hispanics will continue to be the fastest growing ethnic community.
Data compiled by: The Latin Quarter News
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