Changes in the Geographic Concentration and Location of Residence of Immigrants

Abstract

Increases in the number and size of enclaves of the new immigrant groups from Latin America and Asia during the 1980s have changed the ethnic composition of many American cities. I have classified primary and secondary enclave networks for each immigrant country of origin in order to examine changes in the geographic concentration of immigrants. First I calculated the Duncan index of dissimilarity for immigrants relative to natives at the metropolitan area level. I then use individual-level data to follow immigrant cohorts over time in order to examine how time in the United States is associated with movements from primary enclaves to other geographic areas in the immigrant networks. There is movement from the primary enclave to the periphery of the primary enclave, to areas of smaller groupings of immigrants from the same country of origin, and to areas that do not have large groupings of immigrants from the same country. It is significant that many of these changes in location occur quite late in the assimilation process.