The Effect of Immigration on Residential Patterns in U.S. Metropolitan Areas, 1990-2000

John Iceland, University of Maryland

A number of recent studies have shown that residential segregation among various Asian and Hispanic groups has remained the same or increased in recent decades, even while African American segregation has declined. High levels of immigration likely affect patterns of segregation, as new immigrants often settle in ethnic enclaves even as longer-term residents may disperse into outlying areas. The purpose of this analysis is to examine patterns of segregation in 1990 and 2000 for various racial/ethnic groups by nativity, global region, and, among the foreign-born, length of time in the U.S. This will be followed by a multivariate analysis of the effect of immigration on these residential patterns. These analyses will provide insight as to whether the spatial assimilation model is an appropriate one for understanding residential patterns, and the conditions under which it has greater applicability.