Pew Report Highlights on Black Immigrants

By Aura Bogado Apr 10, 2015

In a 30-page, two-chapter report on black immigration released Thursday, the Pew Research Center notes that 9 percent–the rising share–of the black population in the United States is made up immigrants. But who are they?

  • 54 percent of black immigrants are citizens. That’s 7 percent higher than average for immigrants overall.
  • 26 percent of black immigrants have graduated college. That’s close to the 30 percent general population average, and higher than the 19 percent average for back people born in the U.S.
  • The average household income for black immigrants is $43,800. That’s considerably lower than the $52,000 national average, but higher than the $33,500 average for black people born in the U.S.
  • Just 40 percent of black migrants own their homes. That’s lower than the national average homeownership average of 64 percent; it’s also close but still lower than the 42 percent average for black people born in the U.S.

These numbers change when you consider the region that black immigrants originate from. African migrants hold more college degrees than both other black immigrants and the general U.S. population. Meanwhile, black South American immigrants have a higher household income than other black immigrants and the general U.S. population. And, at 46 percent, Caribbean and South American black immigrants have the highest homeownership rate.

The report also dedicates a short chapter on how black migration has changed in the last 15 years–that’s important because, according to Pew, 45 percent of black immigrants first arrived in 2000 or later.

You can read the PDF report in its entirety online.