Report: Hispanic Immigrants Continue to Assimilate, Will Become Vital to Economy

Hispanic immigrants are projected to continue to assimilate into American society, according to a report [PDF] by the Center for American Progress–including immigrant youth, who benefit academically from arriving in the United States early.

Contrary to some interpretations of data, the authors argue, recent Hispanic immigrants have so far mirrored the assimilation process of previous groups. Though they experienced a setback during the recession, they still “ended the decade better off than they were in 2000,” according to the report.

One area where advances are clear is education. Researchers found that the younger children were when they arrived in the United States, the more likely they were to succeed academically.

“Children change remarkably as they grow into adults, and we also see among immigrants some dramatic changes between generations,” reads the report. “Children show more advancement compared to adults on three indicators in particular—high school completion, college completion, and speaking English well.”

The authors project that high school completion among children aged 10 to 19 at the time of arrival will increase from 73.5 percent in 2009 to 82 percent in 2030.

The report examines cohorts of immigrants from the 1970s until present, finding “remarkable consistency in immigrant advancement across the decades for the different 10-year waves of immigrants.”

The long-term prospects of the immigrant population is relevant to the wellbeing of the nation, according to the report: When the “baby boomer” generation starts to retire, immigrants may play a vital role in filling the labor gap, as well as providing buying power for the housing market.

Sixty-seven percent of Hispanic immigrants are expected to become homeowners by 2030, up from 21 percent today, according to the report.

“The coming decade is a pivotal period in the nation’s economic history and deserves to be closely monitored,” the authors wrote in an announcement. “The findings of this study demonstrate how rapidly the new immigrant residents are likely to advance. Their success will be a vitally important contribution to the new economy.”

USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development professors Dowell Myers and John Pitkin, both affiliated with the Population Dynamics Research Group, wrote the report. Pitkin is an economist and demographer, and Myers is a demographer and urban planner.

The Center for American Progress is a nonprofit research and advocacy think tank based in Washington, D.C. Campus Progress is a project of the Center for American Progress.

Jon Christian is a staff writer with Campus Progress. Follow him on Twitter @Jon_Christian.

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