Naturalization Rates of Immigrant Cohorts in the United States: 1973 - 2003

Nancy Rytina, U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
Elizabeth M. Grieco, Office of Immigration Statistics

Naturalization rates provide an indication of the degree of integration and assimilation of immigrants, their employability, whether they have the right to vote and their eligibility to sponsor family members for subsequent immigration. This analysis examines whether the propensity to naturalize and the demographic factors associated with naturalization have changed in recent decades. Data are obtained from administrative records of the Department of Homeland Security (formerly the Immigration and Naturalization Service) on persons who became lawful permanent residents (LPRs) between 1973-2003. These records were matched with naturalization records during the same period by alien or A-number. Logistic regression and multinomial logit estimates are used to evaluate the impact of country of origin, age, marital status, immigrant category of admission, occupation, and geographic residence on the probability and the timing of naturalization.