Immigrant Residential Patterns in U.S. Metropolitan Areas, 1990-2000

John Iceland, University of Maryland
Cynthia Lake, 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 as 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, country of origin, and, among the foreign-born, year of entry. These analyzes will provide insight as to whether the spatial assimilation model is an appropriate one for understanding residential patterns, and how patterns changed over the 1990s.