New Hispanic Destinations and Public Policy Impacts in Rural America

William A. Kandel, U.S. Department of Agriculture (DOA)
Emilio A. Parrado, Duke University

Rapid and sizeable nonmetro Hispanic population growth has drawn substantial scholarly attention due to both the new geographies of recent migration flows as well as the public policy implications inherent in demographic differences - particularly age, gender, and household composition - between local residents and recent migrants. Such differences often stem from the process and logic of labor migration itself. We demonstrate how Hispanic population growth in new destinations translates into public policy outcomes through differences in demographic profiles between residents and in-migrants, focusing on characteristics at the national level for nonmetropolitan counties. We compare and contrast demographic characteristics of Hispanics in nonmetro counties where their populations are rapidly growing, established, and relatively insignificant, for 1990 and 2000. We then assess the impacts of Hispanic in-migration on indicators of public service demand, specifically schooling, health care, and housing. Ethnographic case studies provide qualitative support for our quantitative findings.