One-in-Ten Black People Living in the U.S. Are Immigrants
Using data from the decennial censuses and the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2006-2019 American Community Surveys, the Pew Research Center has produced a comprehensive analysis of the Black immigrant population in the United States. Fueled in large part by migration from Africa, the Black immigrant population has grown from 3% in 1980 to 12% today. In addition, a significant share of Black Americans today (9%) are the children of immigrants, for a total of 21% either immigrant or children of immigrants. The report also finds that Black immigrants have several advantages over U.S-born Blacks. For example, 31% of those aged 25 and over have college degrees compared to 22% of U.S.-born blacks. Household income for immigrant Blacks ($57,000) exceeded that of U.S.-born Blacks ($42,000), although it lagged behind that of all immigrant households ($63,000). Although the Caribbean remains the largest source of Black immigrants to the U.S. (Jamaica and Haiti account for the largest numbers), the percentage of African immigrants has grown from 23% of the total number of Black immigrants in 2000 to 42% today. The report also provides information on the regional distribution, legal status, home ownership, and poverty rates of Black immigrants.
Tamir, C. & Anderson, M. (2022, January). One-in-Ten Black People Living in the U.S. Are Immigrants. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/race-ethnicity/2022/01/20/one-in-ten-black-p...