Immigrants in Boston Imagine Allthepeople: Thousands Moretoleavethecountry
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imagine imagine all the people: all the Colombians in Boston Though emigration from Colombia people has been a significant social force dating back to the 1960s, when it was primarily economically motivated, it has increased markedly in recent years due to political turbulence and instability in Colombia. It is estimated that between 1996 and 2003, 1.6 million Colombians left their home country and did not return. Nearly half of this number migrated between 1999 and 2001, which corresponded with both a significant drop in Colombia’s Venezuela and the United States have gross domestic product and a surge long been the most popular destina- in its unemployment rate. By 2001, tion for Colombian emigrants and con- unemployment reached 18% in urban tinue to be so today. Florida, because centers, where the bulk of Colombians of its close proximity to Bogota, has reside. Another contributing factor been a natural destination for many to emigration from Colombia are the Colombians arriving in the United increasing acts of violence targeting States. From there Colombians have civilians in the country’s decades old begun to disperse nationally, with sig- civil conflict over territorial control, nificant numbers moving up the east particularly over coca-growing re- coast to New York, New Jersey, and gions. The situation surrounding this Massachusetts.1 conflict has both displaced thousands of people and acted as a catalyst for thousands more to leave the country. Immigrants in Boston Colombian CITY OF BOSTON Thomas M. Menino Mayor New Bostonians Series March 2011 imagine population share 39% of Colombians Results from the 2005-2007 American Boston’s foreign-born population Community Survey (ACS)2 show that include Vietnam, El Salvador, Cape 10 are between the there are approximately 584,000 for- Verde, Jamaica Brazil and Mexico. eign-born individuals from Colombia According to the 2000 Census, living in the United States.3 Besides ages of 20 and 34. Boston’s Colombian immigrants, the U.S. and Venezuela, other popula- though scattered throughout the city, tion global destinations for Colom- are mostly concentrated in the neigh- bian immigrants are Spain, Ecuador, borhood of East Boston, where 58% 4 Panama and Canada. of the city’s foreign-born Colombians The top destinations for immigrants reside. There are also significant num- from Colombia moving to the U.S. are bers of foreign-born Colombians in the states of Florida (which accounts Allston-Brighton and Jamaica Plain. for 34% of the country’s Colombia- While we can look at the most recent born population), New York (18%), ACS for estimating the total Colom- New Jersey (12%), California (6.6%) bian population, the most reliable and Texas (5.7%). The Common- cross-tabular data for relatively small wealth of Massachusetts ranks sixth, groups, such as the foreign-born comprising 3% of the country’s total communities in Boston in the 2000 Colombian population.5 Census.11 In 2000, 51% of Colombian There are over 7,200 Colombians immigrants in Boston are male. Over living in Boston. 6&7 According to the 60% of all Colombian immigrants in 2005-2007 ACS, Colombians make Boston are either married (49%) or up the seventh-largest share of im- divorced/separated (13%). Close to migrants in Boston - about 4.3%. 8&9 39% of all Colombians in Boston are Comparatively, the Chinese constitute between the ages of 20 and 34. The the largest segment of the city’s for- vast majority of Colombian immigrants eign-born population (8.6%), Haitians (80%) are not naturalized U.S. citizens; (8.5%) rank second and the Domini- 20% are citizens by naturalization. can Republic rank third (7.9%). The other top countries of origin among Share of Colombian Population by State 14% NewFlorida 33% 2% New YorkJersey 2% FlNeworid Jerseya 3% MassachusettsCalifornia 3% PTexasennsylv RhodeMassachusetts Island 6% aani CGeorgiaonnecticut OtConnecticuther States 7% Illinois 18% Other States 12% Source: ACS 2005-2007, BRA Research Division Analysis population 2 educational attainment Forty-two percent of Colombians Of the 40% of Colombian immigrants Fifty-eight percent in Boston have not completed high to have attended college, 19% have school. This percentage is higher than completed at least a bachelor’s de- that of all foreign-born residents (34%) gree, compared with 27% of the entire of Colombian and more than double the proportion foreign-born population and 40% for the native-born population (16%). of the native-born. With respect to immigrants have More than a quarter (28%) of Colom- advanced degrees, only 5% of Colom- bian immigrants have received a bians living in Boston hold a graduate/ received at least high school diploma with no further professional degree or higher, com- schooling. pared with 12% of all foreign-born and 17% of the native-born. a high school diploma. Educational Attainment for Population 25 Years and Older 35 ColombiansDominicans Foreign-BornForeign-Born Native-Born 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 8th Grade8th Grade or LessSomeSome High HSSchool HSHigh Diplom Schoola SomeSome CoCollegellege AssociatAssociatee BachelorBachelor GraduatGraduatee or Less Diploma Source: U.S. Census 2000, Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) 5%, BRA Research Division 3 imagine occupations Over 40% of Colombians residing In total, 57% of Colombian immigrants in Boston who are in the labor force participate in the labor force, com- work in service occupations.12 The pared with 60% of the total foreign- next highest occupational category born population and 65% of the native- is technical, sales and administrative born population.13 The unemployment support occupations (19%), followed rate among the Colombian-born labor by managerial and professional occu- force in Boston is 7%, similar to the pations (17%) and production occupa- unemployment rate among the overall tions (12%). foreign-born labor force (7.1%) and about one percentage point lower than Colombian immigrants are over-repre- the rate among the native-born popu- sented in service occupations, which lation (7.8%)14. accounts for only 25% of jobs for all foreign-born workers. The high level An estimated 55% of Colombia-born of participation in service occupations immigrants in Boston work for a pri- is likely driven by the relatively low lev- vate, for-profit company. An additional els of educational attainment among 4.6% work for a private, nonprofit orga- Colombians in Boston. Conversely, nization. A total of 3.8% are employed Colombians are underrepresented in by the public sector (local, state and managerial and professional occupa- federal government). tions when compared with the overall foreign-born workforce, 26% of whom work in managerial and professional positions, and in technical, sales and administrative support occupations, which also comprise 26% of Boston’s foreign-born workforce. Occupations of Boston’s Colombian Population 50 ColombiansDominicans Foreign-BornForeign-Born Native-BornNative-Bor 40 30 20 10 0 Service Technical, Installation, Managerial Production Community & Arts, Design, Other Sales & Maintenance, and Occupations Social Services Entertainment, Administration Construction, Professional Sports & Media Support Extraction & Transportation Source: U.S. Census 2000, Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) 5%, BRA Research Division occupations 4 self-employed An estimated 4.3% of Colombian im- migrants in Boston are self-employed. This compares with a rate of 5.8% for the entire foreign-born labor force and 6.1% for the native-born labor force.15 Share of Self Employed Colombian Foreign-Born Native-Born 4.0% 3.0% 2.0% 1.0% 0.0% Source: U.S. Census 2000, Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) 5%, BRA Research Division 5 imagine More than 584,735 7,174 Colombians in Boston Colombians live in the U.S. OCCUPATIONS CONTRIBUTING 40% Service $133 million Main destinations for annual spending Colombian immigrants: 19% Technical, Sales & Administrative Support U.S $124 million Managerial & to the regional product Venezuela 17% Professional $35 million Spain 12% Production in state and federal taxes Gender 7% Installation, Maintenance, 1,084 indirect jobs Construction, Extraction for the local economy & Transportation 2% Other 49% 2% Community and 51% Social Services 1% Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports & Media Female Male Marital Status Employment Status Age 50% 40% 60% 35% 50% 21% 30% 40% 25% 40% 20% 30% 15% 20% 39% 10% 10% 5% 0% 0 Now Widowed Divorced Separated Never Employed Unemployed Not in Labor Married Married Force 0-19 20-34 35+ 6 Boston’s Colombians by Census Tract A r l i n g t o n M e d f o r d R e v e r e E v e r e t t C h e l s e a B e l m o n t S o m e r v i l l e C a m b r i d g e Charlestown W a t e r t o w n East Boston Central Allston/Brighton Back Bay/ Beacon Hill South Boston Fenway/ Kenmore South End N e w t o n B r o o k l i n e North Harbor Dorchester Roxbury Islands Jamaica Plain South Dorchester West Roxbury Mattapan Roslindale Percentage of Foreign-Born Colombians by Census Tract Shown for ecumene only Q u i n c y 10.1 - 15.7 Hyde Park 5.1 - 10 M i l t o n 2.1 - 5 0.1 - 2 D e d h a m 0 Data Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 Summary File 3. 0 B r a1 i n t r e e 2 Miles W e s t w o o d C a n t o n 7 imagine spending Consumer spending Colombian immigrants contribute to Beyond the contributions Colom- the local economy through their labor bian-born immigrants living in Boston and subsequent consumer spending.