The Latinx Population in Greater Houston
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THE LATINX POPULATION IN GREATER HOUSTON CMAS | REPORT V 2.1 July 2020 About CMAS The Center for Mexican American Studies (CMAS) at the University of Houston was established in 1972 as an interdisciplinary academic program encompassing the liberal arts, education and social sciences focusing on the Mexican American and broader Latino experience in the U.S. Its mission is to advance knowledge, promote critical thinking and foster the value of service to the community. This involves designing a broad spectrum of public and scholarly programs. Located within the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, CMAS has evolved into an academic unit with several major components: teaching, research and publications, recruitment and retention, leadership training, academic advising and community service. THE LATINX POPULATION IN GREATER HOUSTON Gabriela Sánchez-Soto Visiting Scholar Center for Mexican American Studies Acknowledgments This report was funded through the Visiting Scholars Program with the generous support of the Offices of the President and Provost of the University of Houston. We are grateful to them and to all our funders, who make possible for the Center for Mexican American Studies to advance its mission. The data analysis and views expressed are those of the authors and should not be attributed to the Center for Mexican American Studies, or the University of Houston, or its Board of Regents. Funders do not determine research findings, insights, or recommendations of the Center for Mexican American Studies. Executive Summary The purpose of this report is to present an analysis of the Latinx population in Greater Houston, a nine- county metropolitan area (Harris, Montgomery, Liberty, Chambers, Galveston, Brazoria, Fort Bend, Waller, and Austin counties). The report analyses the most recent data from the American Community Survey and the Bureau of Labor Statistics to help stakeholders gain a greater understanding of the socioeconomic and demographics of the Latino population. The report is divided into six parts covering nativity and citizenship status, time spent in the U.S., education, work, and household economic characteristics and poverty status paying particular attention to the Latino population, both native-and-foreign born as well as to other racial groups. The Latinx population comprises approximately 37% of the total population in the region, and while the non-Hispanic white population is aging, the Latino population is one of the youngest demographic groups in the region. A majority of U.S.-born Latinos are under the age of 15, while a majority of Latina and Latino immigrants are on average between 25 and 64 years of age, the most productive years in a person’s work-cycle. Historically Greater Houston has been a hub receiving thousands of migrants coming from Latin America; however, in recent years, the number of migrants making Houston their home has been decreasing. In 2017 the proportion of Latinos that were foreign-born declined by three percentage points from 2010 (43% to 40%); moreover those Latinos that are coming to the region hold higher levels of education than their predecessors. Although Latinos still lag in educational attainment in comparison to other demographic groups, there is a significant improvement in comparison to foreign-born Latinos. Latinos make up 35% of the employed population, and the foreign-born have low rates of unemployment relative to other groups and are the second group most likely to be self-employed after non-Hispanic whites. Latinx represent 62% of the labor force in construction, extraction, and maintenance occupations, 47% of service occupations, and 45% of production and transportation occupations. In Greater Houston, 58% of native-born Latinos and 53% of foreign-born Latinos own the home in which they live with median home values of $120,000 and $110,000, respectively. Latino households contribute close to $56,000 in housing, healthcare, food, education, transportation, and entertainment expenditures, amounting to over $ 980 million per year in these rubrics alone. A very small proportion of Latino households receives income from public assistance (6%), while around 15% receive nutrition assistance in comparison to 21% of non-Hispanic black households and 19% of foreign-born Latinos usually due to the presence of U.S.-born children. As the educational achievement, homeownership rates, and the incorporation of young Latinx into the labor market increases, Latino’s contribution to the economic, social, and cultural life of the Greater Houston Region will only augment. There are still several challenges that lie ahead, however. Educational opportunities from middle school to higher education remain a top policy priority due to the growth of the Latino population in the region. A well-educated workforce is paramount to sustain the economic growth of the region as well as to allow all low-income families in the Greater Houston Region to improve their socioeconomic situation. The Latinx1 Immigrant Population in the Houston Metropolitan Area: 201-2017 The state of Texas is the second-largest recipient of international migrants in the U.S. and has the second- largest Latino population in the country, surpassed only by California. In 2017, 17% of the Texas population was born abroad, up from 16.4 in 2010 (Migration Policy Institute [MPI] n.d.; White et al. 2015). About two-thirds of these immigrants come from Latin America (MPI n.d.). Houston is the most diverse metropolitan area in the United States. Over the last several decades flows of immigrants from Latin America and Asia have contributed to the population growth and overall diversity of the Houston metropolitan area (Capps, Fix, and Nwosu 2015). In the first decade of the 2000s, the rate of immigration to the Houston metropolitan area was almost twice the national rate, and the group that saw the most significant growth is Latinx (Capps et al. 2015; Mejia 2017). Given the relevance of the Latinx population for the future of the region, it is vital to learn more about the make-up of the Latinx population in the past decade, as well as their potential to contribute to the economic future of Houston. The main objective of this report is to present an analysis of the composition, educational attainment, employment, and socioeconomic status of the foreign-born2 and native-born Latinx immigrant population in the Houston Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)3 from 2010-2017. Besides, exploring changes over this period, this report also compares Houston Latinx to non-Hispanic whites, non-Hispanic African Americans4, and Asians5 in the region.6 Translation Population Counts by Nativity and Citizenship Status: 2010 to 2017 Figure 1 shows the counts and proportions of the Houston MSA population by origin, nativity status, and citizenship between 2010 and 2017. Within this period, the total population of Houston MSA grew by almost 16%. Overall, the composition of the Houston MSA population is about 38% non-Hispanic white, 17% non-Hispanic black, 22% are U.S.-born Latino, 15% are foreign-born Latino, 2% are U.S.-born Asians, and 5% are U.S.-born Asians (ACS 2013-2017). Data collection In 2010, Latinos represented 34% of the population of Houston’s MSA, and by 2017, this proportion increased to 37%. Figure 1 also shows that the proportion of the Latino population that is U.S.-born increased to 60% in 2017 from 57% in 2010, while the proportion of foreign-born Latinos decreased to 40%, of which around 72% are non-citizens, while 26% have naturalized. In contrast, 72% of Asians in 7 Houston are foreign-born. Monitoring national contexts In 2010 the top 5 countries of origin for Latino immigrants in Houston were Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras, Colombia, and Guatemala. In 2017 the same countries made up most of the Latino immigrant population in the Houston region, though Guatemala became the fourth country of origin and Colombia the fifth. In 2017 Mexicans made up 66% of foreign-born Latinos, down from 71% in 2010. In contrast, during the same period, the proportion of Salvadorans increased from 11% to 12%, Hondurans from four percent to 5.6% and Guatemalans from Data2.8% andto 3.6% documentation Data processing and availability archiving Data quality Assessment Figure 1: Houston Population - 2010-2017 U.S. born Naturalized citizen 2010: 57% 2010: 23% Latinos 2017: 60% 2017: 26% 2010: 34% 2017: 37% Foreign born Non‐citizen 2010: 43% 2010: 76% 2017: 40% 2017: 72% Total population U.S. citizen born abroad 2010: 5,655,684 2010: 1.4% 2017: 6,558,712 2017: 3% U.S. born Naturalized citizen 2010: 88% 2010: 50% Non‐Latinos 2017: 85% 2017: 52% 2010: 66% 2017: 63% Foreign born Non‐citizen 2010: 12% 2010: 43% 2017: 5% 2017: 41% U.S. citizen born abroad 2010: 7% 2017: 7% Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2006-2010 and 2013-2017, IPUMS-USA Age and Sex Distribution Figures 2 and 3 compare the age and sex When compared to the other groups, we can see composition of Latinos in Houston’s MSA that the foreign-born Latino population clusters relative to other racial groups and nativity status. around the most productive years, which is typical for immigrant populations who arrive in the Figure 2 depicts the population pyramids for non- country in search of economic opportunities. In Hispanic Whites, non-Hispanic Blacks, foreign- contrast, most U.S.-born Latinos are under the age born Latinos, and U.S.-born Latinos. Each bar of 15 and likely the children of foreign-born corresponds to a different 5-year age group, with immigrants. In contrast to U.S. born Latinos, the the red bars representing women, and the blue number of young people among both non- bars representing men in thousands. The bars are Hispanic whites and blacks is either decreasing or presented at the same scale to demonstrate the remaining stable.