How Skilled-Immigrants Influence Economic Opportunities in Metro- and Micropolitan Destinations

Deborah Roempke Graefe, Pennsylvania State University
Gordon F. De Jong, Pennsylvania State University

Whereas high-skill immigrants may impact the provision of public goods and services to a smaller extent than lower skill immigrants, their potential for increasing employment competition for native workers is high. Changes between 1990 and 2007 in the area profiles of economic opportunities are examined for 144 largest U.S. metro- and micropolitan new and traditional immigrant-receiving areas. Annual measures of 1) unemployment by low- and high-skill industrial sector, 2) underemployment rates and wage growth for high-skill workers, and 3) out-migration of native-born low- and high-skill workers are evaluated using growth curve modeling to demonstrate trajectories of change. Employment-related and out-migration outcome measures are created from the 1990 and 2000 Decennial Census and post-2000 annual American Community Survey through 2007. Places are identified as new versus traditional immigrant destinations according to our recently developed typology of U.S. metropolitan areas.