A Demographic Comparison of Mexican Elders in the U.S. and Mexican Elder Return Migrants

Alma Vega, University of California, Berkeley

The number of Latino elders in the United States is projected to increase substantially over the next half century. Mexicans comprise a dominant proportion of these elders. A large proportion of Mexican-origin elders in the U.S. are foreign-born and, many times, have the option to retire in Mexico or in the United States. This decision can have significant economic consequences in the U.S. given their substantial use of certain public programs, such as Supplemental Security Income and Medicaid. This study attempts to understand the characteristics of Mexican immigrant elders who remain in the U.S. upon reaching old age and those who reverse migrate. Utilizing the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and the Mexican Health and Aging Study (MHAS), this study compares demographic characteristics and migration histories of these two populations in order to understand what factors are associated with reverse migration among Mexican elders in the U.S.