New England Public Policy Center Research Report No. 08-2
by Antoniya Owens

Full-text paper

This research report uses the most recent available data to construct a detailed demographic, labor, and socioeconomic portrait of New England’s immigrants. It is the latest in a series of publications from the Center on the movement of people into and out of our region.

The report evaluates the size, relative share, settlement patterns, and national origins of the region’s immigrants, and explores how these have changed in recent decades. It then describes the demographic characteristics of the region’s foreign-born residents, and analyzes their labor force behavior. Finally, the report evaluates immigrants’ socioeconomic status and reliance on public assistance as well as their civic contributions. Throughout the report, the author explores differences between immigrants in the region and in the nation as a whole, as well as between immigrants in the northern three New England states and those in the southern three. The report concludes with recommendations of how states can sustain and enhance the economic potential and social integration of their immigrants.