The District’s rising immigrant population has contributed significantly to the city’s growth, according to a new report released Tuesday. Immigrants represented just 4 percent of the D.C. population in 1970, but make up as much as 15 percent of D.C.’s population today, according to estimates.
The report, produced by researchers at the Urban Institute and funded by the Mayor’s Office of Community Affairs, aims to provide an overview of the quality of life for local immigrant communities and how they are acclimating to D.C. in areas such as education, jobs, housing, and healthcare. The report focuses on immigrants from Latin America, Asia and the Pacific Islands, Africa, and the Caribbean, who collectively represent three out of every four immigrants living in D.C.
Although the District’s immigrant population has seen a slight gain in homeownership since 2000, it’s been a struggle for most people to find suitable and affordable places to live.
“They’re facing challenges with housing, with finding good employment and well-paying jobs, and getting the kind of education they need to be successful in a place like D.C.,” says Peter Tatian of the Urban Institute.
According to the report, household incomes for immigrants grew only modestly over the past 10 to 15 years. While there were fewer immigrants living in households that had annual incomes under $10,000 in 2000 than between 2012 and 2016, the share of households with incomes between $10,000 and $49,999 stayed relatively stable. And at the higher end, immigrants with household incomes between $50,000 and $99,999 decreased from 30 to 26 percent.
Similar to trends in the District’s overall population, 80 percent of adult immigrants have a high school education or higher, up from 68 percent in 2000. The number of immigrants with a bachelor’s degree or above has increased 13 percent. But despite levels of education, some immigrants are employed in lower or middle-skilled jobs rather than in the profession previously held in their country of origin.
“There are people born and raised here who face many of these same challenges,” says Tatian. “Immigrants share those challenges, but also have some language issues and they may face discrimination.”
Tatian says Mayor Muriel Bowser requested the study in order to better understand the specialized needs of the District’s various immigrant communities, and provide more access to resources offered by the D.C. government. Despite the availability of such programs and services, however, the report acknowledges some residents may not be aware or may face barriers to accessing them.
“The more that we can do for everyone in the District to make sure there’s a space for the diverse community that we want to have here, then the better off the District will be,” Tatian says.
The report highlights specific government strategies and investments including legal support, cultural events, and education and workforce programs.
This story originally appeared on WAMU.
