Skip to main content
Log in

Uncovering the Patterns of the US Geography of Immigration by an Analysis of Spatial Relatedness between Immigrant Groups

  • Published:
Applied Spatial Analysis and Policy Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The size of the foreign-born population in the USA is steadily increasing and in the last 25 years there have also been significant changes in its spatial distribution at both the national and the local level. Drawing on detailed data on the spatial distribution of 126 population groups in the USA, this paper applies the so called spatial relatedness approach to provide a comprehensive analysis of the aggregate patterns of the US geography of immigration. The first part confirms the central assumption behind this approach that the spatial relatedness between immigrant groups (determined on the basis of their joint concentrations in the same spatial units) significantly correlates with some other measurable aspects of their relatedness. The second part of the analysis then compares the patterns and determinants of the spatial relatedness at the whole US level and within key immigrant metropolitan areas (New York, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, and Atlanta) and uses the spatial relatedness measures to construct network visualisations that provide unique models of the population structure of these individual spatial systems.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. Some informative applications for mapping distinctive immigrant geographies in the US can be found, for example, on: www.migrationinformation.org/datahub/, www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/03/10/us/20090310-immigration-explorer.html, or http://mixedmetro.com/.

  2. Using data disaggregated to US counties (see the data description below) we examined how the number of local concentrations for all immigrant groups {r: LQr > k} changes for different threshold value of k. We found that the curve describing this relationship has a hyperbolic shape, while k = 1 lies around the point beyond which this curve quickly flatten. This suggests that the threshold of 1 provides a good limiting value. In addition, we tested various other thresholds and the results did not change significantly. These additional results can be obtained from the authors upon request.

  3. The data for some smaller countries were aggregated to regional groups (e.g. Caribbean, nfd). On the contrary the immigrant population from United Kingdom was disaggregated into three groups containing those from England, Scotland, and the rest referred to as the Other UK.

References

  • Agrawal, S. K. (2008). Faith-based ethnic residential communities and Neighbourliness in Canada. Planning Practice and Research, 23(1), 41–56. doi:10.1080/02697450802076431.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bauer, T., Epstein, G. S., & Gang, I. N. (2005). Enclaves, language, and the location choice of migrants. Journal of Population Economics, 18(4), 649–662. doi:10.1007/s00148-005-0009-z.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bodenhofer, U., Kothmeier, A., & Hochreiter, S. (2011). APCluster: an R package for affinity propagation clustering. Bioinformatics, 27(17), 2463–2464. doi:10.1093/bioinformatics/btr406.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boschma, R., Minondo, A., & Navarro, M. (2013). The emergence of new Industries at the Regional Level in Spain: a proximity approach based on product relatedness. Economic Geography, 89(1), 29–51. doi:10.1111/j.1944-8287.2012.01170.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Butts, C. T. (2008). Social network analysis with sna. Journal of Statistical Software, 24, 1–51.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chiswick, B. R., & Miller, P. W. (2004). Where immigrants settle in the United States. Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis: Research and Practice, 6(2), 185–197. doi:10.1080/1387698042000273479.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chiswick, B. R., Lee, Y. L., & Miller, P. W. (2002). The determinants of the geographic concentration among immigrants: application to australia (SSRN scholarly Paper No. ID 306962). Rochester: Social Science Research Network.

    Google Scholar 

  • Edgar, B. (2014). An intergenerational model of spatial assimilation in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 40(3), 363–383. doi:10.1080/1369183X.2013.830890.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ellis, M., & Goodwin-White, J. (2006). 1.5 generation internal migration in the U.S.: dispersion from states of immigration? International Migration Review, 40(4), 899–926. doi:10.1111/j.1747-7379.2006.00048.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frey, W. H. (2005). Immigration and domestic migration in US metro areas: 2000 and 1990 census findings by education and race. Population Studies Center Research Report, (05–472).

  • Frey, B. J., & Dueck, D. (2007). Clustering by passing messages between data points. Science, 315(5814), 972–976. doi:10.1126/science.1136800.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hall, M. (2009). Interstate migration, spatial assimilation, and the incorporation of US immigrants. Population, Space and Place, 15(1), 57–77. doi:10.1002/psp.498.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hanneman, R. A., & Riddle, M. (2005). Introduction to social network methods. Riverside: University of California.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harte, W., Childs, I. R. W., & Hastings, P. A. (2009). Settlement patterns of African refugee communities in Southeast Queensland. Australian Geographer, 40(1), 51–67. doi:10.1080/00049180802656960.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hempstead, K. (2007). Mobility of the foreign-born population in the United States, 1995–2000: the role of gateway states. International Migration Review, 41(2), 466–479. doi:10.1111/j.1747-7379.2007.00075.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heston, A., Summers, R., & Aten, B. (2012). Penn world table version 7.1. Center for international comparisons of production, income and prices at the University of Pennsylvania. http://pwt.econ.upenn.edu/.

  • Hidalgo, C. A., Klinger, B., Barabási, A.-L., & Hausmann, R. (2007). The product space conditions the development of nations. Science, 317(5837), 482–487. doi:10.1126/science.1144581.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hugo, G. (2011). Changing spatial patterns of immigrant settlement. In M. Clyne & J. Jupp (Eds.), Multiculturalism and integration – a harmonious combination (pp. 1–40). Canberra: ANU E Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Janská, E., Čermák, Z., & Wright, R. (2014). New immigrant destinations in a new country of immigration: settlement patterns of non-natives in the Czech Republic. Population, Space and Place, 20(8), 680–693. doi:10.1002/psp.1824.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • King, R. (2012). Geography and migration studies: retrospect and Prospect. Population, Space and Place, 18(2), 134–153. doi:10.1002/psp.685.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krackhardt, D. (1988). Predicting with networks: nonparametric multiple regression analysis of dyadic data. Social Networks, 10(4), 359–381. doi:10.1016/0378-8733(88)90004-4.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kritz, M. M., Gurak, D. T., & Lee, M.-A. (2013). Foreign-born out-migration from new destinations: onward or back to the enclave? Social Science Research, 42(2), 527–546. doi:10.1016/j.ssresearch.2012.09.013.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ley, D. (2008). The immigrant church as an Urban Service hub. Urban Studies, 45(10), 2057–2074. doi:10.1177/0042098008094873.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lianos, T. P. (2001). Illegal migrants to Greece and their choice of destination. International Migration, 39(2), 3–28. doi:10.1111/1468-2435.00147.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liaw, K.-L., & Frey, W. H. (2007). Multivariate explanation of the 1985–1990 and 1995–2000 destination choices of newly arrived immigrants in the United States: the beginning of a new trend? Population, Space and Place, 13(5), 377–399. doi:10.1002/psp.459.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lichter, D. T., & Johnson, K. M. (2009). Immigrant gateways and Hispanic migration to new destinations. International Migration Review, 43(3), 496–518. doi:10.1111/j.1747-7379.2009.00775.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lichter, D. T., Parisi, D., Taquino, M. C., & Grice, S. M. (2010). Residential segregation in new Hispanic destinations: cities, suburbs, and rural communities compared. Social Science Research, 39(2), 215–230. doi:10.1016/j.ssresearch.2009.08.006.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Light, I., & Von Scheven, E. (2008). Mexican migration networks in the United States, 1980–2000. International Migration Review, 42(3), 704–728. doi:10.1111/j.1747-7379.2008.00143.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Longhurst, R., Ho, E., & Johnston, L. (2008). Using “the body” as an “instrument of research”: kimch’i and pavlova. Area, 40(2), 208–217. doi:10.1111/j.1475-4762.2008.00805.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Massey, D. S. (1985). Ethnic residential segregation: a theoretical synthesis and empirical review. Sociology and Social Research, 69(3), 315–350.

    Google Scholar 

  • Massey, D. S. (1988). Economic development and international migration in comparative perspective. Population and Development Review, 14(3), 383–413.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Massey, D. S. (1990). Social structure, household strategies, and the cumulative causation of migration. Population Index, 56(1), 3–26.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Massey, D. S. (2003). Patterns and processes of international migration in the twenty-first century. Paper prepared for conference on African migration in comparative perspective. South Africa: Johannesburg.

    Google Scholar 

  • Massey, D. S. (2008). New faces in new places: the changing geography of American immigration: the changing geography of American immigration. Russell Sage Foundation.

  • Massey, D. S., Arango, J., Hugo, G., Kouaouci, A., Pellegrino, A., & Taylor, J. E. (1993). Theories of international migration: a review and appraisal. Population and Development Review, 19(3), 431–466. doi:10.2307/2938462.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mayer, T., & Zignago, S. (2011). Notes on CEPII’s distances measures: the geodist database (SSRN Scholarly Paper No. ID 1994531). Rochester: Social Science Research Network.

    Google Scholar 

  • McConnell, E. D. (2008). The U.S. destinations of contemporary Mexican immigrants. International Migration Review, 42(4), 767–802. doi:10.1111/j.1747-7379.2008.00147.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Novotný, J., & Cheshire, J. A. (2012). The surname space of the Czech Republic: examining population structure by network analysis of spatial Co-occurrence of surnames. PloS One, 7(10), e48568. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0048568.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Novotny, J., & Hasman, J. (2015). The emergence of regional immigrant concentrations in USA and Australia: a spatial relatedness approach. PloS One, 10(5), e0126793. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0126793.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Novotny, J., & Hasman, J. (2016). Exploring the spatial relatedness network of the global system of international migration. Journal of Maps. Accepted for publication. doi:10.1080/17445647.2016.1237900

  • Parrado, E. A., & Morgan, S. P. (2008). Intergenerational fertility among hispanic women: new evidence of immigrant assimilation. Demography, 45(3), 651–671. doi:10.1353/dem.0.0023.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pascual-de-Sans, À. (2004). Sense of place and migration histories Idiotopy and idiotope. Area, 36(4), 348–357. doi:10.1111/j.0004-0894.2004.00236.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peach, C. (1999). London and New York: contrasts in British and American models of segregation with a comment by Nathan Glazer. International Journal of Population Geography, 5(5), 319–347. doi:10.1002/(SICI)1099-1220(199909/10)5:5<319::AID-IJPG148>3.0.CO;2-Q.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pena, A. A. (2009). Locational choices of the legal and illegal: the case of Mexican agricultural Workers in the U.S. International Migration Review, 43(4), 850–880. doi:10.1111/j.1747-7379.2009.00786.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Phythian, K., Walters, D., & Anisef, P. (2011). Predicting earnings among immigrants to Canada: the role of source country. International Migration, 49(6), 129–154. doi:10.1111/j.1468-2435.2010.00626.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Poulain, M., & Perrin, N. (2008). Measuring international migration: a challenge for demographers. In J. Surkyn & P. Deboosere (Eds.), Demographic challenges for the twenty-first century: a state of the art in demography (pp. 143–173). Brussell: Vubpress.

    Google Scholar 

  • Riosmena, F., & Massey, D. S. (2012). Pathways to el Norte: origins, destinations, and characteristics of Mexican migrants to the United States. International Migration Review, 46(1), 3–36. doi:10.1111/j.1747-7379.2012.00879.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Santo Tomas, P. A., Summers, L. H., & Clemens, M. (2009). Migrants count: five steps toward better migration data. Report of the commission on international migration data for development research and policy. Washington: Center for Global Development.

    Google Scholar 

  • Singleton, A. (1999). Combining quantitative and qualitative research methods in the study of international migration. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 2(2), 151–157. doi:10.1080/136455799295113.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • van Tubergen, F., Maas, I., & Flap, H. (2004). The economic incorporation of immigrants in 18 western societies: origin, destination, and community effects. American Sociological Review, 69(5), 704–727. doi:10.1177/000312240406900505.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jiří Hasman.

Electronic supplementary material

ESM 1

(DOCX 29.4 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Hasman, J., Novotný, J. Uncovering the Patterns of the US Geography of Immigration by an Analysis of Spatial Relatedness between Immigrant Groups. Appl. Spatial Analysis 11, 257–286 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12061-016-9214-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12061-016-9214-2

Keywords

Navigation