Region Attracts Immigrants at Many Economic Levels
The Washington region has become a gateway for immigrants drawn by the local economic boom of the past five years, yet they are landing here at starkly different places on the economic spectrum, according to data to be released by the Census Bureau today.</br></br>There are more than 1 million immigrants in the area -- one out of every five people -- and they include highly skilled workers from India and China, who have come for jobs at the top of the wage scale. Immigrants from El Salvador and Mexico have come with less education and language skills and are taking lower-paying jobs, according to the Census data on economic, social and household characteristic of ethnic groups.</br></br>"Washington has a much more diverse set of immigrants compared to other cities in the country because the region offers many more types of jobs," said William H. Frey, a demographer at the Brookings Institution.</br></br>In New York and Los Angeles, family reunification has been a primary magnet for new immigrants. Though the Washington area has attracted immigrants with family connections, jobs associated with government contracting, the high-tech sector and rapid residential expansion have also drawn people, Frey said.</br></br>The Census numbers include both immigrants and native-born members of various ethnic groups. The Indian population, which has increased by 50 percent in the past five years, has the highest median income of any group, at $87,369. That includes whites, other Asians and Hispanics, according to the Census data. About eight in 10 Indians in the region are foreign born; eight in 10 speak a language other than English, but eight in 10 also speak English very well.