Mexicans

According to data from the 2009-2011 ACS, there are 179,692 foreign-born Chinese in the New York City. They make up 2.2 percent of the total population (of 8,183,757) and 6.0 percent of the city’s total foreign-born population (of 3,019,068). The Mexican foreign born make up 18.6 percent of all 964,186 foreign-born Latinos in the city. Furthermore, the Mexican foreign born make up 57.8 percent of the 310,783 individuals in New York City who are of Mexican descent, which also includes native-born Mexicans. Thus, the Mexican population in New York City is still predominantly a newcomer population, but one that has been growing rapidly in recent years.

Mexican immigrants living in New York City who migrated between 1990 and 1999 used different visas to enter the United States. Most Mexican immigrants in the city come here because of family ties, and 65 percent use family-based visas as a means of entry. Another 20 percent of Mexican immigrants in the city entered the U.S. with an employment visa. No Mexican immigrants in the city came as refugees and Mexican immigrants have not been eligible for diversity visas to enter the United States. These data are only on legal immigrants and cannot tell about illegal immigration. Given that the majority (an estimated 6.5 out of 11.2 million) of undocumented immigrants in the United States are from Mexico, there likely are also significant numbers of undocumented Mexican immigrants in New York City (Passel and Cohn 2011).

Foreign-born Mexicans in New York City, compared to all foreign-born Latinos and all foreign-born individuals, experience difficulties with the English language. According to data from the 2009-2011 ACS, only 3 percent of foreign-born Mexicans aged 5 and over speak only English at home, compared to 4 percent of all foreign-born Latinos and 23 percent of all foreign-born aged 5 and over. Also, 62 percent of the foreign-born Mexican population aged five and over speaks English “not well” or “not at all,” compared to 48 percent of all foreign-born Latinos and 29 percent of all foreign-born individuals in the city. Because so many Mexican immigrants struggle with the English language, they likely also experience difficulties in getting ahead economically and it makes it more difficult for them to do well in school and obtain high-paying jobs requiring English.

Foreign-born Mexicans in New York City have relatively weak educational profiles, compared to foreign-born Dominicans (an immigrant group also known to struggle socioeconomically) and all foreign-born New Yorkers. According to data from the 2009-2011 ACS, the vast majority of the city’s Mexican-born population aged 25 years and over (65 percent) has not completed high school, compared to 56 percent of the city’s foreign-born Dominican population and 35 percent of all foreign-born New Yorkers. Also, only 5 percent of the Mexican foreign born aged 25 and over had BA higher degree, compared to 8 percent of foreign-born Dominicans and 23 percent of all foreign-born individuals in the city.

Even though many foreign-born Mexicans in New York City have difficulties with the English language and have weak educational profiles, foreign-born Mexican men show relatively high rates of labor force participation. Ninety percent of foreign-born Mexican men aged 16 and over are in the labor force, compared to 74 percent of foreign-born Latinos and 68 percent of all foreign-born men in the city. Foreign-born Mexican men also have relatively low unemployment rates (3 percent) compared to foreign-born Latino men (7 percent) and all foreign-born men (also 7 percent).

The story is quite different from foreign-born Mexican women in the city, however. A relatively low percentage of foreign-born Mexican women are in the labor force, 39 percent, compared to 49 percent for foreign-born Latinas and 52 percent of all foreign-born women. Also, a slightly higher percentage of foreign-born Mexican women are unemployed (8 percent) compared to foreign-born Latinas (7 percent) and all foreign-born women (6 percent). These gender differences in labor market participation between foreign-born Mexican men and women in New York City suggest a traditional division of labor, with men serving as key breadwinners.

Sources:
Lobo, Arun Peter, and Joseph J. Salvo.  2004.  The Newest New Yorkers, 2000: Immigrant New York in the New Millennium.  New York: New York City Department of City Planning, Population Division.

Passel, Jeffrey S, and D’Vera Cohn.  2011.  “Unauthorized Immigrant Population: National and State Trends, 2010.”  Washington, D.C.: Pew Hispanic Center.

U.S. Census Bureau.  2009-2011.  American Community Survey, 3-year estimates 2009-2011.  (IPUMS data analyzed by John Mollenkopf, CUNY Graduate Center).