MPI Releases Most Recent National and State Data on Immigrants’ Education Levels and English Proficiency

Comprehensive Data Tool Is Part of the New MPI Data Hub

WASHINGTON -- Immigrants’ ability to speak English is key to determining their success in the United States, and education has long been seen as critical for upward social and economic mobility. A new research tool from the Migration Policy Institute provides instant access to data on English-language proficiency and educational attainment among the foreign born in each state.  This release is particularly timely as new flows of immigrants are dispersing to states that have not traditionally been immigrant gateways.

With the click of a button, journalists and researchers can access data from a selected state, including:

• the number of adults and children who are limited English proficient;
• the number of people living in linguistically isolated households;
• the number of foreign- and U.S.-born adults without high school diplomas and those with college degrees;
• shifts in key education and language characteristics between 1990, 2000 and 2005; and
• comparisons of state to national data and trends.

The research tool uses 2005 American Community Survey and U.S. Census data.  The tool also provides state-level data on the social and demographic characteristics of the foreign born.  In coming months, MPI will add data on workforce participation and income of the foreign born in each state.

“In 2005, one in four immigrant adults in the nation had a B.A. or higher degree. At the same time, one in three did not have a high school diploma,” said MPI Policy Analyst Jeanne Batalova. “We want to make it easy for people to understand trends in how well immigrants speak English and how immigrants’ educational attainment compares to that of people born in the United States, as well as how these trends are changing over time.”

The data tool is part of the new MPI Data Hub, a one-stop center for domestic and international data on migration and immigrant integration. Other tools include:

• Country and Comparative Data: in-depth stock, flow, net migration, asylum, and naturalization data from 17 countries, as well as comparative charts and tables;
• Maps of the Foreign Born in the United States: maps of the foreign born from Mexico, the Philippines, India, China, Vietnam, South America, Africa, Iran, and the Caribbean;
• “Who’s Where in the United States”: the foreign born from a country or region of origin in a particular state compared to other states; and
• World Migration Map: top countries of origin and destination for migrants to and from the Americas, Europe, and East and Southeast Asia.