Africans in America

Irma T. Elo, University of Pennsylvania
Elizabeth Frankenberg, Duke University
Romeo Gamsey, Duke University

Relatively little is known about the economic success of African-born migrants although they constitute the fastest-growing and best-educated group of migrants in the U.S. Even less is known about heterogeneity among African-origin migrants in spite of tremendous variation across Africa in economic prosperity and, therefore, the motivation to emigrate and the selectivity of those who successfully migrate. There are vast differences across the African continent in the level and quality of human capital as well as knowledge of English. Migrants from a small number of countries have access to refugee and family visas; the rest do not. This research describes the extent of heterogeneity in human capital and labor market success among African-origin migrants in the U.S. and explores the evidence in support of hypotheses that purport to explain this variation. Data from the 2000-2011 waves of the American Community Survey are combined with administrative sources.