Korean Immigrants in the United States

Author: 
Cecilia Esterline and Jeanne Batalova
Date of Publication: 
April, 2022
Source Organization: 
Migration Policy Institute

Despite having the tenth largest immigrant population in the United States, the number of immigrants from the Korean Peninsula has declined in the past decade. From 2010-2019, the Korean-born immigrant population fell by 61,000 while the overall immigrant population in the US increased by 12 percent in the same period. This article begins by identifying factors that led to the growth of Korean immigration in the US, highlighting the significance of Korean War Brides, the passage of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, and the transition from predominantly low-skilled Korean workers to educated high-earners. The article then draws on data from the US Census Bureau, the Department of Homeland Security, and the World Bank to provide a comprehensive analysis of the size, geographic distribution, and socioeconomic characteristics of the Korean immigrant population in the US, including their distribution by state and key cities, English proficiency, age, education, employment, income, immigration pathways, health coverage, and data on remittances. (Flora Meng for The Immigrant Learning Center’s Public Education Institute)

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Citation: 

Esterline, C. & Batalova, J. (2022, April). Korean Immigrants in the United States. Migration Policy Institute. https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/korean-immigrants-united-states-...

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