Office Of Refugee Resettlement: Data

Annual ORR Reports to Congress - 2003

II. Refugees in the United States

This section characterizes the refugee, Amerasian, and entrant population (hereafter, referred to as refugees unless noted otherwise) in the U.S., focusing primarily on those who have entered since 1983. All tables referenced by number appear in Appendix A.[1]

Nationality of U.S. Refugee Population

Southeast Asians[2] remain the largest refugee group among recent arrivals. Thirty-four percent of the 1,905,174 refugees who have arrived in the U.S. since the ORR refugee database was created in 1983 have fled from nations of Southeast Asia (refer to Table 1, Appendix A). Prior to 1983, the proportion was much higher, as evidenced by supplementary admission data supplied by the Department of State. According to their data, the proportion of refugees who arrived since 1975 that fled from Southeast Asia is 52 percent (refer to Table II-1, this section).

Vietnamese continue to be the majority refugee group from Southeast Asia, although the ethnic composition of the entering population has become more diverse over time. About 135,000 Southeast Asians fled to America at the time of the collapse of the Saigon government in 1975. Over the next four years, large numbers of boat people escaped Southeast Asia and were admitted to the U.S. The majority of these arrivals were Vietnamese. The Vietnamese share has declined gradually, especially since persons from Cambodia and Laos began to arrive in larger numbers in 1980.

For the period FY 1983 through FY 2003, Vietnamese refugees made up 71 percent of refugee arrivals from Southeast Asia, while 18 percent were from Laos, and 11 percent were from Cambodia. More recently, refugees from outside of Southeast Asia have arrived in larger numbers. Between FY 1988 and FY 2003, refugees arriving from the former Soviet Union have surpassed refugees arriving from Vietnam every year except FY 1991. More recently, in FY 1995, refugees from the former Soviet Union and Vietnam were surpassed by refugees arriving from Cuba. Since FY 1998, refugees from the former Yugoslavia eclipsed all other refugee groups until FY 2002, when entrants from Cuba began to dominate arrivals.

Since ORR began keeping records of refugee arrivals in 1983, refugees from five countries have represented 77 percent of all arrivals: the former Soviet Union (26 percent), Vietnam (24 percent), Cuba (12 percent), the former Yugoslavia (9 percent), and Laos (6 percent).

Geographic Location of Refugees

Southeast Asian refugees have settled in every State and one territory of the United States (refer to Table 2, Appendix A). From FY 1983 through FY 2003, more Southeast Asians initially resettled in California than any other State (35 percent). For the same period, more non-Southeast Asians resettled in New York than any other State (18 percent).

The majority of refugees initially resettling in California arrived from Vietnam (38 percent) followed by refugees from the former Soviet Union (23 percent). Sixty-eight percent of the refugees initially resettling in New York were from the former Soviet Union followed by refugees from Vietnam (8 percent). Eighty-three percent of the refugees initially resettling in Florida arrived from Cuba and Haiti. Of that 83 percent, Cuba accounted for 75 percent; another 8 percent were from Haiti. In Texas, the largest proportion of refugees came from Vietnam (47 percent) and the former Yugoslavia (10 percent). In the State of Washington, the largest proportion of refugees came from the former Soviet Union (46 percent) and from Vietnam (26 percent).

Table II-1: Summary of Refugee Admissions for FY 1975 - FY 2003

Fiscal Year	Africa	East Asia	Eastern Europe	Soviet Union	Latin America	Near East Asia
1975	0	135,000	1,947	6,211	3,000	0
1976	0	15,000	1,756	7,450	3,000	0
1977	0	7,000	1,755	8,191	3,000	0
1978	0	20,574	2,245	10,688	3,000	0
1979	0	76,521	3,393	24,449	7,000	0
1980	955	163,799	5,025	28,444	6,662	2,231
1981	2,119	131,139	6,704	13,444	2,017	3,829
1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003	3,412 2,645 2,749 1,951 1,322 1,990 1,593 1,902 3,453 4,420 5,470 6,967 5,860 4,827 7,604 6,065 6,887 13,043 17,561 19,021 2,548 10,717	73,755 39,245 51,978 49,962 45,482 40,099 35,371 45,722 51,598 53,522 51,899 49,817 43,564 36,987 19,321 8,594 10,854 10,206 4,561 3,725 3,525 1,724	11,109 11,867 10,096 9,233 8,503 8,396 7,510 8,752 6,094 6,837 2,915 2,582 7,707 10,070 12,145 21,401 30,842 24,497 22,561 15,777 5,439 2,525	2,760 1,342 721 623 799 3,699 20,411 39,602 50,628 39,226 61,397 48,773 43,854 35,951 29,816 27,331 23,557 17,410 15,103 15,748 9,963 8,744	580 691 150 151 131 323 2,497 2,604 2,305 2,253 3,065 4,071 6,156 7,629 3,550 2,996 1,627 2,110 3,232 2,973 1,933 452	6,480 5,428 4,699 5,784 5,909 10,021 8,368 6,938 4,979 5,342 6,903 6,987 5,840 4,510 3,967 4,101 3,313 4,098 10,129 12,060 3,702 4,260
1975-2003 Grand Total	135,081	1,280,544	269,684	596,335	79,158	139,871

Note: This chart does not include an additional 8,214 refugees admitted between FY 1988 and FY 1993 under the Private Sector Initiative (PSI) or the 14,161 Kosovar refugees admitted in FY 1999. Numbers listed above for Latin America exclude Cuban and Haitian entrants.

Source: Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, U.S Department of State. Totals do not correlate directly with ORR database.

California, New York, and Florida have resettled the greatest number of refugees to date (refer to Table 2, Appendix A). California received the most refugees from FY 1983 through FY 1994; since FY 1995, Florida has resettled the largest number of refugees every year but FY 1997, when New York resettled the most refugees.

For FY 2003, the majority of arrivals initially resettled in the same five States as in previous years (refer to Table 3, Appendix A). The majority of Florida arrivals entered from Cuba (85 percent), followed by refugees and entrants from Haiti (8 percent). Thirty-nine percent of the refugees initially resettled in New York arrived from the former Soviet Union, with another 13 percent from Liberia. Almost half of California arrivals arrived from the U.S.S.R. (49 percent). In Texas, refugees from Sudan (15 percent) and Cuba (15 percent) made up the largest proportion, while 84 percent of Washington arrivals came from the former Soviet Union.

Secondary Migration

The Reception and Placement program ensures that refugees arrive in communities with sufficient resources to meet their immediate needs and a caseworker to assist them with resettlement and orientation. Refugees need not stay in the community of initial resettlement, and many leave to build a new life elsewhere. A number of explanations for secondary migration by refugees have been suggested: better employment opportunities, the pull of an established ethnic community, more generous welfare benefits, better training opportunities, reunification with relatives, or a more congenial climate.

The Refugee Assistance Amendments of 1982 amended the Refugee Act of 1980 (section 412(a) (3)) directing ORR to compile and maintain data on the secondary migration of refugees within the United States. In response to this directive, ORR developed the Refugee State-of-Origin Report (ORR-11) for estimating secondary migration. Beginning with FY 1983, the principal use of the ORR-11 data has been to allocate ORR social service funds to States. The most recent compilation was September 30, 2001.

The method of estimating secondary migration is based on the first three digits of social security numbers which are assigned geographically in blocks by State. With the assistance of their sponsors, almost all arriving refugees apply for social security numbers immediately upon arrival in the United States. Therefore, the first three digits of a refugee's social security number are a good indicator of his or her initial State of residence in the U.S. If a refugee currently residing in California has a social security number assigned in Nevada, for example, the method treats that person as having moved from initial resettlement in Nevada to current residence in California.

States participating in the refugee program provide ORR-11 data for refugees currently receiving assistance or services in their programs (for the most recent three-year period). Compilation of ORR-11 data by all reporting States results in a 51 x 51 State matrix which contains information on migration from each State to every other State. In effect, State A's report shows how many people have migrated in from other States, as well as how many people who were initially placed in State A are currently there. The reports from every other State, when combined, shows how many people have left State A.

Available information indicates that much of the secondary migration of refugees takes place during their first few years after arrival and that the refugee population becomes relatively stabilized in its geographic distribution after an initial adjustment period. The matrix of all possible pairs of in- and out-migration between States can be summarized into total in- and out-migration figures reported for each State. Examination of the detailed State-by-State matrix showed several migration patterns: a strong movement in and out of California, Florida, and Texas; a strong movement into Ohio, Minnesota, and Washington; a strong movement out of New Jersey, New York, and Virginia; and some population exchange between contiguous or geographically close States.

TABLE II-2 - Employment Status of Refugees by Year of Arrival and Sex: 2003 Survey

	Employment Rate (EPR)			Labor Force Participation Rate			Unemployment Rate
Year of Arrival	All	Male	Female	All	Male	Female	All	Male	Female
2003	42.9	50.7	32.8	58.0	66.1	47.7	15.1	15.3	14.9
2002	53.4	65.1	43.3	61.1	72.1	51.7	7.7	6.9	8.4
2001	61.6	67.0	53.0	65.3	69.6	58.3	3.7	2.6	5.3
2000	54.4	70.3	58.6	60.0	77.3	45.8	5.6	7.0	4.4
1999	61.2	67.5	53.2	68.7	73.3	62.9	7.5	5.8	9.7
Total Sample	55.2	64.0	45.3	61.0	69.1	51.8	5.7	5.1	6.4
U.S.Rates	62.3	68.9	56.1	65.7	72.8	59.2	6.0	6.3	5.7

Note: This information is as of October 2003 and is not seasonally adjusted. Data refer to refugees 16 and over in the five-year sample population consisting of Amerasians, Entrants, and Refugees of all nationalities who arrived in the years 1999-2003.

Almost every State experienced both gains and losses through secondary migration. Twenty States gained additional refugees through secondary migration. The largest net in-migration was recorded for California (2,158), Florida (2,131), Ohio (1,368), and Minnesota (1,234). New York (1,433) and Texas (1,327) reported the largest net out-migration.

Economic Adjustment

Economic self-sufficiency is as important to refugees as adapting to their new homeland's social rhythms. Towards that end, the Refugee Act of 1980, and the Refugee Assistance amendments enacted in 1982 and 1986 stress the achievement of employment and economic self‑sufficiency by refugees as soon as possible after their arrival in the United States. This involves a balance among three elements: (1) the employment potential of refugees, including their education, skills, English language competence, and health; (2) the needs that they as individuals and members of families have for financial resources, whether for food, housing, or childcare; and (3) the economic environment in which they settle, including the availability of jobs, housing, and other local resources.

Past refugee surveys have found that the economic adjustment of refugees to the U.S. has been a successful and generally rapid process. However, during 2003, the process of refugee economic adjustment appears to have met with some difficulty, most likely due to the residual social, economic, and political effects of the 9-11 crisis on the U.S. population. Nevertheless, according to the employment information retrieved from this year's refugee population study, refugees in the five-year population achieved a level of economic achievement only marginally lower than the population of the U.S., as evidenced by their employment rates, labor force participation rates, and unemployment rates, which may indicate that integration into the mainstream of the U.S. economy is proceeding steadily, albeit at a slower pace than in past years.

Gauges of Economic Adjustment

In 2003, ORR completed its 32nd survey of a national sample of refugees selected from the population of all refugees who arrived between May 1, 1998 and April 30, 2003. The survey collected basic demographic information, such as age and country of origin, level of education, English language training, job training, labor force participation, work experience and barriers to employment, for each adult member of the household. Other data were collected by family unit, including housing, income, and welfare utilization data.

To evaluate the economic progress of refugees, ORR relied on several measures of employment activity employed by economists. The first group of measures relates to employment status in the week before the survey and includes the employment‑to‑population ratio (or EPR), the labor force participation rate, and the unemployment rate. In addition, data on work experience over the past year and number of hours worked per week were analyzed, as well as reasons for not working. Data are also presented on the length of time it took refugees to gain their first job since arrival in the U.S.

Employment Status

Table II-2 presents the employment rate (EPR)[3] in October 2003 for refugees 16 and over in the five-year population. The survey found that the overall EPR for all refugees who came to the U.S. between 1997 and 2003 was 55 percent (64 percent for males and 45 percent for females). As a point of reference, the employment rate for the U.S. population was 62 percent in 2003.

Economic conditions in the U.S. as a whole influence the ability of refugees to find employment. The U.S. employment rate was down less than a percentage point since the 2002 survey, but down six points from its peak in 2000. Refugee employment has retreated even more-down six points from the year before (61 percent), but down 13 points from the peak year of 2000 (68 percent).

The 7-point difference between refugee and U.S. employment rates revealed a modest retreat from the progress made in previous years. For the past several years, the difference has been between two and four percent, with refugees actually enjoying a higher employment rate in 1999 and 2000.

But independent of economic conditions here and despite the setback of the past year, considerable progress has been made by refugees in finding employment upon arrival in the past decade. Refugees who entered the U.S. in the late 1980's and early 1990's, who were interviewed in the 1993 survey, for example, found employment only at about half the overall U.S. employment rate at that time (33 percent versus 61 percent-see Table II-3 and Figure 1, following). This progress can be attributed, at least in part, to the increased emphasis placed on finding employment by State and ORR-supported programs.

Table II-3 - Employment Status of Refugees by Survey Year and Sex
(Based on Refugees Age 16 and Older)

	Employment Rate (EPR)			Labor Force Participation Rate			Unemployment Rate
Year Survey Administered	All	Male	Female	All	Male	Female	All	Male	Female
2003 Survey	55.2	64.0	45.3	61.0	69.1	51.8	5.7	5.1	6.4
U.S. Rate	62.3	68.9	56.1	65.7	72.8	59.2	6.0	6.3	5.7

2002 Survey	60.8	65.6	55.2	67.1	72.3	61.3	6.4	6.8	6.1
U.S. Rate	62.7	69.7	56.3	67.8	74.8	61.3	5.8	5.9	5.6

2001 Survey	62.0	67.7	56.3	66.6	72.7	60.5	6.9	6.9	7.0
U.S. Rate	63.7	70.9	57.0	67.6	74.9	60.9	4.7	4.8	4.7

2000 Survey	67.8	72.6	62.7	70.1	74.9	65.1	3.3	3.0	3.7
U.S. Rate	64.4	71.9	57.5	67.2	76.6	60.9	4.0	3.9	4.1

1999 Survey	66.8	72.3	61.1	68.9	74.4	63.3	3.1	2.8	3.5
U.S. Rate	64.3	71.6	57.4	67.1	76.7	60.7	4.2	4.1	4.3

1998 Survey	56.0	62.7	49.4	59.1	65.9	52.3	5.2	4.9	5.6
U.S. Rate	64.1	71.6	57.1	67.1	76.8	60.4	4.5	4.4	4.6

1997 Survey	53.9	62.9	45.1	58.3	67.1	49.5	7.5	6.3	9.0
U.S. Rate	63.8	71.3	56.8	67.1	77.0	60.5	4.9	4.9	5.0

1996 Survey	51.1	58.8	43.3	57.5	65.7	49.2	11.2	10.6	12.0
U.S. Rate	63.2	70.9	56.0	66.8	76.8	59.9	5.4	5.4	5.4

1995 Survey	42.3	49.5	35.1	49.8	57.4	42.1	15.1	14.0	16.6
U.S. Rate	62.9	70.8	55.6	66.6	76.7	59.4	5.6	5.6	5.6

1994 Survey	35.5	41.2	29.8	43.6	50.7	36.5	18.8	18.9	18.6
U.S. Rate	62.5	70.4	55.3	66.6	76.8	59.3	6.1	6.2	6.0

1993 Survey	32.5	37.3	27.7	35.4	41.2	29.7	8.4	9.5	6.9
U.S. Rate	61.7	70.0	54.1	66.3	77.3	58.5	6.9	7.2	6.6
Note: As of December of each year indicated. Not seasonally adjusted. Data refer to refugees 16 and over in the five-year sample population consisting of Amerasians, Entrants, and Refugees of all nationalities who were interviewed as a part of the survey.

Another way of demonstrating the improvement in employment participation of refugees is to look in successive surveys at the EPR for refugees who entered the U.S. in a particular year. For example, refugees who entered the U.S. in 1999 had an employment rate of 51 percent in the 1999 survey, 64 percent in the 2000 and 2001 survey, and 65 percent in the 2002 survey, before settling back to 61 percent in the 2003 survey. (These figures compiled from previous surveys.) Overall, the U.S.employment rate for the population as a whole remained relatively consistent between 2002 and 2003, 63 percent and 62 percent respectively.

Figure 1. Employment Rate of Refugees and U.S. population: 1994 to 2003 (Figures for refugees are for those in the survey sample in the year shown. Employment status is as of the week prior to the Survey.)

Table II-3 also contains data on the labor force participation rate[4] for refugees 16 and over in the five-year population. This rate is closely related to the employment rate, except it includes individuals looking for work as well as those currently employed. In October 2003, the overall labor force participation rate for the five-year refugee population was 61 percent, five points lower than the overall U.S. rates. Refugee males (69 percent) sought and found work at a much higher rate than refugee females (52 percent).

Figure 1. Employment Rate of Refugees and U.S. population: 1994 to 2003 (Figures for refugees are for those in the survey sample in the year shown. Employment status is as of the week prior to the Survey.)

The 2003 refugee labor force participation parallels the modest decline in the refugee employment rate of the past five years. The 2003 rate (61 percent) is slightly lower than the rates of past years-67 percent in 2002 and 2001, 70 percent in 2000, and 69 percent in 1999, reflecting an overall small but perceptible decline in the labor force participation rate since 1999 (refer to Table II-3). During this time, the overall U.S. participation rate was virtually unchanged (66 percent).

Nevertheless, as with the EPR and independent of economic conditions, the labor force participation rate for refugees increases with time in the U.S. The labor force participation rate for the 2003 arrivals in this year's survey was58 percent, for example, but reached 69 percent for refugees who arrived in 1999 (refer to Table II-2).

Table II-4 reveals significant differences between the employment rates of seven refugee country of origin groupings[5]. The EPR for the six refugee groups ranged from a high of 67 percent for refugees from Eastern Europe, 65 percent for refugees from Southeast Asia and 63 percent for refugees from Africa (exceeding the EPR for the U.S.) to a low of 31 percent for refugees from the Middle East. Some groups have a higher proportion of persons over age 65 years than other groups, which might be expected to affect the employment rates shown here for persons 16 years of age and older. Age composition differences alone between groups did not explain these differences. Refugees from the Middle East had the lowest employment rate among refugees regardless of age. Refugees from Eastern Europe continue to sustain the highest employment rate; however, unlike previous years, refugees from Africa, and Southeast Asia improved their employment rates for year 2003, achieving percentages closer to those countries that traditionally have a higher EPR, 63 percent and 65 percent respectively. Latin American refugees, who have typically achieved a high employment rate (68 percent in 2002), reported a lower than normal employment rate of 59 percent. The Middle Eastern group reported the lowest employment rate across the 2003 survey.

Table II-4 - Employment Status of Selected Refugee Groups by Sex: 2003 Refugee Survey

Employment Measure	Africa	Eastern Europe	Latin America	Middle East*	S.E. Asia**	Former Soviet Union	All
Employment Rate (EPR)	62.5%	66.9%	59.2%	30.7%	65.2%	43.5%	55.2%
-Males