Using Return Migration As a Development Tool—Are the Right Policies in Place?
Traditionally, return migrants were retirees who always intended to return to their country of origin. Today, however, returnees are increasingly younger, more highly trained, and able to shuttle back and forth between their country of birth and their adopted country. And they hold the potential to help build global networks, forge links between sending and receiving countries, and directly contribute to development efforts. (September 2006)
Is There a U.S. Shortage of Scientists and Engineers? It Depends Where You Live
Rural states and some minorities lag in high-tech opportunities—and the uneven distribution of these opportunities points to critical economic and educational differentials. (August 2006)
In the News: Speaking English in the United States
Nearly 50 million Americans spoke a language at home other than English in 2004—almost one-fifth of all U.S. residents age 5 or older. And U.S. immigrants are making the transition to English proficiency more quickly than at any time in the country’s history. (June 2006)
Rural America Undergoing a Diversity of Demographic Change
Gains have been greatest in the fringes of metropolitan areas and in rural areas that are proximate to metropolitan areas, that include small cities, and that contain natural and recreational amenities. In contrast, gains have been smallest in the heavily populated core counties of large metropolitan areas and in remote and thinly populated rural areas. (May 2006)
Americans Flocking to Outer Suburbs in Record Numbers
A new Census Bureau report says many large cities and inner suburbs are losing population at an increasing pace, while migration from the Northeast and California has slowed from the heavy pace of the 1990s. (May 2006)
The Battle Over Unauthorized Immigration to the United States
Will the United States continue to absorb between 500,000 and 1 million Latin American workers a year? And will new immigrant workers be unauthorized, legal guest workers, or foreigners on the path to American citizenship? Philip Martin reviews the latest U.S. House and Senate proposals to address these issues. (April 2006)
Hispanics Account for Almost One-Half of U.S. Population Growth
While the population pyramid for white non-Hispanics in the United States resembles those of European countries, the relative youth of the U.S. Hispanic population means that it will supply much of the U.S. population growth for decades to come. (February 2006)
What the American Community Survey Tells Us About U.S. Immigration
This relatively new Census Bureau monthly survey greatly improves our knowledge of new U.S. immigrants--their age, gender, language, education levels, country of origin, and how many are entering in a given year and to which states. (December 2005)
The Plight of Internally Displaced Persons
More than 25 million people in some 40 countries have been forcibly displaced within their own countries by violent conflict or environmental disasters such as hurricanes or earthquakes. But these populations are often neglected by the international community and victimized by their own governments. (October 2005)