Interstate migration, spatial assimilation, and the incorporation of US immigrants

The recent trend of immigrant geographical diffusion in the United States has increased the relevance of a detailed understanding of the consequences of secondary migration for immigrant families, and a consideration of what is to be learned about immigrant incorporation from their patterns of domestic migration. In this paper, a regional variant of the spatial assimilation model is tested using longitudinal data on immigrant economic well‐being. The results of this research indicate that, like their native counterparts, immigrants benefit, both in terms of employment and earnings, from making interstate moves. Consistent with the spatial assimilation model, immigrants migrating to states with smaller relative foreign‐born populations see additional gains, with higher‐skilled and better‐acculturated immigrants enjoying the greatest returns.