Living Arrangements Among Older Immigrants in the United States

This analysis uses data from the 1990 5% Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) to identify the individual-level characteristics that influence residential dependence among immigrants age 60 and older in the United States. Particular attention is given to differences among 11 immigrant groups. Separate models are shown by gender and marital status. The results indicate that Hispanic and most Asian immigrants, particularly those from Mexico, Central or South America, India, and the Pacific Islands, are at a greater risk of living with family than non-Hispanic White immigrants. Although resource, need, and demographic characteristics influence the risk of living with Family, these individual-level characteristics do not explain the observed differences across the immigrant groups. These findings suggest that preferences that are shaped by the immigrant's experience as well as cultural background are an important determinant of immigrant living arrangements in later life.