Recent Immigration and Economic Outcomes in Rural America

This paper assessed how recent immigrant flows have affected non-metropolitan county labor market outcomes over the 2000-2005 period. We find the largest impact to be increased net out-migration of natives in the more remote rural counties. Dramatically less out-migration of natives occurred in manufacturing-dependent counties, which also experienced reduced employment rates suggesting greater job queuing. Immigration was positively associated with net migration in persistently high-poverty counties. Given the general absence of statistically significant adverse impacts on other labor market outcomes in these counties, it is possible that immigration helps to revitalize persistently high-poverty counties, although point estimates suggested out-migration may have been insufficient to equalize real wages.