California is still home to more immigrants than any other state, but its popularity as an immigrant destination is dropping: From 1990 to 2007 immigrant growth rates in some other states topped 20 percent per year, more than five times the rate of growth here. Similarly, growth rates in new destinations within the state, such as Riverside and Kern Counties, have soared. This report examines the reasons for this shift, one being the decline in the preferences of new immigrants, particularly Latinos, to live in cities with large populations of other immigrants. Simultaneously, widening economic opportunities in new areas have attracted many new immigrants.
This study was supported with funding from The Ford Foundation and the Research Foundation of The City University of New York.