More to Come: A Profile of Nigerian Immigrants in the United States

• In Event: 2384 - Section on International Migration Refereed Roundtable Session
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 06. Dynamics of Incorporation

Abstract

This paper presents a profile of Nigerian immigrants in the United States, based on their generation status. The analysis uses data between 1980 and 2010, from the United States Census Bureau. It explores demographic trends in generation status of Nigerian immigrants by sex, median age, and age at immigration. Furthermore, it also looks at the socioeconomic outcomes of educational attainment and median annual income. The data highlights three key trends. First, the proportion of 1.5 and second generation Nigerian immigrants increased between 1980 and 2010. Second, consistent with literature that highlights the high levels of educational attainment among African immigrants, in 2010, more than 55% of Nigerian immigrants had a Bachelor’s degree or higher. Third, the median annual income among Nigerian immigrants was markedly higher than the national figure. This paper conjectures explanations for these patterns based on education and immigration literature, but underscores the need for additional studies that explore the underlying processes that result in such outcomes.

Author

• Karen Okigbo, City University of New York-The Graduate Center