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Title: Hmong Homeownership: Up Sharply in the 1990s But Still Lagging in the Central Valley

Citation Type: Miscellaneous

Publication Year: 2003

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Abstract: In the initial stages of Hmong settlement in the United States, pessimism about the long-term prospects for theireconomic success was sometimes expressed [Daniels 1990, pp. 369-370]. The low level of Hmong homeownershipin 1990 was consistent with this view. Whereas other immigrants arriving in the U.S. during the period of peakHmong arrival (1975-1984) had achieved homeownership rates of 30 to 45 percent by 1990 [Borjas 2002, Table 1],Hmong homeownership remained below 10 percent.We use Census data7 to show that this situation changed dramatically in the 1990s. As part of a broader pattern ofHmong adaptation and economic gains, Hmong homeownership rates rose rapidly across most of the United Statesand generally closed the homeownership gap between the Hmong and other immigrant groups. However, someHmong communities most importantly the large Hmong settlements in metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) ofCalifornias Central Valley did not fully share in the general rise in Hmong homeownership and now lag farbehind the overall Hmong and immigrant populations in homeownership. We argue below that low levels of skills,employment, and income in Central Valley Hmong communities explain much but not all of this regional gap inHmong homeownership. We further argue that the gap does not appear to be related to either housing prices or anygeneral pattern of elevated discrimination against minority homebuyers in the Central Valley. We conclude withsome ideas for further research on the regional gap in Hmong homeownership.

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Authors: Todd, Richard M.; Grover, Michael

Publisher: Hmong National Development, Inc.

Data Collections: IPUMS USA

Topics: Housing and Segregation, Migration and Immigration, Race and Ethnicity

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