Several emergent theories assert that neighborhood affects immigrants' soci
oeconomic advancement. This study analyzes a range of demographic and socio
economic indicators for immigrants' census tracts, summarized as exposure i
ndices. Indicators are based on 1980 and 1990 census tract information for
five major metropolitan areas. Seventeen immigrant groups are examined and
contrasted with; general populations distinguished by race/ethnicity.
Few general conclusions can be made about the "typical immigrant neighborho
od." Most immigrants (especially whites) are highly spatially assimilated.
Different immigrant groups often share the same census tracts in substantia
l numbers. There is considerable diversity among groups in their propensity
to reside in central cities. White immigrant groups evince advantageous ne
ighborhood socioeconomic indicators. With one exception, no immigrant group
in any metropolitan area studied has such disadvantageous neighborhood ind
icators as black households, on average. These findings dispel any vestiges
of the myth of the "immigrant ghetto" that might be generalized across imm
igrant groups or metropolitan areas.