Changes in the geographic concentration and location of residence of immigrants

Increases in the number and size of enclaves of the new immigrant groups fr om Latin America and Asia during the 1980s have changed the ethnic composit ion of many American cities. I have classified primary and secondary enclav e networks for each immigrant country of origin in order to examine changes in the geographic concentration of immigrants. First I calculated the Dunc an index of dissimilarity for immigrants relative to natives at the metropo litan area level. I then use individual-level data to follow immigrant coho rts over time in order to examine how time in the United States is associat ed with movements from primary enclaves to other geographic areas in the im migrant networks. There is movement from the primary enclave to the periphe ry of the primary enclave, to areas of smaller groupings of immigrants from the same country of origin, and to areas that do not have large groupings of immigrants from the same country. It is significant that many of these c hanges in location occur quite late in the assimilation process.