BROOKINGS INSTITUTIONMETROPOLITAN POLICY PROGRAM

Audrey Singer, Immigration Fellow

The Brookings Institution

Global Immigrant Gateways WorkshopGeorge Washington UniversityJanuary 12-13, 2006

Las Vegas: Global Suburb?: Migration to and from an Emerging Immigrant Gateway

Metropolitan Policy Program

BROOKINGS INSTITUTIONMETROPOLITAN POLICY PROGRAM

It is important that we have a project on the West Coast, and where better than Las Vegas which is a destination, and Southern California where people can see it and ride it. It is expensive, but we can’t continue the growth in the western part of the United States and still rely on just roads and air.

--Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska), in support of a magnetic levitation train between Anaheim

and Las Vegas

BROOKINGS INSTITUTIONMETROPOLITAN POLICY PROGRAM

Look, I've had guys from a little farm in Puebla [Mexico] who were some of the best chefs I've ever seen. Phenomenal. Anything you taught them they could learn, and do.

Stephen Kalt, Executive Chef, Corsa Cucina,Wynn Las Vegas

BROOKINGS INSTITUTIONMETROPOLITAN POLICY PROGRAM

Why has Las Vegas grown so quickly?

Las Vegas has become more like the rest of America just as the rest of America has become more like Las Vegas

Neon, entertainment, gambling, sex! All bigger part of popular culture, normative American experience

Las Vegas has become more like the rest of America: suburban growth, inner city decline, traffic congestion, sprawl, …and more Spanish speakers

BROOKINGS INSTITUTIONMETROPOLITAN POLICY PROGRAM

Why has Las Vegas grown so quickly?

The Last Detroit: the most unionized city in the US and the service economy

Low cost of living, new housing, endless desert space

Las Vegas has a diversified economy: major transportation, inexpensive storage space, low operation costs

It’s not California: recession in the early 1990s led to mass exodus out of California

BROOKINGS INSTITUTIONMETROPOLITAN POLICY PROGRAM

Las Vegas in Context

Hoover Dam

North Las Vegas

Oxnard

Fresno

Tucson

Phoenix

Stockton

San Jose

Las Vegas

San Diego

Riverside

Sacramento

Los Angeles

Bakersfield

San Francisco

Salt Lake City

Great Salt Lake

Salton Sea

Lake Mead

Lake Powell

Lake Tahoe

§̈¦I15

§̈¦I10

§̈¦ I5

§̈¦I40

§̈¦I80

§̈¦I8

§̈¦I70

§̈ ¦I17

§̈ ¦I19

RenoCarson City

Henderson

UTAH

NEVADA

CALIFORNIAARIZONA

BROOKINGS INSTITUTIONMETROPOLITAN POLICY PROGRAM

Population Change in Las Vegas, 1960-2000

Total Population, Metropolitan Las Vegas, 1960-2000

139,126

304,744

528,000

852,737

1,563,282

0

200000

400000

600000

800000

1000000

1200000

1400000

1600000

1800000

Total population

Source: Census1960 1970 1980 1990 2000

119% 76% 62% 83%

BROOKINGS INSTITUTIONMETROPOLITAN POLICY PROGRAM

Migration In and Out of Las Vegas

0

20000

40000

60000

80000

100000

120000

1989

-9019

91-92

1993

-9419

95-96

1997

-9819

99-00

2001

-0220

03-04

In-migrants Out-migrants Net in-migrants

Source: IRS

Gross and net migration, Las Vegas

BROOKINGS INSTITUTIONMETROPOLITAN POLICY PROGRAM

Migration In and Out of Las Vegas

Source: IRS

02000400060008000

1000012000140001600018000

1989-901990-911991-921992-931993-941994-951995-961996-971997-981998-991999-002000-012001-022002-032003-04

In-migrants Out-migrants Net in-migrants

Migration Flows between Las Vegas and Los Angeles

BROOKINGS INSTITUTIONMETROPOLITAN POLICY PROGRAM

Migration In and Out of Las Vegas

Source: IRS

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

1989

-9019

91-92

1993

-9419

95-96

1997

-9819

99-00

2001

-0220

03-04

In-migrants Out-migrants Net in-migrants

Migration Flows between Las Vegas and Riverside-San Bernardino

BROOKINGS INSTITUTIONMETROPOLITAN POLICY PROGRAM

Migration In and Out of Las Vegas

Source: IRS

Migration Flows between Las Vegas and Phoenix

-5000

50010001500200025003000350040004500

1989

-9019

91-92

1993

-9419

95-96

1997

-9819

99-00

2001

-0220

03-04

In-migrants Out-migrants Net in-migrants

BROOKINGS INSTITUTIONMETROPOLITAN POLICY PROGRAM

Los Angeles Metropolitan area dominates inflow

Source: Internal Revenue Service

*includes Orange County

97,14785,30077,17167,222Total In-migration

1.31,2881.41,2181.71,3102.11,415Reno

2.32,2812.82,3872.82,1906.34,213Phoenix

4.13,9682.92,5123.52,6972.71,841San Diego

3.23,1823.02,5372.92,2231.5993New York

3.33,2013.73,1402.92,2462.31,519Chicago

4.64,4514.94,2516.04,6323.42,286Riverside-San Bernardino

16.015,56614.912,69519.815,25114.59,762Los Angeles*

%#%#%#%#2004200019941990

Metropolitan Area

Sources of Gross In-migration to Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, Selected Years

BROOKINGS INSTITUTIONMETROPOLITAN POLICY PROGRAM

Increase in the Foreign-Born, Las Vegas, 1980-2000

Source: Census

1980 1990 2000

74,304

258,494

35,062

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

1

112% 248%

BROOKINGS INSTITUTIONMETROPOLITAN POLICY PROGRAM

The nation’s primary Gateway States are shifting

From Northeastand Southwest

To Southeastand Mountain West

BROOKINGS INSTITUTIONMETROPOLITAN POLICY PROGRAM

29.0Salinas, CA29.0Laredo, TX29.5McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX29.9Orange County, CA32.0San Francisco, CA33.7New York, NY34.1San Jose, CA36.2Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA38.5Jersey City, NJ50.9Miami, FL

HIGHEST PERCENT FOREIGN-BORN, 2000

Contemporary trends in metropolitan immigrant settlement

BROOKINGS INSTITUTIONMETROPOLITAN POLICY PROGRAM

Contemporary trends in metropolitan immigrant settlement

172.2Austin-San Marcos, TX174.1Salt Lake City-Ogden, UT182.7Phoenix-Mesa, AZ186.6Denver, CO219.9Nashville, TN247.9Las Vegas, NV-AZ262.8Atlanta, GA270.4Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC315.0Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill, NC-SC367.2Greensboro-Winston-Salem-High Point, NC

PERCENT GREATEST GROWTH IN FOREIGN-BORN, 1990-2000(Among Metros with >1M total population)

BROOKINGS INSTITUTIONMETROPOLITAN POLICY PROGRAM

Country of Birth, Las Vegas 2000

Other23%

Germany 2%

Mexico47%

Philippines 10%

El Salvador 4%

Vietnam 2%

China 2%

UK 2%Cuba 3%

Canada 3%

Korea 2%

BROOKINGS INSTITUTIONMETROPOLITAN POLICY PROGRAM

Where did you live 5 years ago (1995), Las Vegas residents, 2000

Native -Born Foreign -Born

Same House

Different House, US

Abroad

26 %

54 %

19%

38 %

61 %

1%

BROOKINGS INSTITUTIONMETROPOLITAN POLICY PROGRAM

Percentage of foreign-born who moved from abroad five years ago, selected metros, 2000

42%Atlanta41%Pittsburgh38%Detroit38%Dallas36%Phoenix33%Chicago33%New York26%Las Vegas23%

RESIDING IN

Los Angeles

BROOKINGS INSTITUTIONMETROPOLITAN POLICY PROGRAM

Among FB movers, where did you live 5 years ago?

71

80

86

82

66

93

77

77

72

78

29

20

14

18

34

7

23

23

28

22

0 20 40 60 80 100 120

Mexico

Philippines

El Salvador

Canada

Cuba

Germany

Guatemala

Japan

China

KoreaDifferent house in US Abroad

BROOKINGS INSTITUTIONMETROPOLITAN POLICY PROGRAM

Residential concentration outside the city limits

BROOKINGS INSTITUTIONMETROPOLITAN POLICY PROGRAM

Change in the population without the foreign born

Population Change in Selected Metropolitan Areas, 1990-2000

-10.0

0.0

10.0

20.0

30.0

40.0

50.0

60.0

70.0

80.0

90.0

Pittsburgh Chicago New York Los Angeles Atlanta Las Vegas Phoenix

Percent Change in Total Population

Percent Change in Native-bornPopulation

Source: Census

BROOKINGS INSTITUTIONMETROPOLITAN POLICY PROGRAM

Las Vegas, Global Suburb?

Migration ‘system’ with the Southwestern region, including Mexico

More affordable middle-class lifestyle, like the ‘burbs used to be?

Foreign-born population will continue to grow due to social networks