Southeast Asians in North Carolina:

Settlement Patterns and Socioeconomic Outcomes

Abstract

The relevance of place characteristics of both sending and receiving regions on the socioeconomic success of immigrants constitutes an under examined yet potentially highly important factor explaining differential adjustment outcomes of groups from a similar geographic region. This research looks at major Southeast Asian refugee groups in North Carolina to compare them with each other in the same state and with the success of the same groups in other states. Census figures from PUMA and SF3 files are used to trace education attainment, income levels, and clustering in five demographic divisions from 1990 - 2007, depending on data availability. Interviews with community leaders supplement quantitative sources. Cultural factors, proclivity to settle in an urban or rural location, and the role of leadership are all found to play important explanatory roles.