Immigrant Growth and Change in Metropolitan Washington, D.C.

Overview
In the 1990s, the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area attracted 350,000 immigrants, representing nearly half of the region’s overall population growth during the decade. By 2000, fully 17 percent of the residents of greater Washington were born outside the United States. These two findings are part of a new Brookings analysis of Census 2000 data that provides the most comprehensive portrait to date of metropolitan Washington’s immigrant community. The report, At Home in the Nation’s Capital: Immigrant Trends in Metropolitan Washington, D.C., includes detailed information on immigrant growth trends, nations of origin, spatial distribution, and other key social and economic characteristics.

Audrey Singer presented the findings at this forum. She and panelists representing a broad spectrum of local and national interests discussed the broad implications of immigration growth in the region, both for the incoming residents and the communities in which they choose to live.