Sociology Faculty Publications and Presentations
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
4-3-2017
Abstract
The present study examines the role of domestic migration in a massive demographic change in the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) of Texas with a special focus on ethnic composition of migration flows. Specifically, using two datasets derived from the Current Population Survey (CPS) and American Community Survey (ACS), this project: (1) outlines demographic profiles of domestic inbound and outbound migrants; (2) identifies determinants of migration for different types of movers; and (3) predicts the change in the Index of Dissimilarity (IT) at the census-tract level in the RGV. Results indicate that: (1) compared to stayers, Anglos were overrepresented among all migrant categories in the RGV; (2) leavers were likely to be motivated by career/employment opportunities outside the Valley, while affordable housing in the Valley was the primary motivating factor for newcomers; (3) recently arrived Hispanic immigrants became more segregated. The most important finding is that, compared to Hispanics, Anglos were not ‘pushed’ from the Valley by a growing Mexican-American population but became more segregated.
Recommended Citation
Ryabov, Igor, and Stephen Merino. 2017. “Recent Demographic Change in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas: The Importance of Domestic Migration.” Journal of Borderlands Studies 32 (2): 211–31. https://doi.org/10.1080/08865655.2016.1195704.
First Page
211
Last Page
231
Publication Title
Journal of Borderlands Studies
DOI
10.1080/08865655.2016.1195704
Comments
Original published version available at https://doi.org/10.1080/08865655.2016.1195704