Working Ethics
Immigrant families in Maryland and nationwide are characterized by high work effort and low use of public benefits.
This report examines the increase and origins in the children of immigrants in Maryland between 1990 and 2006. The report looks at family characteristics such as parent education, English skills, income and use of public benefits. Part of the report describes school-age children of immigrants and discusses trends in Maryland public school needs and enrollment.
“Children of immigrants” are children living with at least one foreign-born parent
Immigrant families in Maryland and nationwide are characterized by high work effort and low use of public benefits.
No racial or ethnic group predominates among children of immigrants in Maryland.
The number of Maryland children with at least one immigrant parent more than doubled from 121,000 in 1990 to 253,000 in 2006.
While the growth rate in Maryland of children of immigrants was 110%, the growth rate for children of natives during this period was only 6%.
In 2006, 84% of Maryland’s children of immigrants were citizens.
55% of children of immigrants in Maryland had college educated parents compared with 43% of children of natives.
64% of children of immigrants in low-income Maryland families had a parent with Limited English Proficiency.
Overall, children of immigrants in Maryland have parents with high levels of educational attainment and English proficiency. Highly educated parents are generally expected to earn higher incomes—when they are not underemployed—and their families are less likely than families with less educated parents to use public assistance. However, while European and Asian origin families fit this bill, the most vulnerable children in Maryland are of Mexican and Central American origin. These families are more likely to be less well educated, employed and not English proficient.
