Five Facts About Caribbean Immigrants In The U.S. You Should Know

Governor of New York Andrew Cuomo acknowledges the growing power of the West Indian American population in NYC by attending the annual Labor Day parade on in Brooklyn, NYC. (Photo by Wendell Teodoro/Getty Images)

By Felicia J. Persaud

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY,  Weds. Oct. 19, 2016: As the countdown begins to the November 8, 2016 election, which has been marred by denigration of foreign-born immigrants, the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) recently released a report focused on over the socio-demographic data of the foreign-born population in the United States. Here’s how immigrants from the Caribbean stack up according to News Americas Now’s review of the CIS report:

1: Caribbean Immigrants Earn More Than Native-Born Blacks.

Caribbean immigrants earn an average USD 59,000 compared to Native-born blacks who earned USD 49,000 annually. The median income earned by Caribbean immigrants is also higher at over USD 40,000 while Native-born blacks were at USD 34,000.

2: Caribbean Immigrants Are More Likely To Own Their Own Home.

Caribbean immigrants are more likely to own their own home compared to US-born blacks, according to the data pulled from the U.S. Census.  The data shows around 44 percent of Caribbean immigrants own their own homes compared to 41 percent native-born blacks.

3: Most Caribbean Immigrants Are More Educated Than Hispanics.

Most Caribbean immigrants have a bachelor’s degree compared to Hispanic immigrants.  Some 22 percent of Caribbean immigrants were found to have college degree compared to 11 percent of Hispanic immigrants and 20 percent of native-born Hispanics.

4: Caribbean Nationals From Four Nations In The Region More Likely To Be U.S. Citizens

The data shows that Caribbean nationals from four nations in the region are more likely to be U.S. citizens than others. Cubans lead with over 1.1 million naturalized citizens followed by the Dominican Republic with 996,000 and Jamaica with 711,000.  Haiti rounded out the grouping with 617,000.

5: More Caribbean Immigrants Have Health Insurance.

More Caribbean immigrants were found to have health insurance compared to Hispanic immigrants. Just over 15 percent Caribbean immigrants said they had no health insurance compared to 33 percent Hispanic immigrants.