Deep South demography: New immigrants and racial hierarchies

This research documents the racial-ethnic hierarchy in six Deep South states by focusing on native- and foreign-born groups and key socioeconomic outcomes including labor force participation, employment status, and poverty. The proportion of immigrants from Latin American countries entering these states has increased dramatically over the last 20 years; this is true to a lesser extent for immigrants from Asian nations. Using Public Use Microdata Samples and American Community Survey data, we find that although whites remain dominant demographically and economically, native- and foreign-born Asians are beginning to share in that economic position. Results also indicate that African Americans and Hispanic immigrants are often at the bottom of the hierarchy, but that the order of the groups can shift depending on the context and measure. Overall, the white-black framework of race relations may be slowly transforming into a complicated, multifaceted racial hierarchy but blacks still remain considerably disadvantaged in the Deep South.