A new study from North Carolina State University indicates that Latino immigrants contribute positively to small and medium size cities in the United States.
“When large numbers of Latinos move into an area, some longtime residents worry that there will be a huge influx of needy people who will burden local communities by increasing crime rates and costs for local government,” Dr. Martha Crowley, NC State assistant professor and co-author of the study, said. “We’ve found that these concerns are unfounded.”
In addition to debunking concerns about the negative economic impact of Latino immigrants, data from the FBI and Census Bureau also refute notions that Latino immigration increases crime rates. Speaking to the matter, Dr. Crowley said, “It’s clear that the fear of crime associated with an increasing Latino population does not match the reality of declining and comparatively low crime rates found in areas that had large influxes of Latinos.”
Not all of the findings uncovered by researchers have been so clearly positive however. Housing prices, for example, appear to increase more rapidly in areas with greater Latino immigration – a phenomenon that could be received with mixed feelings. Furthermore, Dr. Crowley also reported that researchers found “increased pressure on local school systems due to rapid growth in the number of students who did not speak English well.” She went on to add: “This created a need for additional instructors or programs to serve those students.” Data also showed that per capita income for blacks rose the least in areas with higher Latino immigration.
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