Economic Well-Being of Resettling Refugees: A Random Survey of Households

Background: In partnership with the International Rescue Committee, the Agency for New Americans, and the Idaho Office for Refugees, we conducted a random survey of refugee households who have settled in Boise, Idaho since 2003.  To date, there has only been limited research on the economic well-being of resettling refugees in the US and little research on the economic well-being of refugees over time.  Using data collected from this survey, we examined the socio-demographic correlates to material and economic well-being of resettling refugees by year of entry.

Methods:  From a sample frame of 2948 adult individuals who resettled in Boise, Idaho since 2003 we interviewed 169 randomly selected individuals about their household characteristics, other household members, material well-being, engagement with the community, and attitudes towards various refugee and public services.  All queries were conducted in the native language of the respondent. 

A series of multiple regressions were constructed to ascertain the associations between various socio-demographic characteristics, length of stay in the US, and economic well-being.  We hypothesized that respondents who have longer tenure would have improved material and economic well-being relative to more recent arrivals.  It was also hypothesized that subjective quality of life and PTSD symptomology, factors previously associated with refugee trauma, were inversely related to economic well-being.

Results:  Because of data limitations, we limited our sample to those who entered the US since 2007.  The median household income for a resettling refugee was $1125 in the previous month with a median per capita monthly income of $300.  When examining this data, we find that length of stay is not currently associated with improved economic well-being when controlling for a variety of socio-demographic characteristics.    However, being an Iraqi was associated with an increase of $187 per capita/month relative to other nationalities.  Main respondent unemployment and PTSD symptomology was associated with a decrease in household per capita income.  When examining main respondent unemployment (looking for work), we found that only age was associated with a decreased likelihood of being unemployed and looking for work.  Housing costs comprised almost half of the households’ earned income.   

Implications:  Since 2007, refugee household economic well-being has remained stagnant.  Only a fraction of households exceeded the federal poverty line for a family, with most families falling below 50% of the poverty line.  Though it may be that the economic recession has also taken an economic toll on this marginalized population, other factors may be at play.  It appears that current job training efforts for refugees in Boise are not reaping improved earnings.  Given the low educational attainment for this population, efforts to improve access to higher education may be warranted.