Note: In this table, refugees in the five-year population contacted in the 2000 survey are segregated by year of arrival in the U.S. Data for wages refer to individuals; all other data pertain to refugee households. The associated service utilization refers to one or more types of services utilized at any time since then. These figures refer to self-reported characteristics of refugees.

The earnings of employed refugees appear to rise with length of residence in the United States (refer to Table 7). For 2000 arrivals, the median hourly wage was $7.91 [LG1] . [1]  For 1995 arrivals, the median hourly wage had risen to $9.25 per hour (an increase of 17 percent). The overall median hourly wage of employed refugees in the five-year population was $8.83 (up from $8.29, $7.97, $7.38, and $7.05 reported in the 1999, 1998, 1997, and 1996 surveys, respectively). From the 2000 survey, the overall hourly wage of employed refugees who spoke English well or fluently at the time of the survey was $9.16 compared to $7.80 for refugees who did not speak English well and $8.30 for refugees who

did not speak English at all. Upon closer examination, refugees who spoke English well or fluently at the time of the survey accounted for 82 percent of jobs that paid over $7.50 per hour compared to 16 percent of refugees who did not speak English well and only two percent of refugees who did not speak English at all. Finally, the number of refugees who reported home ownership also appears to rise with length of residence, with 11 percent of 1995 arrivals reporting home ownership.

Table 7 also details the economic self‑suffici-ency of the five‑year sample population from the 2000 survey. Overall, over 65 percent of all refugee households in the U.S. for five years or less had achieved economic self‑sufficiency by October 2000 (up from 49 percent reported in the 1996 survey). An additional 20 percent had achieved partial independence, with household income a mix of earnings and public assistance (marginally higher than that reported in the 1999 and

Note: As of October 2000, October 1999, October 1998, October 1997, and October 1996.
Not seasonally adjusted. Data refer to refugees 16 and over in the five-year sample population
consisting of Amerasians, Entrants, and Refugees of all nationalities who were interviewed as
a part of the 2000, 1999, 1998, 1997, and 1996 surveys

Note:  Data refer to refugees 16 and over in the five-year sample population consisting of Amerasians, Entrants, and Refugees of all nationalities who arrived in the years 1995-2000 Refugee households with neither earnings nor assistance are excluded.

1998, but slightly lower than the proportion reported in 1997 and 1996 surveys). For another 12 percent of refugee households, however, income in 2000 consisted entirely of public assistance (dropping 12 percentage points from the 1996 survey). Table 8 describes hourly wages, home ownership, and self-sufficiency for the most recent five surveys.

Table 9 details several household characteristics by type of income. Households receiving cash assistance average three members and no wage earners, while those with a mix of earnings and assistance income average four members and two wage earners. Households that receive no cash assistance average three members with two wage earners. A child under the age of six as well as a household member under the age of 16 was present in households with a mix of earnings and assistance more often than either welfare dependent households or households with earnings only.

English language proficiency was lowest in welfare dependent households. Only fourteen percent of these households contained one or more persons fluent in English. In contrast, about 43 percent of

Note:  As of October 2000. Data refer to refugees 16 and over in the five-year sample population consisting of Amerasians, Entrants, and Refugees of all nationalities who arrived in the years 1995-2000.

households with a mix of earnings and assistance reported at least one fluent English speaker. Fifty percent of households with only earnings income reported at least one fluent English speaker.

Medical Coverage

Overall, eight percent of adult refugees surveyed lacked medical coverage of any kind throughout the year preceding the survey (refer to Table 10). This proportion varied widely among the five refugee groups, from a low of about five percent for the group from Other Southeast Asia to a high of 15 percent for Africa. Refugees from Vietnam were the most likely to have medical coverage through employment (85 percent) whereas the group from the former Soviet Union was the least likely to have medical coverage through employment (34 percent). These findings are consistent with the associated EPR for each refugee group. Medical coverage through The proportion of refugees without medical coverage ranged from a low of 5 percent for 1997 arrivals to a high of 11 percent for 1998 and 2000 arrivals. As a general rule, medical coverage through employment increases with time in the U.S., and medical coverage through government aid programs declines with time in the U.S.

Overall, 61 percent of the refugees surveyed had medical coverage through employment and 26 percent had medical coverage through Medicaid or RMA. Medical coverage through employment rose from 39 percent for refugees who arrived in 2000 to 68 percent for refugees who arrived in 1995. Medical coverage through Medicaid or RMA dropped from 38 percent for refugees who arrived in 2000 to 21 percent for refugees who arrived in 1995. In all years, more adult refugees were covered through an employer than through government aid programs. Medicaid or RMA was highest for the former Soviet Union (53 percent) and lowest for Vietnam (10 percent).

Note: As of October 2000, October 1999, October 1998, October 1997, and October 1996. Data refer to refugees 16 and over in the five-year sample population consisting of Amerasians, Entrants, and Refugees of all nationalities who were interviewed as a part of the 2000, 1999, 1998, 1997, and 1996 surveys

Between the 1996 and the 2000 surveys, the proportion of refugees without medical coverage (throughout the year preceding the survey) dropped from 20 percent to 8 percent, medical coverage through Medicaid or RMA dropped from 41 percent to 26 percent, and medical coverage through employment increased from 22 to 61 percent (refer to Table 11).

Welfare Utilization

The 2000 survey reveals that welfare utilization continues to decline. This decrease corresponds to an increase in refugee employment. [2] As in previous years, welfare utilization varied considerably among refugee groups. Table 12 presents welfare utilization data on th

households of the seven refugee groups formed from the survey respondents. The proportion of refugees receiving non-cash assistance was higher than the proportion receiving cash assistance, probably because Medicaid, food stamp, and housing assistance programs, though available to cash assistance households, are also available to households with low‑income workers. Nearly 29 percent of refugee households reported receiving food stamps in the previous 12 months, down from 49 percent in the 1996 survey. In this year’s survey, utilization ranged from a high of 52 percent for the group from the former Soviet Union to a low of one percent for Vietnam.

Note:  Data refer to refugee households in the five-year sample population consisting of Amerasians, Entrants, and Refugees of all nationalities who arrived in the years 1995-2000. Medicaid and RMA data refer to adult refugees age 16 and over. All other data refer to refugee households and not individuals. Many households receive more than one type of assistance.

[LG2] Twenty-six percent of all refugees reported that their medical coverage was through low‑income medical assistance programs (Medicaid or RMA), down two percentage points from the 1999 survey and 15 percentage points from the 1996 survey. In the 2000 survey, twelve percent of refugee households reported that they lived in public housing projects; this proportion has varied from 8 to 17 percent over the past five years (refer to Table 13).

Tables 12 and 13 also reveal that 33 percent of refugee households surveyed in 2000 had received some kind of cash assistance in at least one of the previous 12 months. This represents an increase of about one percentage point from the 1999 survey, and a decrease of 13 percent from the 1996 survey. Overall, receipt of any type of cash assistance was highest for refugee households from the former Soviet Union (55 percent) and Other Southeast Asia (46 percent) and lowest for Eastern Europe (18 percent) and Vietnam (23 percent). Seven percent of all refugee households had received TANF in the last 12 months, approximately two percentage points less than the number reported in the 1999 survey and a decrease of nine percentage points from the 1996 survey. Utilization ranged from a high of 37 percent for Other Southeast Asia to a low of less than one percent for Vietnam and four percent for Eastern Europe. Only four percent of sampled households received RCA in 2000, slightly higher than in the previous two surveys.

Eighteen percent of refugee households had at least one household member who received Supplemental Security Income (SSI) in the past twelve months. This rate is one percentage point lower than in the 1999 survey, three percentage points lower than the 1996 survey. Utilization varied largely according to the number of refugees over age 65. Refugees from the former Soviet Union were found to utilize SSI most often. With about 10 percent of their five‑year population aged 65 or over, 39 percent of their households received SSI. By contrast, only six percent of refugees from Vietnam were age 65 or over, and five percent or less of all remaining refugee groups were 65 or over. The median age of the adults in the seven refugee

Note:  Data refer to refugee households in the five-year sample population consisting of Amerasians, Entrants, and Refugees of all nationalities who were interviewed as a part of the 2000, 1999, 1998, 1997, and 1996 surveys. Medicaid and RMA data refer to adult refugees age 16 and over. All other data refer to refugee households and not individuals. Many households received more assistance.

groups ranged from a low of 26 years for Other Southeast Asia and Africa to 40 years for the former Soviet Union.

General Assistance (GA) [3] is a form of cash assistance funded entirely with State or local funds. It generally provides assistance to single persons, childless couples, and families with children that are not eligible for TANF. The 2000 survey reported that about seven percent of refugee households received some form of GA during the past twelve months, down from fifteen percent reported in 1996. Refugees from the former Soviet Union showed the highest utilization rate (17 percent), followed by the Middle East (9 percent) and Latin America (6 percent). Africa and Vietnam showed the lowest utilization rates (one and two percent, respectively). The lack of utilization by refugees from Latin America (less than 3 percent) may be related to their concentration in Florida, which has no State-funded General Assistance program. The GA data must be read with some caution. A certain amount of confusion exists between different types of welfare; the telephone surveys are conducted in the refugee’s native language, and refugees may not understand precisely which type of assistance they receive. Past surveys have suggested that GA and TANF are frequently confused. This may explain why GA receipt is often reported for several States without such programs, most notably Texas and Florida.

^*The State arrival figures are weighted totals.

 ^**The column totals represent percent of individuals who received any combination of AFDC, RCA, SSI and GA. If an individual received AFDC, RCA, SSI, and GA, he is counted four times.

Note:  As of October 2000. Welfare utilization refers to receipt of public assistance in at least one of the past twelve months. The listed utilization rate for each type of public assistance is the ratio of the number of individuals (including minor children) receiving such aid to the total number of individuals in the five-year sample population residing in that State. Because some refugees have difficulty distinguishing between GA and TANF, some GA utilization may reflect TANF utilization.

The relationship between employment and receipt of welfare varied across refugee groups. Refugees from Eastern Europe and Vietnam showed the lowest welfare utilization and the highest EPR. Refugees from the former Soviet Union and Other Southeast Asia showed the highest welfare utilization and the lowest EPR. Refugees from Africa showed moderate-to-high welfare utilization rates and a relatively low EPR. Finally, Latin America and the Middle East showed moderate-to-high welfare utilization rates with a relatively high EPR.

Employment and Welfare Utilization Rates by State

The 2000 survey also reported welfare utilization and employment rate by State of residence. Table 14 shows the EPR and utilization rates for various types of welfare for twelve States, as well as the nation as a whole. Unlike Table 12, which computes welfare utilization rates for entire households, Table 14 presents data on utilization by individual refugees (including children).

In general, the EPR is high where welfare utilization is low and vice-a-versa. Specifically, in the States with high EPRs, which included Georgia (79 percent), Virginia (71 percent), and Illinois (69 percent), welfare utilization was below fifteen percent. However, Florida, Michigan, and Texas also had relatively high EPRs but also had relatively high welfare utilization. Massachusetts reported a relatively low EPR and low welfare utilization. California, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington all reported low EPRs and high welfare utilization.

Minnesota, followed by California and Washington, showed the highest proportion of TANF utilization (34, 15, and 13 percent, respectively). Michigan, followed by Florida and Washington, showed the highest proportion of RCA utilization (8, 6, and 4 percent, respectively). New York followed by California, and Illinois, showed the highest proportion of SSI utilization (16, 10, and 8 percent, respectively). Washington followed by California and New York, showed the highest GA utilization (11, 10, and 10 percent, respectively).

It is interesting to note that different utilization rates are reported in Table 12 and Table 14. For example, Table 12 reports an SSI rate of 18 percent, while Table 14 reports a much lower rate, only 7 percent. As a general rule, measuring welfare utilization by household, as in Table 12, tends to inflate the utilization rate somewhat because households are counted as dependent on welfare even if only one member of a large family received any type of assistance. In addition, Table 12 reports welfare utilization even if the respondent received assistance in just one of the past 12 months. The data in Table 14, on the other hand, refer only to month of the survey.

Overall, findings from ORR's 2000 survey indicate (as in previous years) that refugees face significant problems upon arrival in the United States. But, over time, refugees generally find jobs and move toward economic self-sufficiency in their new country. The 2000 survey demonstrates that the employment rate of refugees has made significant strides, i.e., surpassing that of the U.S. population. Data also show that the continued progress of many refugee households toward self-sufficiency is tied to education and English proficiency.

Technical Note: The ORR Annual Survey, with interviews conducted by Arrington Dixon and Associates in the fall of 2000, is the 29th in a series conducted since 1975. Until 1993, the survey was limited to Southeast Asian refugees. In 1993, the survey was expanded beyond the Southeast Asian refugee population to include refugee, Amerasian, and entrant arrivals from all regions of the world. Each year a random sample of new arrivals is identified and interviewed. In addition, refugees who had been included in the previous year's survey--but had not resided in the United States for more than five years--are again contacted and interviewed for the new survey. Thus, the survey continuously tracks the progress of a randomly selected sample of refugees over their initial five years in this country. This permits comparison of refugees arriving in different years, as well as the relative influence of experiential and environmental factors on refugee progress toward self‑sufficiency across five years.

A random sample was selected from the ORR Refugee Data File. ORR's contractor contacted the family by a letter in English and a second letter in the refugee's native language. If the person sampled was a child, an adult living in the same household was interviewed. Interviews were conducted by telephone in the refugee's native language. The questionnaire and interview procedures were essentially the same between the 1981 survey and the 1992 survey, except that beginning in 1985 the sample was expanded to a five‑year population consisting of refugees from Southeast Asia who had arrived over the most recent five years.

For the 2000 survey, 1,363 households were contacted and interviewed. Refugees included in the 1999 survey who had not yet resided in the U.S. for five years were again contacted and interviewed along with a new sample of refugees, Amerasians, and entrants who had arrived between May 1, 1999 and April 30, 2000. Of the 1,479 re‑interview cases from the 1999 sample, 1,123 were contacted and interviewed, and 7 were contacted, but refused to be interviewed. The remaining 349 re‑interview cases could not be traced in time to be interviewed. Of the 391 new interview cases, 240 were contacted and interviewed, another five were contacted, but refused to cooperate, and the remaining 146 could not be traced in time to be interviewed. The resulting responses were then weighted according to year of entry and ethnic category.

In addition, of the 349 re-interview cases which could not be traced in time to be interviewed, one died, one moved back to the native country, and one person had non-published phone number. Of the 146 new interview cases, which could not be traced in time to be interviewed, 1 did not arrive in the U.S., and 16 were not refugees but green-card lottery clients.