Seeking Refuge

It’s great to have freedom from worry. We Americans take a lot of this type of freedom for granted. Refugees flee their homelands with an infant on their back and toddler at their side to experience that.

Despite the challenges waiting for them in the U.S., refugees show an astounding level of upward mobility. In the first five years after refugees settle here, their median household income is just shy of $22,000. But as their time in America stretches on and their opportunities expand, so does their take-home pay. After living here for more than twenty-five years, the median household income for refugees reaches $67,000 on average—notably higher than that of the population overall, at $53,000.

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Growth of Median Refugee Household Income

By number of years in the U.S.

Source: New American Economy; American Community Survey, 2011 — 2015.