What Drives Refugees’ High Poverty in the Early Years after U.S. Resettlement?

What Drives Refugees’ High Poverty in the Early Years after U.S. Resettlement?

In their initial years after arrival, resettled refugees have high poverty rates despite strong employment, reflecting structural barriers and the focus on self-sufficiency.

Highlights
In their initial years after arrival, resettled refugees have high poverty rates despite strong employment, reflecting structural barriers and the focus on self-sufficiency.
Poverty rates have been high whether measured by income or when using a multidimensional perspective that accounts for a range of areas of life, including health, education, and housing.
From 2016 to 2018, two-thirds to three-quarters of refugees who had been resettled in the United States within the previous five years had incomes below the federal poverty level.
Unrecognized credentials, limited proficiency with English, high cost of transportation, and limited child care have constrained upward mobility.
Evidence suggests that refugees’ economic outcomes improve over time.