Housing Preferences of Spanish-Speaking Migrants*

In this research I investigate the housing decisions of Spanish-speaking migrants. I use methods developed by Bajari and Kahn (2002) to obtain willingness to pay measurements for the migrant groups in samples drawn from three major California cities. I then apply these results to several hypotheses that attempt to describe current migration patterns of Hispanics into increasingly segregated communities characterized by high levels of crowding, low educational attainment, and high levels of Spanish speakers. This research finds that spoken language plays a significant role in a migrant’s decision process. Spanish-speaking migrants demonstrate a significant preference for locating in communities with higher levels of Spanish speakers. They demonstrate a large relative distaste for living neighborhoods with high levels of human capital – as measured by the percentage of college graduates, as well as significantly lower valuations for the amount of space in a housing unit – measured by the number of rooms. The spatial assimilation hypothesis finds significant support within the results, indicating that more assimilated Spanish speakers will continue to emigrate from language enclaves. These results will offer insights into the creation and growth of Hispanic language enclaves in the U.S