Guess which African Community in the US has the lowest Median Household Income?

Kisame

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This data is evolving quickly, as recent generations of Somali Americans have been completing higher education and advancing economically. It’s also important to note that the figures may not fully reflect households receiving government assistance while earning unreported income. From my personal observations, Somali Americans are doing significantly better economically today than they were just a decade ago.

Many younger generation Somalis are entering high-demand fields such as technology and healthcare, where they are earning high incomes.
Yea were ranked at the bottom because most of our families came here as broke refugees. 1st and 2nd gen Somali Americans are raising the average just by obtaining better paying jobs. Our parents are the ones that are primarily stuck working low wage jobs.
 
Apparently it was like 30 something thousand just ten years ago, so the fact it’s around the 50k threshold now is wild. Besides, half of all American Somalis are under 25. Of course they’re going to be broke, they’re young and our parents came here as impoverished and poorly educated refugees. Were doing phenomenally in school now so by the time my generation are middle aged, we should be in the middle class, providing we don’t all get thrown out of the country.
 
First Your comparing refugees to economic migrants unfair comparison secondly these stats are mainly for our parents generation half of Somalis in America are under 25 and the median income has risen by almost 20k since 2010 lastly almost 50k Somalis where brought from 2009-2016 that will obviously impact stats a lot

people like Cape Verdeans have been in the Boston area for over 100 years in large numbers we will see a big change in numbers by the 2030 census
 
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Somali American household income is often underreported due to the prevalence of informal work, cash businesses, and self-employment within the community.

A similar pattern has been observed among Somali immigrants in the UK, where self-employment and informal labor markets mask the true economic picture.
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This phenomenon is not unique to Somali Americans. For instance, many Chinese and Korean immigrants operate family-owned businesses such as restaurants, laundromats, and beauty supply stores and often report lower taxable income due to reinvestment. Later studies revealed that their real household wealth and economic power were far greater than official income reports suggested.

Similarly, early U.S. census data suggested that Nigerian Americans had average earnings similar to African Americans (~$45K). Later research showed that Nigerian Americans had higher levels of entrepreneurship, education, and professional careers, which pushed their true median household income to over $68K, among the highest of all Black groups in the U.S.


In terms of self-employment and entrepreneurship, about 1 in 5 Somali Americans is a business owner, according to the Somali American Chambers of Commerce. Ohio alone has 15,000 Somali-owned businesses, representing a business ownership rate of 20% much higher than the U.S. average of 6% and the immigrant average of 10%.
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Their website highlights that Somali businesses have revitalized the manufacturing and service sectors, with local congressmen personally thanking the Somali Commerce community. Taxes generated by these businesses help fund schools and transportation projects.


An indirect way to estimate Somali American earnings is by looking at remittances sent back to Somalia. A 2013 study estimated:

150 000 x 3.800 is 570 million dollars a year.
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For Somali Americans to send $3,800 per person annually, they likely earn at least $60K per year. Other surveys report remittances of $423 per month ($5,000 per year), this only reflects just a portion of the total of what they send. Additional seperate direct investments show Somali Americans investing $5,000–$50,000 per person, sometimes up to $100,000, into productive sectors in Somalia.

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This demonstrates that Somali Americans are among the largest investors and remittance senders into Somalia, indicating significant available capital.
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The Somali American business class regularly meets with international/Somali entrepreneurs to invest in East Africa, showcasing the substantial economic resources and outward investment capacity of the community.
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Young Somalis with significant income are probably still helping out people back home as well as family in the USA. Wait a few decades to see where Somalis are.
 
Somali American household income is often underreported due to the prevalence of informal work, cash businesses, and self-employment within the community.

A similar pattern has been observed among Somali immigrants in the UK, where self-employment and informal labor markets mask the true economic picture.
View attachment 373264

This phenomenon is not unique to Somali Americans. For instance, many Chinese and Korean immigrants operate family-owned businesses such as restaurants, laundromats, and beauty supply stores and often report lower taxable income due to reinvestment. Later studies revealed that their real household wealth and economic power were far greater than official income reports suggested.

Similarly, early U.S. census data suggested that Nigerian Americans had average earnings similar to African Americans (~$45K). Later research showed that Nigerian Americans had higher levels of entrepreneurship, education, and professional careers, which pushed their true median household income to over $68K, among the highest of all Black groups in the U.S.


In terms of self-employment and entrepreneurship, about 1 in 5 Somali Americans is a business owner, according to the Somali American Chambers of Commerce. Ohio alone has 15,000 Somali-owned businesses, representing a business ownership rate of 20% much higher than the U.S. average of 6% and the immigrant average of 10%.
View attachment 373260


Their website highlights that Somali businesses have revitalized the manufacturing and service sectors, with local congressmen personally thanking the Somali Commerce community. Taxes generated by these businesses help fund schools and transportation projects.


An indirect way to estimate Somali American earnings is by looking at remittances sent back to Somalia. A 2013 study estimated:

150 000 x 3.800 is 570 million dollars a year.
View attachment 373263

For Somali Americans to send $3,800 per person annually, they likely earn at least $60K per year. Other surveys report remittances of $423 per month ($5,000 per year), this only eflects just a portion of the total of what they send. Additional direct investments show Somali Americans investing $5,000–$50,000 per person, sometimes up to $100,000, into productive sectors in Somalia.

View attachment 373265

This demonstrates that Somali Americans are among the largest investors and remittance senders into Somalia, indicating significant available capital.
View attachment 373262

The Somali American business class regularly meets with international/Somali entrepreneurs to invest in East Africa, showcasing the substantial economic resources and outward investment capacity of the community.
View attachment 373266
View attachment 373267

That being said, public statistics are likely to change rapidly in the next few years, even without adjustments for underreported income. This is because the Somali American community is predominantly young, with many having entered education in large numbers and now graduating to pursue professional careers.

Somali Americans are following the classic immigrant pattern, first-generation builds businesses, while the second generation moves into high paying professional careers.
 
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