Somali American's Are the Most Self-Reliant Group in America: Highest Performance in the Self-Support Index in Minnesota at 84%

[Idilinaa]

Love to hear our people doing well. The question is why is the data on Somalis so contradictory? We need our own statistics organization to get proper data on both the diaspora and Somalia as a whole.

The economist Vali Jamal, in the late 1980s, was the first, as far as I’m aware, to notice that much of the data produced about Somalis was inaccurate. It didn’t reflect economic realities on the ground and often contradicted background data.

This is because Somalis are organized economically in an unconventional way, which renders many macroeconomic indicators misleading. We are a trade based society, with goods, people, services, and money moving across borders. Our economic organization is cooperative, and there are no clear-cut divisions along occupational lines, most families are multi-occupational.

Jamal also found that Somalis typically have multiple supplementary income sources beyond their salaries. These may come from trade, service activities, small businesses funded from personal savings, or secondary employment. They would even share income across diverse and sporadic sources among family, relatives or friends. So they had supplemental wage or non-wage incomes that allowed them to enjoy higher expenditures.

I completely agree, while most societies have specialized institutions for collecting economic data, Somalis need to build our own tools and methods to gather data that accurately reflects our societal dynamics. We cannot simply borrow approaches from other countries and assume they apply to us.

 

[Achromade]

To put it simply, if Somalis really had low median incomes, then maintaining long term independence from assistance would be impossible.

Households that can’t cover basic needs , rent, food, healthcare, and transportation , inevitably fall back into aid programs, which would lower their SSI scores. If Somali households truly earned around $40K (barely above the poverty line for a family of four), they couldn’t sustain an 85–90% self-support rate. That level of income leaves almost no margin for emergencies or living costs, especially in places like Minnesota or Ohio.

On top of that they wouldn't be able to be sending $3,800 per person annually, it's impossible. That would imply that they would have a lot disposable income, they also wouldn't be able to make re-investments either.

Since Somalis maintain the highest SSI across all racial and ethnic groups, it logically follows that their real incomes and productivity are higher than the reported median figures suggest , especially once you account for underreported self-employment, informal trade, and multiple earners within each household.

In reality, maintaining long-term independence from assistance means most Somali households are likely earning closer to $65K or higher, even if not fully captured in official statistics.

My main point was more so what the SSI stratifies for. I don't deny that the Somali SSI is true, or Somalis do have a higher employment than what is led on; however because SSI is not representative of the overall population but the subset of that population who are aid recipients, you can't compare it across different ethnic groups as an implicit measure of wealth since the reasons as to why these people are stratified to receive aid is different.

For Somalis and other migrant groups that initially resettled aid reception is near universal and represents closer to the average person. For Whites, Blacks and Native Americans this stratifies closer to a chronically disadvantaged group that might suffer from long term employment.

You're taking the SSI values at face value and extrapolating that as a proxy for wealth, despite the contradictory data on median household income, home ownership and educational attainment. Even if we assume that Somali income is deflated (which is accurate imo), from informal streams of income, I don't think this would explain a 50-100% increase. I'm skeptical that SSI represents "hidden wealth" to the extent that you're implying.

 

[Achromade]

My main point was more so what the SSI stratifies for. I don't deny that the Somali SSI is true, or Somalis do have a higher employment than what is led on; however because SSI is not representative of the overall population but the subset of that population who are aid recipients, you can't compare it across different ethnic groups as an implicit measure of wealth since the reasons as to why these people are stratified to receive aid is different.

For Somalis and other migrant groups that initially resettled aid reception is near universal and represents closer to the average person. For Whites, Blacks and Native Americans this stratifies closer to a chronically disadvantaged group that might suffer from long term employment.

You're taking the SSI values at face value and extrapolating that as a proxy for wealth, despite the contradictory data on median household income, home ownership and educational attainment. Even if we assume that Somali income is deflated (which is accurate imo), from informal streams of income, I don't think this would explain a 50-100% increase. I'm skeptical that SSI represents "hidden wealth" to the extent that you're implying.

*unemployment

 

[Idilinaa]

My main point was more so what the SSI stratifies for. I don't deny that the Somali SSI is true, or Somalis do have a higher employment than what is led on; however because SSI is not representative of the overall population but the subset of that population who are aid recipients, you can't compare it across different ethnic groups as an implicit measure of wealth since the reasons as to why these people are stratified to receive aid is different.

For Somalis and other migrant groups that initially resettled aid reception is near universal and represents closer to the average person. For Whites, Blacks and Native Americans this stratifies closer to a chronically disadvantaged group that might suffer from long term employment.

You're taking the SSI values at face value and extrapolating that as a proxy for wealth, despite the contradictory data on median household income, home ownership and educational attainment. Even if we assume that Somali income is deflated (which is accurate imo), from informal streams of income, I don't think this would explain a 50-100% increase. I'm skeptical that SSI represents "hidden wealth" to the extent that you're implying.

What you are saying overlooks how the SSI is structured.

The Self-Support Index doesn’t compare random subsets of populations , it measures how different racial and ethnic groups perform after leaving the same welfare programs, so the comparison is valid and standardized.

If Somali results were just an artifact of “initial resettlement,” then other refugee groups (like Burmese or Hmong) would show similar outcomes, but they don’t. Somali rates have stayed top-tier for decades, long after the first generation.

Also, it’s not possible to maintain long-term independence from aid on near-poverty incomes , households earning $35–40K would fall back into assistance programs. The fact that Somalis sustain 85–90% self-support rates shows they’re earning well above subsistence, even if much of it comes from unreported business and informal income or other sources.

The median income data undercounts that reality , it doesn’t disprove it.

 

[Idilinaa]

And a study on Maine in the early 2000s debunking Right wing lies and smears:

I encourage people to read the comments , because its people who lived around Somalis in Main and tell their direct experiences:

A few of them that talk about Somali economic impact and involvement:

Forgot to share this news report from the mid 2000s. It supports the study above and the comments on that reddit thread:

Lewiston, Maine, Revived by Somali Immigrants

A dying Maine mill town gets a fresh burst of energy.

www.newsweek.com

Talks about when Somalis settled there incomes rose and crime rates dropped. It became one of the best places to do business in America.

Talks about the local impact of Somali trade and businesses:

It also talks about Somalis filling local universities:

No surprise that a Somali became a Mayor of the city for a short stint. Her background is pretty interesting. Her father was Petroleum Engineer was very politically outspoken and she took up the mantel after earning her accounting degree, before working as an account receivable she worked as a cashier at a parking garage and she married a Somali Businessman who moved from Atalanta.

 

[caano_shaah]

bump

 

[Idilinaa]

bump

I sent this thread to a few people, and they just jumbled it. I’ll be taking a break from this forum for a while and bringing everything to the forefront myself. As they say, if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.


Wish me luck . I’m a private person who values my privacy greatly, so this is a big sacrifice I’m attempting, especially with other commitments on my plate.

 

[Idilinaa]

Anyways, I made this thread so people can access and share it. I’ll also link/share it with someone I’ve asked to cover it publicly , hopefully in avideo.

Somali-Americans are a success story:

The same applies to Somalia and Somaliland , they are self-sustaining, with many notable achievements. Somalis in Africa are among the most self-reliant, entrepreneurial, and collectively organized communities. The background numbers, along with the observable reality on the ground, clearly demonstrate this.


It will all become apparent soon enough. I ask those on this site to whom I’ve made promises to be patient regarding the delays in that revelation.

Omar's Family history in America: They include Engineers, Scientists , Government Bureaucrats, Army veterans etc.

 

[Idilinaa]

Omar's Family history in America: They include Engineers, Scientists , Government Bureaucrats, Army veterans etc.
View attachment 377429

Found some information on Dr Alim Ahmed Fateh , some interviews he made in the early 2000s. Unfortunately some of the original links to them are dead but it was copied

A Conversation with Ali Fatah: Chief of the GIS Division - D.C. Government

Exclusive Interview with Ali Fatah, the brother of one of the Top 10 Engineers of American Corps of Engineers , Mohamoud Fatah, and Salah Fatah, the man who invented the postal stamp one-time sticker for the U.S Federal Gov. Pretty tough family. WardheerNews November 3 , 2005 As part of our occas...

www.somaliaonline.com

He is responsible for a number of inventions and innovations which are used by the American government agencies today.

 

[caano_shaah]

I sent this thread to a few people, and they just jumbled it. I’ll be taking a break from this forum for a while and bringing everything to the forefront myself. As they say, if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.


Wish me luck . I’m a private person who values my privacy greatly, so this is a big sacrifice I’m attempting, especially with other commitments on my plate.

Wad mahadsantahay abaayo. You've spent a lot of time researching and dispelling misinformation and I enjoy reading your informative posts. We are thankful for all your efforts. Illahi ha ku barakayo.

 

[Aurelian]

Some news articles from the early 2000s that show how Somalis were the fastest group to quickly move off welfare when they arrived in America and gain self sufficiency:

Rochester, Minn. / Many Somalis getting off welfare

Abdifatah Abdinur spoke no English when his family immigrated here in 1995, but he can still remember how embarrassed he was at needing food stamps. “Somali men and women like to be independe…

www.twincities.com

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http://www.startribune.com/462/story/899338.html

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And a study on Maine in the early 2000s debunking Right wing lies and smears:
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I encourage people to read the comments , because its people who lived around Somalis in Main and tell their direct experiences:

A few of them that talk about Somali economic impact and involvement:
View attachment 377031

View attachment 377032

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[Idilinaa]

Also, I want to say this last thing, @caano_shaah there’s a reason why Somalis are prominent in politics and often become government bureaucrats. You can see it here how a lot of the earliest Somalis who arrived in America became government bureaucrats, working for various agency and even leading/directing important government departments.

Our high civic engagement is linked to the same cultural factors that explain why Somalis have a strong presence in business. Looking at Somali history, our society did have hierarchies and classes, but they were bureaucratic and administrative rather than feudal. Our social structure grew around trade and commerce, not inherited land based power.

What makes Somalis different isn’t just economic hustle , it’s a cultural orientation toward organization, administration, and trade.

Other groups often come from feudal/caste or agrarian societies, where economic roles were limited to elites and ordinary people were socialized to defer to authority. When these groups migrate, those cultural patterns can persist, affecting participation and visibility, which is why other groups are less likely to enter politics or take leadership roles immediately.

To put it simply ordinary people in Somali society were socialized to manage, plan, and take responsibility rather than defer to a feudal elite.

For Somalis, entrepreneurship and active participation in political and administrative life are two sides of the same coin.

So when people suggest that Somalis should “stay out of politics” because of right wing reactions, they don’t fully understand why so many are drawn to it in the first place.