A Comparison of Urban and Rural Origin Migration from Mexico to the United States

Nadia Flores, University of Pennsylvania
Ruben Hernandez-Leon, University of Pennsylvania

Mexico-U.S. migration scholars have shown a growing interest on recent cross-border flows originating in Mexico's urban centers. Although a handful of reports have analyzed the characteristics of these flows, no study has systematically compared the newer urban and metropolitan streams with the more established rural migrations. This paper develops such a comparison by using the updated Mexican Migration Project dataset, which now includes 71 communities. The comparison between urban and rural origin flows is conducted by looking at three classical themes in the study of migration: causes, social organization (networks), and economic and social incorporation of migrants at the destination. The authors construct demographic and social profiles of migrants coming from communities located in three different types of settings: metropolitan centers, where manufacturing and services dominate; small urban places, which function as the commercial centers of predominantly agricultural and craft producing regions; and rural localities, where agricultural activities absorb most of the male labor force.