Was Immigration the Major Factor Contributing to the Surprising 6.6% Population Growth of Buffalo, New York in the 2020 Census?
Document Type
Panel Presentation
Keywords
Buffalo, Immigration, Census
Biography
My name is Robert Edwards and I am a geography major scheduled to graduate in Spring 2022. I am a remote learning student residing in Buffalo, New York and am married with two children.
Major
Geography
Advisor for this project
Jonathan Kozar
Abstract
Draft Abstract – Robert Edwards GEO499
The purpose of this research paper was to examine the relationship between immigration to Buffalo, New York in the 21st Century and the surprising population increase in the city between 2010 and 2020. A comparison study with the peer Rust Belt cities of Cleveland, Ohio and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania was also done, focusing on the historical population trends of the three cities since 1950 and their immigration patterns between 2010 and 2020. The analysis of this topic is useful in determining whether these three great American cities of industry are on the path to returning to their former glory and what role the influx of foreign migrants has played in the 21st Century. Data was collected from the American Community Survey and the U.S. Census Bureau and was analyzed using statistical methods to determine the results. The three cities followed an almost identical pattern of population decline for 60 years until the 2020 Census showed three completely divergent paths of population data from 2010 to 2020. It was also determined that immigration was not the sole reason for Buffalo’s population growth.
Was Immigration the Major Factor Contributing to the Surprising 6.6% Population Growth of Buffalo, New York in the 2020 Census?
Draft Abstract – Robert Edwards GEO499
The purpose of this research paper was to examine the relationship between immigration to Buffalo, New York in the 21st Century and the surprising population increase in the city between 2010 and 2020. A comparison study with the peer Rust Belt cities of Cleveland, Ohio and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania was also done, focusing on the historical population trends of the three cities since 1950 and their immigration patterns between 2010 and 2020. The analysis of this topic is useful in determining whether these three great American cities of industry are on the path to returning to their former glory and what role the influx of foreign migrants has played in the 21st Century. Data was collected from the American Community Survey and the U.S. Census Bureau and was analyzed using statistical methods to determine the results. The three cities followed an almost identical pattern of population decline for 60 years until the 2020 Census showed three completely divergent paths of population data from 2010 to 2020. It was also determined that immigration was not the sole reason for Buffalo’s population growth.
