Brazilians in the Boston Metropolitan Area

The Boston metropolitan area has one of the largest communities of Brazilians in the United States as well as outside of Brazil. As of 2015, 502,650 people with Brazilian origin lived in the United States. With an estimated 90,903 Brazilians residing in Massachusetts, the state accounts for 18 percent of all Brazilians in the country. The foreign-born Brazilian population in Metropolitan Boston increased rapidly during the 1990s and peaked before the recession of 2008-2009. Brazilians settled in cities and towns in eastern Massachusetts, especially in Boston, Framingham, Everett, and Somerville. Boston is now home to 5 percent of Massachusetts’ Brazilian population. Nonetheless, as a result of socioeconomic conditions in Brazil, the population is rapidly increasing again. Today, Boston is home to a vibrant community of Brazilian Americans, boasting considerable influence. ^[1]

History[edit]

Large-scale migration from Brazil began after the military coup in 1964 when thousands of Brazilians went into exile. Although most of these exiles returned to Brazil after the amnesty of 1979, the number of economic emigrants grew in the late 1980's when an economic crisis hit Brazil. The United States has been one of the main destinations of Brazilian emigration. ^[2]

The American Community Survey reports that Boston’s Brazilian population was 4,208 in 2015, down from 5,015 in 2010.2 Accounting for 3 percent of all Latinos in Boston, Brazilians are the seventh largest Latino population in the city. Other Latino populations include Puerto Ricans (28 percent), Dominicans (24 percent), Salvadorans (11 percent), Colombians (6 percent), Mexicans (5 percent), and Guatemalans (3 percent). Brazilians’ median age of 29 years is older than other Latinos (28) but younger than non-Latinos (32).3 Brazilians are predominately female (55 percent), more so than other Latinos and nonLatinos, both of which are 52 percent female. About 41 percent of Brazilians are married, a higher share than the other groups. The majority of Brazilians are foreign born (73 percent), and 30 percent of foreign-born Brazilians are naturalized U.S. citizens. Portuguese is the official language of Brazil, and 72% of Brazilians in Boston speak Portuguese at home. In addition, 61 percent of Brazilians over age five speak English very well. Younger Brazilians under age 35 are more likely to speak English very well (73 percent). ^[3]

Standard of Living[edit]

Brazilians in Boston have a higher standard of living than other Latino groups. Only 11 percent of Brazilians live below the Census poverty line, and 43 percent have achieved a middle class standard of living. A family income four times the poverty line is used as a proxy for a middleclass standard of living. The actual income needed to achieve this standard depends on family composition. For a two-person family in 2015, the poverty line is $15,391, and a middle class income would need to be at least $61,564. The median household income for Brazilian-headed households is $61,000, and only 6 percent of Brazilians lack health insurance. Brazilians have higher rates of home ownership (26 percent) than other Latino groups (16 percent). However, Brazilians are less likely to own their own home than non-Latinos, who have a home ownership rate of 37 percent.4 Almost 41 percent of Brazilians in Boston are housing burdened, meaning they must spend more than 30 percent of their household income on housing costs. This is a lower rate of housing burden than either non-Latinos or other Latino groups. Approximately 68 percent of Brazilian households are families, and 39 percent of the households include children, compared to 20 percent of non-Latino households. The average household size is 2.6, larger than 2.1 for non-Latino households.

See also[edit]

• Brazilian Americans

References[edit]

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