The Best City for Immigrants Isn't What You Think It Is

What’s the best city in America for immigrants?

A good guess might be San Francisco (No. 5, actually) or New York City (No. 3), but according to the New American Economy, the No. 1 city in which to live as an immigrant is … Newark, New Jersey.

The rankings measure the extent to which a city can successfully integrate its immigrants. Can they get jobs as easily as native-born residents? Do they own homes, and have health insurance?

“Immigrants, because of the opportunities that exist in Newark, because of the affordable housing, because there are jobs for them, are making more comparatively," said Jeremy Robbins, the executive director of New American Economy. "They're less likely to be receiving [welfare] benefits or to be in poverty,”

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka issued a triumphant press release in the wake of the report. And Ray Ocasio, who runs the Newark-based organization La Casa de Don Pedro, says the mayor does actually deserve much of the credit.

“His immigrant ID, his outreach to the community, I think has been excellent,” Ocasio said. “Those things go a long way in terms of making people feel welcome.”

He said immigrants from Latin America, the Middle East and Africa have also made a visible, and positive, impact on the city.

“Storefronts that were closed are now opening,” he said.

Ocasio is concerned though, whether Newark will remain affordable, or, as he put it, go the way of Brooklyn. That said, even with high cost of living, New York City's No. 3 ranking would make Emma Lazarus proud. Robbins said New York City's government does more than almost every other city to protect immigrants, to educate them, and help them start their own businesses. And equally important, it encourages immigrants to become American citizens.