Homeownership Among Mexican Americans in Later Life

Abstract

While more about the homeownership characteristics of Mexican Americans in the early and middle stages of the adult life course has recently been learned, far less is known about homeownership among Mexican Americans in later life. The well-being of older persons, including immigrant elders, has been linked to homeownership, in part because ownership imparts many advantages not available to nonowners. This study investigated homeownership among older Mexican Americans with a conceptual model based on economic, assimilation, social capital, and place stratification perspectives. Data from the 2000 U.S. census were employed to examine individual and contextual effects using multilevel models. The authors found support for several hypotheses drawn from their conceptual framework. The authors also showed that both citizenship status of target individuals and citizenship makeup of households were associated with the likelihood of homeownership. The findings are discussed relative to existing research and as they applied to housing policy.