In the weeks since a devastating earthquake hit Haiti, there has been much discussion of the impact the Haitian diaspora in the United States and the remittances they send to family members will have on the nation’s recovery. According to Kristin Johnson, Ph.D., author of the IPC report, Many Happy Returns—Remittances and their Impact: How Money Sent Home by Migrant Workers Helps the American Economy, the remittances Haitians receive will be extremely important to their recovery process. Furthermore, the money that leaves the U.S. in the form of remittances will be used by Haitians to purchase U.S. exports. Over half of Haiti’s imports originate in the U.S., and the states with the most Haitian immigrants also have large export markets in Haiti. In this way, the remittances that immigrants in the U.S send abroad have a positive impact on the U.S. economy and trade.
There are approximately 535,000 Haitians living in the U.S.
- Florida has the largest Haitian population -- 46.4% of Haitians in the U.S. live in Florida. 24.1% live in New York; 7.6% live in New Jersey, and 7.1% live in Massachusetts.
Haitians remittances to family members in Haiti constitute a significant part of the Haitian economy.Read more...
Published On: Wed, Feb 10, 2010 | Download File