Immigrants’ home-buying habits tracked

Asian and Latino immigrants who became naturalized U.S. citizens are more likely to own homes than members of the same groups who were born in the U.S., the Census Bureau said in a report on homeownership rates. The gap is widest among Asians. Seventy percent of Asians who are naturalized citizens own homes, compared with 57% for their native-born counterparts in the U.S. Among Latinos, 63% of naturalized immigrants own homes, compared with 54% for those born in the U.S. according to the report, “Moving to America -- Moving to Homeownership: 1994-2002.”

The gap for blacks is just 2 percentage points. Among non-Hispanic whites, the rate of homeownership is higher among the native-born, though by only 1 percentage point.

Overall, 70% of native-born Americans own homes, a bit higher than the percentage for naturalized citizens.