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Three Cambio Fellows recently finished a report for their research project funded by the Institute for Research on Poverty at the University of Wisconsin. Through this work, they examined the factors that promote refugee economic self-sufficiency, well-being, and integration in the United States, with a particular focus on Missouri. Using a mixed-methods approach that combined national survey data with interviews and focus groups, this research provides evidence on the conditions that help refugees successfully rebuild their lives after resettlement.
Research Team
- Dr. Irma A. Arteaga, Ph.D. in Applied Economics
- Dr. Emily R. Crawford-Rossi, Ph.D. in Educational Theory and Policy
- Dr. Lisa Dorner, Ph.D. in Human Development and Social Policy
Research Purpose
This team utilized the Annual Survey of Refugees (ASR) and their ongoing partnership with the Missouri Office of Refugee Administration (MO-ORA) and organizations around the state to conduct their research. The ASR (2016-2022) data is a national survey of refugee households during their first five years in the United States. There were three aims of this research
- to document the broad trends of economic self-sufficiency and well-being for refugees settled between 2010 and 2022;
- to highlight determinants of economic self-sufficiency, well-being and integration and compare more recent refugee groups versus more established ones;
- to explore the perspectives and experiences of refugees across Missouri, a state with comparatively low levels of migration.
Economic Self-Sufficiency and Well-Being
The first point of research was to understand trends of economic self-sufficiency and well-being for refugees who arrived in the U.S. between 2010 and 2022 using data from the Annual Survey of Refugees. Results highlighted that refugees move toward economic self-sufficiency and well-being over time:
- refugees experienced higher employment rates and labor force participation as they spent more time in the United States;
- full-time employment increased over time, indicating movement toward long-term economic stability;
- homeownership rates also rose over time, demonstrating increased financial security and community investment;
- dependence on public cash assistance declined, suggesting greater self-sufficiency.
Results also indicated that English-proficient refugees were more economically self-sufficient than non-English proficient refugees, as might be expected. However, refugee’s length of stay in the U.S. was not significantly related to any observed variables, except for homeownership, as noted in the list above.
Determinants of Self-Sufficiency, Well-Being, and Integration
To answer their second question, the research team used ASR data from 2020-2022 to dig deeper into which factors influenced refugees’ economic self-sufficiency, well-being, and integration in the United States. The analysis included factors such as education, English proficiency at arrival, geographic location, age, sex, marital status, household size, and refugee group, with particular attention to newer refugee populations from Afghanistan, Ukraine, and El Salvador. Results showed that refugees who were male, older, proficient in English, had lived longer in the U.S., and lived in smaller households generally experienced better outcomes across all three areas.
Regression analysis was used to examine the determinants of integration, well-being and self-sufficiency. The authors paid special attention to how well explanatory variables used in their regression model accounted for the outcome variable. This can be studied using R-squared measures, which has values that go from zero to one. In the social sciences, because there is high unexplained variance, an R-squared value of 0.10 to 0.30 is common. The authors found R-squared of 0.14 for integration, to 0.26 for well-being, and 0.32 for economic self-sufficiency. This suggests that the variables studied account in good part for the outcomes of self-sufficiency, well-being, and integration. However, there was a difference by country of origin, with higher values for Afghanistan and Ukraine and a lower value for El Salvador, which suggest the important influences on Salvadoran outcomes were not captured well by the variables included in the study.
The researchers concluded that traditional demographic and socioeconomic factors are useful for understanding economic self-sufficiency and well-being but are less effective for explaining integration. Instead, participation in religious organizations and possessing a driver’s license emerged as particularly important indicators of successful integration. These findings informed the qualitative phase of the study, which explored how Afghan and Ukrainian refugees in Missouri used local resources, navigated services, and understood the factors shaping their economic self-sufficiency, well-being, and integration.
Refugees’ Experiences in Missouri
For the third research question, the researchers partnered with Missouri refugee-serving organizations to conduct eight focus groups with 36 refugees and individuals with similar legal statuses, as well as three in-depth interviews with agency staff. The findings highlighted the critical role of co-ethnic communities, resettlement agencies, schools, local churches, and community programs in supporting refugee integration. These organizations helped newcomers secure housing and employment, improve their English and technology skills, access educational and health services, and build social connections through mentorship and community engagement. Afghan and Ukrainian newcomers particularly benefited from strong co-ethnic networks that provided guidance and support during resettlement.
Participants generally viewed integration as a combination of achieving economic self-sufficiency, developing social relationships, and learning to navigate and follow U.S. social norms and institutions. Employment was often reported as relatively accessible, especially for men with English proficiency, education, or technical skills. The study also found important differences by age and gender: younger refugees tended to integrate more easily because they learned English through school and regularly interacted with U.S.-born peers, while men often reported higher levels of integration due to stronger English skills, greater workforce participation, and higher rates of driver’s license ownership. Overall, the qualitative findings suggest that integration is shaped not only by individual characteristics but also by access to community support networks and local resources.
Conclusions
Overall, this research demonstrates that refugee success is shaped by more than employment alone. Successfully integrated refugees have access to English language development, employment opportunities, transportation, religious support networks, and long-term assistance from refugee resettlement agencies.
Article written by Vivi Deken, Research Student Fellow, Cambio Center, with editing by research authors, Cambio Coordinator and Cambio Director
Published on September 30, 2026
