---
title: "Chapter 2: Mexican Immigrants Then and Now"
description: "With the slowdown in recent immigration, Mexican immigrants living in the United States today are a more settled population than they were 25 years ago, an era before large numbers of their authorized and unauthorized fellow citizens crossed the U.S.-Mexico border. Compared with 1990, Mexican immigrants in 2013 were considerably older (median age of 39 […]"
date: "2015-11-19"
authors:
  - name: "Ana Gonzalez-Barrera"
    job_title: "Former Senior Researcher"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/ana-gonzalez-barrera/"
url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/race-and-ethnicity/2015/11/19/chapter-2-mexican-immigrants-then-and-now/"
---

# Chapter 2: Mexican Immigrants Then and Now

[![Demographic Characteristics of Mexican Immigrants, 1990 and 2013](https://assets.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2015/11/PH_2015-11-19_mexican-immigration-07.png)](https://www.pewresearch.org/hispanic/2015/11/19/more-mexicans-now-leaving-than-coming-to-the-u-s/ph_2015-11-19_mexican-immigration-07/)

With the slowdown in recent immigration, Mexican immigrants living in the United States today are a more settled population than they were 25 years ago, an era before large numbers of their authorized and unauthorized fellow citizens crossed the U.S.-Mexico border. Compared with 1990, Mexican immigrants in 2013 were considerably older (median age of 39 vs. 29), better educated (42% with high school diploma or more vs. 24%) and had been in the U.S. for longer (77% had been in the U.S. for more than a decade, compared with 50%).

Economically, Mexican immigrants both gained and lost ground. While median personal earnings increased about $2,700 since 1990 (in 2013 dollars), the median household income of Mexican immigrants dropped by about $1,700 in the same period. This likely reflects the effects of the Great Recession in the U.S. and the slow recovery.

---

**Next:** [Chapter 3: Mexicans Report Fewer Connections in the U.S.](https://www.pewresearch.org/race-and-ethnicity/2015/11/19/chapter-3-mexicans-report-fewer-connections-in-the-u-s.md)