Factors Influencing the State-Level Settlement Pattern of the Undocumented Immigrant Population in the United States

This study empirically attempts to identify key factors determining the settlement patterns of undocumented immigrants within the United States. The estimations imply that undocumented immigrants appear to settle in states that border the Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, or the Gulf of Mexico, and states where median family income is higher, average January temperatures are higher, the percent of the state population that is Hispanic is higher, and where economic freedom is higher. On the other hand, undocumented immigrants are less likely to settle in states with a higher cost of living.