A Multistate Life Table Approach to Understanding Migration to and from Mexico and the U.S. during Later Life

Alma Vega, RAND Corporation

Scientific research and popular media describe international retirement migration as increasingly common among older Americans and older Europeans. However, far less research examines this phenomenon among older Mexican immigrants in the U.S. The literature that does address this topic treats international migration as a singular occurrence and does not examine the possibility of circular migration between countries. Using a multistate life table approach, this study examines the probability of migration to and from Mexico during later life among older Mexican immigrants in the U.S. and Mexicans in Mexico with U.S. migration experience. Preliminary results suggest that for Mexican males aged 65 years and older with U.S. migration experience, the probability of migration from the U.S. to Mexico is higher than the probability of migration from Mexico to the U.S. In contrast, this pattern is reversed for their female counterparts.