Beyond Assimilation: Success and Belonging among Portuguese Descendants in the U.S.

Martha Rocío Estrada Rivera , Institute of Social Sciences, University of Lisbon (ICS-ULisboa)
Alda Azevedo, Instituto de Ciências Sociais
Lara Patrício Tavares, Professor

This study examines the socioeconomic and cultural trajectories of second-generation and beyond Portuguese descendants in the United States, highlighting the limits of classical assimilation models. While European-origin groups are often assumed to follow linear paths toward integration, Portuguese-Americans reveal a more complex pattern in which cultural retention and economic mobility coexist. Using microdata from IPUMS-CPS and ACS (2018–2023), we compare education, income, employment, and well-being among Portuguese descendants, with household Portuguese-language use serving as a key marker of cultural transmission. Findings indicate that Portuguese descendants achieve economic outcomes comparable to or above the U.S. average, with substantial regional variation linked to ethnic community density. Educational attainment ranges widely, and states with strong Portuguese infrastructures, such as Massachusetts and California, demonstrate both higher socioeconomic indicators and greater cultural retention. Age patterns suggest generational renewal among bilingual descendants, contradicting expectations of automatic language loss. Multivariate analyses show that Portuguese-speaking status combined with education and symbolic capital, is associated with higher wages and occupational positions. Social networks—familial, religious, and associative—mediate upward mobility, translating cultural cohesion into material advantage. These findings support a model in which economic success and cultural continuity reinforce rather than conflict with each other. Emphasizing the need to measure success beyond conventional quantitative indicators, incorporating cultural, symbolic, and affective dimensions of belonging across generations of immigrants’ descendants.

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 Presented in Session P4. Migration, Migrants, and Mobility