September 27, 2019

Atlas of Ukrainians in the United States

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“Atlas of Ukrainians in the United States: Demographic and Socio-economic Characteristics,” by Oleh Wolowyna. New York: Shevchenko Scientific Society, 2019. 264 pp. ISBN: 978-0-578-47245-4.

Dr. Oleh Wolowyna’s “Atlas of Ukrainians in the United States: Demographic and Socio-economic Characteristics” is perhaps one of the first comprehensive Atlases of an ethnic group in the U.S.A. In 380 maps, 15 figures and three tables, the atlas provides a thorough picture of the historical and current demographic and socioeconomic status of the Ukrainian community from the first wave of immigration in 1899 up until very recently in 2010.

The indicators presented in the maps were calculated from the powerful integrated database constructed by the Center for Demographic and Socio-economic Research of Ukrainians in the United States at the Shevchenko Scientific Society, which is directed by Dr. Wolowyna. The center makes comprehensive use of official U.S. government statistics, surveys and immigration reports, and uses this data to analyze the relative place of Ukrainians within American society.

The topics and demographic and socioeconomic characteristics covered include historical migration, recent immigration from Ukraine, internal migration, population distribution by state and in over 55 metropolitan areas, with percentages of the Fourth Wave and of those speaking Ukrainian at home. There are also chapters on age and sex, place of birth, ancestry, citizenship, ability to speak English, education, labor force, income and poverty status, housing characteristics, and a comparison of Ukrainians with the total U.S. population. The Foreword, written by Dr. Myron B. Kuropas, discusses ethnonational identity and stresses, quite rightly, the potential of the atlas’s plethora of data about Ukrainian Americans that should be put to use by community leaders and others.

Sociologists like to look at socioeconomic status and use it to compare ethnic groups. The atlas’s data allows us to determine the basic standing of Ukrainians in American society by comparing Ukrainians not only to themselves but also to the general population of Americans. Particularly, one can look at the basic elements of social status: occupation, education, income and poverty.

For example, the data establishes that Ukrainians have proportionally more highly educated persons than in the general U.S. population. Also, Ukrainian females with a master’s degree or higher slightly outnumber males (34.6 percent to 34.1 percent, respectively) in 2010, but among persons with doctoral degrees and professionals, the percentage is higher for males (22 percent) than for females (19 percent). Furthermore, the great majority of all Ukrainians in the U.S. (93.5 percent) have a high school diploma or higher. All Ukrainians 25 years of age or older in 78 major metropolitan areas have a much higher percentage of persons with higher education level (21 percent) than the total U.S. population (10 percent).

Both percentages of highly educated persons and poverty levels vary in different states. The percent below the poverty level is significantly lower in 2009 for Ukrainians (10 percent) than for the total U.S. population (15 percent). Ukrainians as a whole have significantly higher median household income ($59,200) than the total U.S. population ($51,100), while immigrants, especially the so-called fourth wave, have higher percentages of persons below poverty level. Metropolitan areas with the highest percentages of Ukrainians below the poverty level in 2009 are Greenville, S.C. (46 percent) and Asheville, N.C. (42 percent). Asheville has the lowest median household income ($26.7k) among all Ukrainians in 2009, and only 6 percent of Ukrainians with a master’s degree or higher.

At the other end of the scale, the lowest percentages of Ukrainians below the poverty level (1 percent) are in Stamford, Conn., and Kansas City (Missouri-Kansas). Stamford also has the lowest percentage below the poverty level (8 percent) for the total U.S. population. Ukrainian males have a 90 percent or higher labor force participation in Kansas City, Mo., and three other major metropolitan areas, while females have the second-highest percentage of self-employment (23 percent) in Kansas City. Also, Fourth Wave immigrants seem to be more entrepreneurial than Ukrainian U.S.-born and other immigrants. Kansas City (Missouri-Kansas) has the highest percent self-employed for Fourth Wave immigrants (49 percent).

Because the data determine the status of the group within the social structure of society, the atlas offers invaluable information for practical purposes. For example, if an organization intends to expand its activities or business base to other states, it would know which states to go to for a larger base of Ukrainians who are either in the labor force or self-employed. At the same time, looking more closely at poverty levels within the Ukrainian community by state and by city, it may be incumbent on some organizations to act to change the situation in those areas through education or the siting of new libraries, special programs or social services. The atlas raises many more interesting questions and invites further research, such as, what is the relationship between knowledge of the Ukrainian language or use of the Ukrainian language at home, and education, income and poverty? Do the educated Ukrainians take good advantage of their education in terms of their jobs, income, etc.? Although in places the language may at times be a bit confusing to read and requires careful attention, Dr. Wolowyna’s “Atlas of Ukrainians in the United States: Demographic and Socio-economic Characteristics” has set a new benchmark for all future sociological research of the Ukrainian community.

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