Profiles

Abstract

Who are Americans overseas? The answer to this question is largely unknown. This chapter provides some initial answers, demonstrating that the profiles of overseas Americans vary even within Western Europe, suggesting that there may be different profiles still in other global regions. Often seen as uniformly elite or privileged, there is far more to the profile of American migrants than this widespread assumption of privilege and power. As is typical for migrants, American migrants seem to be largely those who are neither the very poorest nor the wealthiest of Americans, but come rather from the broad range of middle- to uppermiddle-class Americans, both in terms of education and of income. This finding has important implications for their migration as well as for their integration. In countries with a lower GDP, Americans are comparatively wealthier — as is the case for retirees in Mexico and Central America — while in countries with a GDP approaching that of the US — such as France, Germany or the UK — they are more likely to be ‘middling’. This distinction helps to explain the difference between the perception of the American population in one country and that in another, suggesting that we be cautious about generalizing from any one case.