A new study by the U.S. Census shows a dramatic difference in rates of homeownership among the foreign-born in the United States. Naturalized citizens have a rate of homeownership that is nearly twice that of noncitizen households (66 versus 34 percent). The report also shows a strong correlation between the length of time that the householder has been in the United States and the rate of homeownership. Among foreign-born householders who have been in the United States since before 1980, for example, the rate of homeownership rises to 73 percent. Overall, 52 percent of all foreign-born householders in the United States own their own home, compared to 67 percent of native-born households.
For background on the history of homeownership in the United States, see Building Home: Howard F. Ahmanson and the Politics of the American Dream by Eric John Abrahamson.