Within Families, Across Borders: Lifespans of U.S. Immigrants Born 1850-1890 Compared to Origins, Destination, and Siblings

This article explores the relationship between migration and lifespan for individuals born between 1850 and 1890 who migrated to the United States. Using micro-level genealogical data from FamiLinx, we compare migrants’ lifespans to those of the U.S.-born White population, the non-migrant population in their countries of origin, and their non-migrant siblings. To address shared family environments and endowments, we estimate sibling fixed-effects models that isolate within-family differences in survival, helping to discern to what extent the association between migration and lifespan is explained by factors shared with non-migrant siblings. We also assess differences in migrant mortality across major European origin groups. Overall, migrants show a mortality penalty compared to U.S.-born Whites, consistent with prior research. Yet, compared to their origin populations and non-migrant siblings, migrants display a survival advantage, reflecting a healthy migrant effect. Country-specific analyses reveal important cross-origin variation: The overall disadvantage relative to the U.S. population is driven mainly by historically disadvantaged groups, such as the Irish and Eastern Europeans. Compared to origin populations and siblings, however, all groups except the Irish enjoy a mortality advantage.