Thanks to Gringo Tree
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GringoTree Survey #4: Expat Demographics
February 1, 2013
This is a simple 13-question survey, completed by 661 respondents, of whom 301 (45%) are current expats and 360 (55%) are prospective expats.
Of the prospective expats, 86 plan to move within six months, 99 within 12 months, 105 within two years, 59 in more than two years, and 14 never.
Of the current expats, the cohort groups, or what Deke Castleman and David Morrill, in their book Life in Cuenca, call the “the classes at the Cuenca College for Expats,” are surprisingly similar: 61 people arrived six months ago or less, 62 six months to a year ago, 72 one to two years, 58 two to three years, and 57 more than three years.
Another interesting statistic: Of the 653 who answered the gender question, 398 (61%) are male, with 255 (39%) female. Of current and prospective expats, there are six men for every four women.
Of the 667 who answered the age question, the largest group by far is 55-64 years old, with 307 (46%). Second largest (178/27%) is 65-70, while 59 (9%) are 71-74, and 27 (3.5%) are 75 or older. One lone teenager responded, with 2 early-twenty-somethings. Another dozen (2%) are 25-34 and 16 (2.5%) are 35-44. Nearly 10%, 65 people, are 45-54.
654 people answered the marital-status question, of whom 413 (63%) are married, with 146 (22%) divorced, 53 (8%) never married, 26 (4%) widowed, and 16 separated.
373 (57%) live with a spouse and 216 (33%) live alone. 49 (7.5%) live with a spouse and 1-2 children, 6 have 3-4 children, 2 have 5 or more children, and 10 live with their parents. (We were taken to task for not including all the other relationship permutations: unmarried couples, roommates, insignificant others, etc.)
Fully 640 people identified their town or city, state or province. It took half the day to compile, but the results are astonishingly global. Forty-eight states, plus Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico, are represented by current and prospective expats. The leaders, as you’d expect, are California, Texas, and Florida, though perhaps surprisingly, only 16 claimed New York and 3 New Jersey. The next highest states are Washington and Colorado, followed by Arizona, Oregon, North Carolina, and Illinois. The rest of the states had a handful, with Oklahoma, Arkansas, Hawaii, Louisiana, West Virginia, New Hampshire, Vermont, Kentucky, Wyoming, North Dakota, Utah, and Kansas accounting for one or two. The only two states we didn’t hear from were South Dakota and Delaware.
Internationally, seven of the ten Canadian provinces were represented, the most from Ontario, then Alberta and British Columbia. We didn’t hear from Saskatchewan, Newfoundland, or PEI, nor the Northwest Territories or Nunavut, but someone did raise a hand in the Yukon Territory.
People also identified themselves from all over Ecuador, from Vilcabamba to Manabí.
And we heard from 14 other countries: Mexico (5), Netherlands (3), Thailand, New Zealand, and Australia (2 each), plus the U.K., Germany, Austria, France, Costa Rica, Panamá, Barbados, Caymans, and Brazil.
This is a highly educated group: 621 of the 657 (94.5%) who responded have at least some college. How much higher education breaks down as follows: 132/20% some; 63/10% a 2-year degree; 212/32% a four-year degree; 153/23% a Masters degree; 19 (3%) Ph.D.s, and 42/6% doctors, lawyers, and other professional degrees. 35 respondents completed high school/GED; one didn’t complete high school.
Among 351 current expats, 271 (77%) are retired, with 50 (14%) self-employed, 17 (5%) employed, and the rest (13/4%) out of work or homemakers.
Among 365 prospective expats, 186 (51%) are retired, with 70 (19%) self-employed, 98 (27%) employed for wages, and the rest (11/3%) out of work or homemakers.
Annual household income is fairly evenly distributed: 117/19.5% take in up to $24,999; 91/15% take in $25K-$34,999, 111/18.5% $35K-$49,999; the most, 118/20%, $50K-$74,999; 58/10% $75K to $99,999; and 105/17.5% $100K or more.
As always, the comments, of which there were 191, run the gamut:
“I write a Travel and Food blog and absolutely love Cuenca. Will be back in mid-March with my wife!”
“I’m looking forward to our first trip, which has not yet been scheduled, to Ecuador to be sure this is where we want to be. From everything I’ve read and seen here on Gringo Tree, Cuenca is our dream destination!”
“I’m dating a woman who was born and raised in Ecuador. I am interested in the culture and language of Cuenca. If I was interested in spending time with Americans, I would have stayed in the U.S.”
“We bought our place nine years ago when we were working in Washington, D.C. Since then, we’ve retired and keep staying longer and longer each year, so we’re seriously considering getting resident visas. We can’t believe how well we have grown to like it.”
“I’m completely fluent in Spanish, having studied it extensively and lived more than 20 years in Peru, Argentina, and Mexico.”
“Lived and worked in Venezuela, Suriname, and Aruba for six years.”
My husband has a Ph.D. and speaks Spanish. I would move now, but he wants golf.”
“Prospective expat, but still have not decided that Ecuador is the country for me. I have not adjusted to the altitude, even though I’m taking Diomax for altitude sickness.”
“Your choices in #8 did not allow for my situation. I’m living in sin with another senior citizen.”
an expat note:
Of the people who took the survey who live in Ecuador. 90% of them live in Cuenca”. There are probably at least 400 who live in the Otavalo/Cotacachi area. Maybe I’m nitpicking. But because Gringo Tree is mainly viewed by those living in Cuenca, these surveys are heavily skewed. I don’t think they are representative of the entire expat population in Ecuador.