Technical information: (202) 691-6378 USDL 09-0303
http://www.bls.gov/cps/
For release: 10:00 A.M. (EDT)
Media contact: (202) 691-5902 Thursday, March 26, 2009
FOREIGN-BORN WORKERS: LABOR FORCE CHARACTERISTICS IN 2008
In 2008, 24.1 million persons, or 15.6 percent of the U.S. civilian
labor force age 16 and over, were foreign born, the Bureau of Labor Statis-
tics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. The unemployment rate
for the foreign born was 5.8 percent in 2008, up from 4.3 percent in 2007.
The jobless rate of the native born also increased to 5.8 percent in 2008;
it was 4.7 percent in the prior year.
This news release compares the labor force characteristics of the for-
eign born with those of their native-born counterparts. The data on na-
tivity are collected as part of the Current Population Survey (CPS), a
monthly sample survey of approximately 60,000 households. The foreign born
are persons who reside in the United States but who were born outside the
country or one of its outlying areas to parents who were not U.S. citizens.
The foreign born include legally-admitted immigrants, refugees, temporary
residents such as students and temporary workers, and undocumented immi-
grants. The survey data, however, do not separately identify the numbers
of persons in these categories. For further information about the survey,
see the Technical Note.
Demographic Characteristics
The demographic characteristics of the foreign-born labor force differ
from those of the native born. In 2008, men made up a larger proportion
of the foreign-born labor force (59.8 percent) than they did of the native-
born (52.3 percent) labor force. Also, a higher proportion of the foreign-
born than the native-born labor force was made up of 25- to 54-year-olds
(76.6 and 66.0 percent, respectively); labor force participation is typi-
cally highest among persons in that age group. (See table 1.)
In 2008, Hispanics comprised 49.4 percent of the foreign-born labor
force compared with 7.8 percent of the native-born labor force. Asians
made up 22.4 percent of the foreign-born labor force compared with 1.3 per-
cent of the native-born labor force. (Data in this release for persons
who are white, black, or Asian do not include those of Hispanic or Latino
ethnicity. Data on persons of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity are presented
separately.)
In terms of educational attainment, 26.4 percent of the foreign-born
labor force 25 years old and over had not completed high school in 2008,
compared with 5.8 percent of the native-born labor force. Similar propor-
tions of foreign-born and native-born persons in the labor force had a
bachelor's or higher degree (31.7 and 34.6 percent, respectively).
Foreign-born workers were less likely than native-born workers to have
some college or an associate degree.
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Labor Force and Unemployment
In 2008, 68.1 percent of the foreign born were in the labor force,
0.4 percentage point lower than in 2007. The labor force participa-
tion rate of the native-born workers held steady at 65.6 percent in 2008.
Both the number of foreign-born labor force participants (24.1 million)
and their share of the U.S. civilian labor force (15.6 percent) were
little changed from 2007 to 2008. (See table 1.)
The labor force participation rate of foreign-born men was 81.4 per-
cent, compared with 71.4 percent for native-born men in 2008. In contrast,
54.8 percent of foreign-born women were labor force participants, compared
with 60.3 percent of native-born women.
Among the major race and ethnicity groups, labor force participation
rates of foreign-born whites (60.3 percent) and Hispanics (70.7 percent)
were down over the year. The rates for foreign-born blacks (73.2 percent)
and Asians (68.2 percent) showed little change in 2008. Among the native
born, labor force participation rates for all the major groups were about
unchanged over the year.
Foreign-born mothers with children under age 18 were less likely to be
labor force participants than native-born mothers--60.7 versus 74.1 per-
cent. Among women with children under age 3, the participation rate for
the foreign born was 44.6 percent, while that for the native born was 64.5
percent. The labor force participation rate of both foreign- and native-
born fathers with children under age 18 was about 94 percent in 2008. (See
table 2.)
The over-the-year increase in the unemployment rate of foreign-born
workers--from 4.3 percent in 2007 to 5.8 percent in 2008--reflected in-
creases in the rates for both men and women. The unemployment rate for
foreign-born men rose from 4.1 to 5.7 percent, and the rate for foreign-
born women was up from 4.6 to 6.0 percent. Among the native born, the
unemployment rate increased from 4.7 to 5.8 percent over the year. The
rate for men rose from 4.9 to 6.2 percent, while the rate for women was
up from 4.5 to 5.3 percent in 2008. (See table 1.)
By region, the foreign born made up a larger share of the total labor
force in the West (24.1 percent) and in the Northeast (17.9 percent) than
for the nation as a whole (15.6 percent). In contrast, the shares of the
labor force made up by foreign-born workers in the South (13.8 percent)
and Midwest (7.8 percent) were less than for the nation. (See table 6.)
Occupation
In 2008, foreign-born workers were more likely than their native-born
counterparts to be employed in service occupations (23.2 versus 15.6 per-
cent); in production, transportation, and material moving occupations
(16.4 versus 11.5 percent); and in natural resources, construction, and
maintenance occupations (15.1 versus 9.3 percent). In contrast, native-
born workers were more likely than foreign-born workers to be employed in
management, professional, and related occupations--37.8 versus 28.2 percent.
(See table 4.)
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Foreign-born men were more likely than native-born men to be employed
in service occupations; natural resources, construction, and maintenance
occupations; and production, transportation, and material moving occupa-
tions. Compared with native-born women, foreign-born women were more
likely to be employed in service occupations and in production, transpor-
tation, and material moving occupations.
Earnings
In 2008, the median usual weekly earnings of foreign-born full-time
wage and salary workers were $595, compared with $744 for the native born.
Among men, median earnings were $613 per week for the foreign born, com-
pared with $842 for the native born; the median for foreign-born women
was $557, compared with $651 for the native born. (See table 5.)
As with the native born, the earnings of foreign-born workers increased
with education. Foreign-born workers age 25 and over with less than a high
school education earned $417 per week in 2008, while those with bachelor's
degrees and higher earned about 2.6 times as much--$1,092 a week.
The gap between the earnings of foreign-born and native-born workers
narrows with higher levels of education. For example, among those with
less than a high school diploma, full-time workers who were foreign born
earned 84.6 percent as much as their native-born counterparts. Among those
with a bachelor's degree and higher, foreign born workers earned almost as
much (97.6 percent) as native-born workers.
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Technical Note
The estimates in this release are based on annual average data from the
Current Population Survey (CPS). The CPS, which is conducted by the U.S.
Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), is a monthly sur-
vey of about 60,000 households that provides information on the labor force
status, demographics, and other characteristics of the nation's civilian
noninstitutional population age 16 and over. In response to the increased
demand for statistical information about the foreign born, questions on
nativity, citizenship, year of entry into the United States, and the pa-
rental nativity of respondents were added to the CPS beginning in January
1994. Prior to 1994, the primary sources of data on the foreign born were
the decennial census, two CPS supplements (conducted in April 1983 and
November 1989), and, to some extent, information collected by the U.S.
Citizenship and Immigration Services (formerly known as the Immigration
and Naturalization Service).
The foreign- and native-born data for 2008 are not strictly comparable with
data for 2007 and earlier years because of the introduction in January 2008 of
revised population controls used in the CPS. The effect of the revised popu-
lation controls on the foreign- and native-born estimates is unknown. However,
the effect of the new controls on the monthly CPS estimates was to decrease the
December 2007 employment level by 598,000 and the unemployment level by 40,000.
The updated controls had little or no effect on unemployment rates and other
ratios. More detailed information on the population adjustments and their effect
on national labor force estimates are available at http://www.bls.gov/cps/cps08adj.
pdf.
Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired
individuals upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200, TDD message referral
phone number: 1-800-877-8339.
Reliability of the estimates
Statistics based on the CPS are subject to both sampling and nonsampling
error. When a sample, rather than the entire population, is surveyed, there
is a chance that the sample estimates may differ from the "true" population
values they represent. The exact difference, or sampling error, varies de-
pending upon the particular sample selected, and this variability is measured
by the standard error of the estimate. There is about a 90-percent chance,
or level of confidence, that an estimate based on a sample will differ by no
more than 1.6 standard errors from the "true" population value because of sam-
pling error. BLS analyses are generally conducted at the 90-percent level of
confidence.
The CPS data also are affected by nonsampling error. Nonsampling error can
occur for many reasons, including the failure to sample a segment of the popu-
lation, inability to obtain information for all respondents in the sample, in-
ability or unwillingness of respondents to provide correct information and
errors made in the collection or processing of the data. For a full discussion
of the reliability of data from the CPS and information on estimating standard
errors, see the Household Data section of the "Explanatory Notes and Estimates
of Error" in Employment and Earnings Online at http://www.bls.gov/cps/eetech_
methods.pdf.
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Concepts and definitions
Foreign born. The foreign born are persons residing in the United States
who were not U.S. citizens at birth. That is, they were born outside the
United States or one of its outlying areas such as Puerto Rico or Guam, to
parents neither of whom was a U.S. citizen. The foreign-born population
includes legally-admitted immigrants, refugees, temporary residents such
as students and temporary workers, and undocumented immigrants. The survey
data, however, do not separately identify the number of persons in these
categories.
Native born. The native born are persons born in the United States or
one of its outlying areas such as Puerto Rico or Guam or who were born
abroad of at least one parent who was a U.S. citizen.
Race and ethnicity groups. In this release, the data are presented
for non-Hispanic whites, blacks, and Asians and for persons of Hispanic
or Latino ethnicity. These four groups are mutually exclusive but not
exhaustive. Other race groups (including persons who selected more than
one race category) are included in the overall totals but are not shown
separately because the number of survey respondents is too small to develop
statistically reliable estimates. The presentation of the data on race and
ethnicity in this release differs from that which appears in most analyses
of CPS labor force data in that persons of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity are
separated from the race groups. Because persons of Hispanic or Latino
ethnicity can be of any race, they are usually included in the race groups
as well as shown separately in the Hispanic or Latino ethnicity group. The
reason for the difference in the data presentation in this release is be-
cause about half of the foreign born are of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity
and they have somewhat different labor force characteristics than the non-
Hispanic foreign born.
Employed. Employed persons are (a) all those who, during the survey
reference week, did any work at all as paid employees, worked in their own
business, profession, or on their own farm, or who worked 15 hours or more
as unpaid workers in a family-operated enterprise; and (b) all those who
did not work but had jobs or businesses from which they were temporarily
absent due to illness, bad weather, vacation, childcare problems, labor
disputes, or personal reasons, whether or not they were paid for the time
off and whether or not they were seeking other jobs.
Unemployed. The unemployed are persons who had no employment during the
reference week, were available for work at that time, except for temporary
illness, and had made specific efforts to find employment sometime during
the 4-week period ending with the reference week. Persons who were waiting
to be recalled to a job from which they had been laid off need not be looking
for work to be classified as unemployed.
Civilian labor force. The civilian labor force comprises all persons
classified as employed or unemployed.
Unemployment rate. The unemployment rate is the number unemployed as
a percent of the civilian labor force.
Labor force participation rate. The labor force participation rate is
the labor force as a percent of the population.
Usual weekly earnings. Data represent earnings before taxes and other
deductions and include any overtime pay, commissions, or tips usually
received (at the main job in the case of multiple jobholders). Earnings
reported on a basis other than weekly are converted to a weekly equivalent.
Median earnings. The median is the amount which divides a given earnings
distribution into two equal groups, one having earnings above the median
and the other having earnings below the median.
Table 1. Employment status of the foreign-born and native-born populations by selected characteristics, 2007-08 annual averages
(Numbers in thousands)
2007 2008
Civilian labor force Civilian labor force
Civilian Civilian
Characteristic non- non-
insti- Unemployed insti- Unemployed
tutional Partici- tutional Partici-
popula- Total pa- Employed popula- Total pa- Employed
tion tion Unem- tion tion Unem-
rate Number ployment rate Number ployment
rate rate
TOTAL
Total, 16 years and over..... 231,867 153,124 66.0 146,047 7,078 4.6 233,788 154,287 66.0 145,362 8,924 5.8
Men............................ 112,173 82,136 73.2 78,254 3,882 4.7 113,113 82,520 73.0 77,486 5,033 6.1
Women.......................... 119,694 70,988 59.3 67,792 3,196 4.5 120,675 71,767 59.5 67,876 3,891 5.4
FOREIGN BORN
Total, 16 years and over..... 35,017 23,994 68.5 22,967 1,027 4.3 35,317 24,063 68.1 22,660 1,403 5.8
Men............................ 17,670 14,470 81.9 13,883 588 4.1 17,688 14,400 81.4 13,578 822 5.7
Women.......................... 17,347 9,524 54.9 9,085 439 4.6 17,629 9,663 54.8 9,082 581 6.0
Age
16 to 24 years................. 4,205 2,454 58.4 2,266 188 7.7 3,845 2,211 57.5 1,979 232 10.5
25 to 34 years................. 8,243 6,421 77.9 6,147 274 4.3 7,992 6,236 78.0 5,866 371 5.9
35 to 44 years................. 8,322 6,782 81.5 6,546 236 3.5 8,327 6,814 81.8 6,473 341 5.0
45 to 54 years................. 6,278 5,126 81.7 4,930 196 3.8 6,602 5,380 81.5 5,083 297 5.5
55 to 64 years................. 3,850 2,531 65.7 2,424 107 4.2 4,126 2,700 65.4 2,580 120 4.5
65 years and over.............. 4,119 680 16.5 655 25 3.7 4,424 721 16.3 679 42 5.9
Race and Hispanic
or Latino ethnicity (1)
White non-Hispanic or Latino .. 7,492 4,599 61.4 4,428 171 3.7 7,517 4,531 60.3 4,305 226 5.0
Black non-Hispanic or Latino .. 2,610 1,901 72.8 1,795 106 5.6 2,743 2,007 73.2 1,863 144 7.2
Asian non-Hispanic or Latino .. 7,762 5,264 67.8 5,106 158 3.0 7,894 5,382 68.2 5,185 197 3.7
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity... 16,817 11,987 71.3 11,405 582 4.9 16,816 11,889 70.7 11,067 822 6.9
Educational attainment
Total, 25 years and over..... 30,812 21,540 69.9 20,701 839 3.9 31,472 21,852 69.4 20,681 1,171 5.4
Less than a high school diploma 9,456 5,893 62.3 5,585 308 5.2 9,420 5,759 61.1 5,316 443 7.7
High school graduates, no
college (2)................... 7,863 5,400 68.7 5,188 212 3.9 8,098 5,514 68.1 5,201 312 5.7
Some college or associate
degree........................ 4,780 3,538 74.0 3,387 151 4.3 4,951 3,648 73.7 3,457 190 5.2
Bachelor's degree and
higher (3) ................... 8,713 6,709 77.0 6,541 168 2.5 9,003 6,931 77.0 6,705 226 3.3
NATIVE BORN
Total, 16 years and over..... 196,850 129,130 65.6 123,079 6,051 4.7 198,471 130,224 65.6 122,703 7,521 5.8
Men............................ 94,503 67,666 71.6 64,372 3,294 4.9 95,424 68,119 71.4 63,908 4,211 6.2
Women.......................... 102,347 61,464 60.1 58,707 2,757 4.5 103,047 62,104 60.3 58,795 3,310 5.3
Age
16 to 24 years................. 33,204 19,763 59.5 17,608 2,155 10.9 33,639 19,821 58.9 17,223 2,599 13.1
25 to 34 years................. 31,509 26,708 84.8 25,439 1,270 4.8 32,001 27,096 84.7 25,517 1,579 5.8
35 to 44 years................. 34,079 28,745 84.3 27,756 989 3.4 33,372 28,247 84.6 26,984 1,264 4.5
45 to 54 years................. 37,266 30,571 82.0 29,633 938 3.1 37,357 30,623 82.0 29,446 1,177 3.8
55 to 64 years................. 28,683 18,219 63.5 17,684 535 2.9 29,364 18,915 64.4 18,232 682 3.6
65 years and over.............. 32,109 5,124 16.0 4,959 165 3.2 32,737 5,522 16.9 5,300 222 4.0
Race and Hispanic
or Latino ethnicity (1)
White non-Hispanic or Latino .. 151,596 100,279 66.1 96,411 3,868 3.9 152,157 100,679 66.2 95,909 4,770 4.7
Black non-Hispanic or Latino .. 23,921 14,961 62.5 13,671 1,290 8.6 24,157 15,101 62.5 13,524 1,577 10.4
Asian non-Hispanic or Latino .. 2,708 1,683 62.2 1,620 63 3.7 2,669 1,674 62.7 1,600 74 4.4
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity... 14,566 9,615 66.0 8,977 638 6.6 15,325 10,135 66.1 9,279 856 8.4
Educational attainment
Total, 25 years and over..... 163,645 109,367 66.8 105,471 3,896 3.6 164,832 110,403 67.0 105,480 4,923 4.5
Less than a high school diploma 17,177 6,514 37.9 5,936 578 8.9 16,702 6,406 38.4 5,757 649 10.1
High school graduates, no
college (2)................... 53,510 33,139 61.9 31,670 1,470 4.4 53,017 32,749 61.8 30,896 1,854 5.7
Some college or associate
degree........................ 45,051 32,349 71.8 31,225 1,124 3.5 46,153 33,070 71.7 31,582 1,488 4.5
Bachelor's degree and
higher (3) ................... 47,908 37,365 78.0 36,640 725 1.9 48,959 38,177 78.0 37,245 932 2.4
1 Data for race/ethnicity groups do not sum to totals because data are not presented for all races.
2 Includes persons with a high school diploma or equivalent.
3 Includes persons with bachelor's, master's, professional, and doctoral degrees.
NOTE: Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data. See the Technical Note for further
information.
Table 2. Employment status of the foreign-born and native-born populations 16 years and over by presence and age of
youngest child and sex, 2007-08 annual averages
(Numbers in thousands)
2007 2008
Characteristic
Total Men Women Total Men Women
FOREIGN BORN
With own children under 18
Civilian noninstitutional population......... 13,970 6,640 7,329 13,864 6,618 7,245
Civilian labor force........................ 10,667 6,260 4,407 10,626 6,228 4,399
Participation rate........................ 76.4 94.3 60.1 76.6 94.1 60.7
Employed................................... 10,245 6,055 4,190 10,047 5,929 4,118
Employment-population ratio............... 73.3 91.2 57.2 72.5 89.6 56.8
Unemployed................................. 422 205 217 580 299 281
Unemployment rate......................... 4.0 3.3 4.9 5.5 4.8 6.4
With own children 6 to 17, none younger
Civilian noninstitutional population......... 6,974 3,252 3,722 7,173 3,359 3,814
Civilian labor force........................ 5,640 3,029 2,611 5,791 3,123 2,668
Participation rate........................ 80.9 93.1 70.2 80.7 93.0 69.9
Employed................................... 5,431 2,935 2,497 5,505 2,985 2,520
Employment-population ratio............... 77.9 90.2 67.1 76.7 88.9 66.1
Unemployed................................. 209 94 115 286 138 148
Unemployment rate......................... 3.7 3.1 4.4 4.9 4.4 5.5
With own children under 6
Civilian noninstitutional population......... 6,996 3,388 3,608 6,691 3,259 3,431
Civilian labor force........................ 5,027 3,231 1,795 4,835 3,104 1,731
Participation rate........................ 71.9 95.4 49.8 72.3 95.2 50.4
Employed................................... 4,814 3,120 1,693 4,542 2,944 1,598
Employment-population ratio............... 68.8 92.1 46.9 67.9 90.3 46.6
Unemployed................................. 213 111 102 294 161 133
Unemployment rate......................... 4.2 3.4 5.7 6.1 5.2 7.7
With own children under 3
Civilian noninstitutional population......... 4,087 1,982 2,105 3,923 1,927 1,996
Civilian labor force........................ 2,821 1,888 933 2,727 1,837 890
Participation rate........................ 69.0 95.3 44.3 69.5 95.3 44.6
Employed................................... 2,700 1,825 876 2,558 1,745 813
Employment-population ratio............... 66.1 92.1 41.6 65.2 90.6 40.7
Unemployed................................. 120 63 57 169 92 78
Unemployment rate......................... 4.3 3.4 6.1 6.2 5.0 8.7
With no own children under 18
Civilian noninstitutional population......... 21,047 11,030 10,018 21,453 11,070 10,383
Civilian labor force........................ 13,327 8,210 5,117 13,436 8,173 5,264
Participation rate........................ 63.3 74.4 51.1 62.6 73.8 50.7
Employed................................... 12,722 7,828 4,895 12,613 7,650 4,964
Employment-population ratio............... 60.4 71.0 48.9 58.8 69.1 47.8
Unemployed................................. 605 383 222 823 523 300
Unemployment rate......................... 4.5 4.7 4.3 6.1 6.4 5.7
NATIVE BORN
With own children under 18
Civilian noninstitutional population......... 52,683 22,996 29,686 51,642 22,467 29,175
Civilian labor force........................ 43,578 21,699 21,879 42,762 21,144 21,617
Participation rate........................ 82.7 94.4 73.7 82.8 94.1 74.1
Employed................................... 42,005 21,119 20,887 40,859 20,403 20,455
Employment-population ratio............... 79.7 91.8 70.4 79.1 90.8 70.1
Unemployed................................. 1,573 581 992 1,903 741 1,162
Unemployment rate......................... 3.6 2.7 4.5 4.5 3.5 5.4
With own children 6 to 17, none younger
Civilian noninstitutional population......... 29,861 13,085 16,775 29,259 12,841 16,418
Civilian labor force........................ 25,413 12,197 13,216 24,936 11,955 12,981
Participation rate........................ 85.1 93.2 78.8 85.2 93.1 79.1
Employed................................... 24,622 11,889 12,733 23,974 11,555 12,419
Employment-population ratio............... 82.5 90.9 75.9 81.9 90.0 75.6
Unemployed................................. 791 308 483 963 400 562
Unemployment rate......................... 3.1 2.5 3.7 3.9 3.3 4.3
With own children under 6
Civilian noninstitutional population......... 22,822 9,911 12,911 22,384 9,627 12,757
Civilian labor force........................ 18,165 9,502 8,663 17,825 9,189 8,636
Participation rate........................ 79.6 95.9 67.1 79.6 95.5 67.7
Employed................................... 17,383 9,230 8,154 16,885 8,849 8,036
Employment-population ratio............... 76.2 93.1 63.2 75.4 91.9 63.0
Unemployed................................. 782 272 509 940 340 600
Unemployment rate......................... 4.3 2.9 5.9 5.3 3.7 6.9
With own children under 3
Civilian noninstitutional population......... 13,406 5,851 7,554 13,358 5,758 7,600
Civilian labor force........................ 10,412 5,624 4,788 10,419 5,517 4,902
Participation rate........................ 77.7 96.1 63.4 78.0 95.8 64.5
Employed................................... 9,935 5,457 4,478 9,841 5,299 4,542
Employment-population ratio............... 74.1 93.3 59.3 73.7 92.0 59.8
Unemployed................................. 477 167 310 578 218 360
Unemployment rate......................... 4.6 3.0 6.5 5.5 3.9 7.4
With no own children under 18
Civilian noninstitutional population......... 144,167 71,506 72,661 146,829 72,957 73,872
Civilian labor force........................ 85,552 45,967 39,585 87,462 46,975 40,487
Participation rate........................ 59.3 64.3 54.5 59.6 64.4 54.8
Employed................................... 81,074 43,253 37,821 81,844 43,505 38,339
Employment-population ratio............... 56.2 60.5 52.1 55.7 59.6 51.9
Unemployed................................. 4,478 2,714 1,764 5,618 3,470 2,148
Unemployment rate......................... 5.2 5.9 4.5 6.4 7.4 5.3
NOTE: Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data. See the Technical
Note for further information.
Table 3. Employment status of the foreign-born and native-born populations 25 years and over by educational attainment,
race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 2007-08 annual averages
(Numbers in thousands)
2007 2008
Characteristic Less than High Some Less than High Some
a high school college Bachelor's a high school college Bachelor's
school graduates, or degree and school graduates, or degree and
diploma no college associate higher (2) diploma no college associate higher (2)
(1) degree (1) degree
FOREIGN BORN
White non-Hispanic or Latino
Civilian noninstitutional population.... 895 1,850 1,338 2,701 891 1,884 1,360 2,744
Civilian labor force................... 306 1,035 882 1,991 276 990 885 2,024
Participation rate................... 34.1 55.9 65.9 73.7 30.9 52.5 65.1 73.7
Employed.............................. 292 993 850 1,937 253 939 838 1,952
Employment-population ratio.......... 32.7 53.7 63.5 71.7 28.4 49.9 61.6 71.2
Unemployed............................ 13 42 32 53 22 50 48 71
Unemployment rate.................... 4.3 4.1 3.6 2.7 8.1 5.1 5.4 3.5
Black non-Hispanic or Latino
Civilian noninstitutional population.... 318 712 570 654 334 758 629 677
Civilian labor force................... 193 515 474 566 192 561 501 582
Participation rate................... 60.7 72.2 83.2 86.6 57.4 74.0 79.7 86.0
Employed.............................. 177 491 445 549 176 516 466 559
Employment-population ratio.......... 55.6 68.9 78.1 84.1 52.9 68.1 74.0 82.5
Unemployed............................ 16 24 29 17 15 45 36 24
Unemployment rate.................... 8.4 4.7 6.1 3.0 7.9 8.0 7.1 4.1
Asian non-Hispanic or Latino
Civilian noninstitutional population.... 836 1,428 1,066 3,754 864 1,453 1,033 3,880
Civilian labor force................... 370 924 769 2,889 402 951 758 2,979
Participation rate................... 44.3 64.7 72.1 77.0 46.6 65.5 73.4 76.8
Employed.............................. 359 892 736 2,828 375 913 725 2,898
Employment-population ratio.......... 43.0 62.5 69.0 75.3 43.4 62.8 70.2 74.7
Unemployed............................ 11 32 33 61 27 39 33 81
Unemployment rate.................... 3.0 3.5 4.3 2.1 6.8 4.1 4.4 2.7
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity
Civilian noninstitutional population.... 7,368 3,801 1,726 1,508 7,292 3,940 1,852 1,579
Civilian labor force................... 5,001 2,877 1,352 1,189 4,871 2,967 1,439 1,245
Participation rate................... 67.9 75.7 78.3 78.9 66.8 75.3 77.7 78.9
Employed.............................. 4,736 2,764 1,297 1,155 4,495 2,790 1,368 1,198
Employment-population ratio.......... 64.3 72.7 75.1 76.6 61.6 70.8 73.9 75.9
Unemployed............................ 266 112 56 34 376 177 71 47
Unemployment rate.................... 5.3 3.9 4.1 2.9 7.7 6.0 5.0 3.7
NATIVE BORN
White non-Hispanic or Latino
Civilian noninstitutional population.... 11,099 41,790 35,413 41,067 10,723 41,180 35,972 41,982
Civilian labor force................... 4,092 25,333 25,048 31,725 3,975 24,863 25,386 32,458
Participation rate................... 36.9 60.6 70.7 77.3 37.1 60.4 70.6 77.3
Employed.............................. 3,783 24,377 24,281 31,150 3,644 23,659 24,397 31,727
Employment-population ratio.......... 34.1 58.3 68.6 75.9 34.0 57.5 67.8 75.6
Unemployed............................ 309 955 767 575 331 1,204 990 731
Unemployment rate.................... 7.5 3.8 3.1 1.8 8.3 4.8 3.9 2.3
Black non-Hispanic or Latino
Civilian noninstitutional population.... 3,215 6,938 5,306 3,496 3,128 6,923 5,533 3,582
Civilian labor force................... 1,154 4,481 3,948 2,872 1,167 4,467 4,125 2,881
Participation rate................... 35.9 64.6 74.4 82.1 37.3 64.5 74.6 80.4
Employed.............................. 1,003 4,138 3,731 2,788 979 4,046 3,815 2,769
Employment-population ratio.......... 31.2 59.6 70.3 79.7 31.3 58.4 69.0 77.3
Unemployed............................ 151 343 216 84 187 420 310 113
Unemployment rate.................... 13.1 7.7 5.5 2.9 16.0 9.4 7.5 3.9
Asian non-Hispanic or Latino
Civilian noninstitutional population.... 143 397 399 953 147 360 442 929
Civilian labor force................... 58 223 287 757 57 210 308 737
Participation rate................... 40.6 56.0 72.0 79.4 38.9 58.2 69.6 79.3
Employed.............................. 56 218 281 734 55 200 301 715
Employment-population ratio.......... 39.4 54.8 70.3 77.0 37.7 55.4 68.2 76.9
Unemployed............................ 2 5 7 23 2 10 6 23
Unemployment rate.................... 2.9 2.2 2.3 3.0 2.9 4.9 2.1 3.1
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity
Civilian noninstitutional population.... 2,275 3,390 2,939 1,784 2,264 3,587 3,131 1,835
Civilian labor force................... 1,039 2,468 2,340 1,517 1,040 2,609 2,476 1,588
Participation rate................... 45.7 72.8 79.6 85.1 45.9 72.8 79.1 86.5
Employed.............................. 942 2,345 2,245 1,489 931 2,442 2,353 1,537
Employment-population ratio.......... 41.4 69.2 76.4 83.5 41.1 68.1 75.2 83.8
Unemployed............................ 97 122 94 29 109 167 123 50
Unemployment rate.................... 9.4 5.0 4.0 1.9 10.4 6.4 5.0 3.2
1 Includes persons with a high school diploma or equivalent.
2 Includes persons with bachelor's, master's, professional, and doctoral degrees.
NOTE: Data for race/ethnicity groups do not sum to totals because data are not presented for all races. Updated
population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data. See the Technical Note for further
information.
Table 4. Employed foreign-born and native-born persons 16 years and over by occupation and sex,
2008 annual averages
(Percent distribution)
Foreign Born Native Born
Occupation
Total Men Women Total Men Women
Total................................................ 22,660 13,578 9,082 122,703 63,908 58,795
Percent.............................................. 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Management, professional, and related occupations...... 28.2 25.9 31.5 37.8 35.1 40.7
Management, business, and financial operations
occupations.......................................... 10.8 10.6 11.0 16.0 17.5 14.3
Management occupations............................... 7.7 8.3 6.8 11.5 13.8 9.0
Business and financial operations occupations........ 3.1 2.3 4.2 4.5 3.8 5.3
Professional and related occupations.................. 17.4 15.3 20.5 21.8 17.6 26.4
Computer and mathematical occupations................ 3.6 4.7 2.1 2.3 3.3 1.2
Architecture and engineering occupations............. 2.0 2.9 .8 2.0 3.4 .6
Life, physical, and social science occupations....... 1.2 1.2 1.2 .9 .9 .8
Community and social services occupations............ .9 .7 1.1 1.7 1.3 2.2
Legal occupations.................................... .4 .3 .7 1.3 1.2 1.4
Education, training, and library occupations......... 3.3 1.8 5.4 6.4 3.1 10.0
Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media
occupations......................................... 1.4 1.2 1.6 2.0 2.0 2.0
Healthcare practitioner and technical occupations.... 4.6 2.6 7.8 5.2 2.4 8.2
Service occupations.................................... 23.2 17.7 31.3 15.6 12.6 18.9
Healthcare support occupations....................... 2.5 .5 5.4 2.2 .5 4.0
Protective service occupations....................... .9 1.1 .6 2.3 3.4 1.1
Food preparation and serving related occupations..... 7.5 7.3 7.7 5.0 3.8 6.3
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance
occupations......................................... 8.2 7.2 9.7 2.9 3.6 2.2
Personal care and service occupations................ 4.1 1.5 7.9 3.3 1.3 5.3
Sales and office occupations........................... 17.2 12.4 24.3 25.8 17.8 34.5
Sales and related occupations........................ 8.9 7.8 10.6 11.6 11.2 12.1
Office and administrative support occupations........ 8.3 4.6 13.8 14.2 6.6 22.4
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance
occupations........................................... 15.1 24.2 1.5 9.3 17.0 .8
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations........... 1.7 2.2 .9 .5 .7 .2
Construction and extraction occupations.............. 10.4 17.2 .4 5.1 9.6 .3
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations.... 3.0 4.8 .2 3.6 6.7 .3
Production, transportation, and material moving
occupations........................................... 16.4 19.7 11.3 11.5 17.4 5.0
Production occupations............................... 9.3 9.9 8.4 5.6 7.8 3.2
Transportation and material moving occupations....... 7.1 9.9 2.9 5.9 9.6 1.8
NOTE: Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data. See the Technical
Note for further information.
Table 5. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary works for the foreign born and native born by selected
characteristics, 2007-08 annual averages
(Numbers in thousands)
2007 2008
Foreign Born Native Born Earnings Foreign Born Native Born Earnings
of of
Characteristic foreign foreign
born as born as
Median Median percent Median Median percent
Number weekly Number weekly of Number weekly Number weekly of
earnings earnings native earnings earnings native
born (1) born (1)
Total, 16 years and over......... 17,876 $554 89,463 $722 76.8 17,328 $595 89,320 $744 79.9
Men................................ 11,329 585 48,969 809 72.3 10,848 613 48,591 842 72.9
Women.............................. 6,547 509 40,494 627 81.2 6,480 557 40,729 651 85.5
AGE
16 to 24 years................... 1,650 391 9,599 435 89.8 1,337 402 9,284 451 89.1
25 to 34 years................... 5,078 520 20,792 669 77.8 4,786 572 20,857 689 83.0
35 to 44 years................... 5,186 604 21,814 807 74.7 5,118 635 21,290 842 75.4
45 to 54 years................... 3,816 615 22,877 817 75.2 3,846 663 22,794 848 78.2
55 to 64 years................... 1,761 632 12,435 828 76.3 1,849 661 12,914 849 77.9
65 years and over................ 386 518 1,946 622 83.3 392 568 2,181 659 86.2
RACE AND HISPANIC OR
LATINO ETHNICITY (2)
White non-Hispanic or Latino .... 3,084 805 68,484 762 105.6 2,984 846 68,334 788 107.3
Black non-Hispanic or Latino .... 1,442 585 11,160 569 102.8 1,472 601 10,905 588 102.2
Asian non-Hispanic or Latino .... 3,876 832 1,188 832 100.0 3,988 864 1,184 865 99.8
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity..... 9,297 448 6,904 605 74.0 8,686 483 7,122 621 77.8
EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT
Total, 25 years and over....... 16,225 586 79,864 763 76.7 15,992 614 80,036 788 78.0
Less than a high school diploma.. 4,582 405 4,164 479 84.6 4,213 417 3,908 493 84.6
High school graduates, no
college (3) .................... 3,928 511 24,069 617 82.9 3,920 523 23,472 633 82.7
Some college or associate degree 2,539 617 23,651 714 86.5 2,582 651 23,944 729 89.3
Bachelor's degree and higher (4) 5,177 1,057 27,980 1,075 98.3 5,277 1,092 28,713 1,119 97.6
1 These figures are computed using unrounded medians and may differ slightly from percents computed using the rounded
medians displayed in this table.
2 Data for race/ethnicity groups do not sum to totals because data are not presented for all races.
3 Includes persons with a high school diploma or equivalent.
4 Includes persons with bachelor's, master's, professional, and doctoral degrees.
NOTE: Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data. See the Technical Note for
further information.
Table 6. Employment status of the foreign-born and native-born populations 16 years and over by census regions and divisions,
2007-08 annual averages
(Numbers in thousands)
2007 2008
Civilian labor force Civilian labor force
Census regions and Civilian Civilian
divisions noninsti- noninsti-
tutional Unemployed tutional Unemployed
popula- Par- popula- Par-
tion Total ticipa- Employed tion Total ticipa- Employed
tion rate Number Unemploy- tion rate Number Unemploy-
ment rate ment rate
FOREIGN BORN
Northeast........... 7,742 5,113 66.0 4,887 225 4.4 7,652 5,044 65.9 4,793 251 5.0
New England....... 1,540 1,062 68.9 1,018 43 4.1 1,491 1,023 68.6 963 60 5.8
Middle Atlantic... 6,202 4,051 65.3 3,869 182 4.5 6,162 4,021 65.3 3,830 192 4.8
South............... 10,711 7,536 70.4 7,265 272 3.6 10,912 7,610 69.7 7,198 412 5.4
South Atlantic.... 6,434 4,602 71.5 4,431 171 3.7 6,474 4,577 70.7 4,301 276 6.0
East South Central 567 424 74.8 412 12 2.9 583 434 74.5 413 21 4.9
West South Central 3,709 2,510 67.7 2,422 88 3.5 3,855 2,599 67.4 2,484 115 4.4
Midwest............. 3,791 2,626 69.3 2,506 120 4.6 3,931 2,708 68.9 2,547 161 5.9
East North Central 2,923 1,996 68.3 1,906 90 4.5 3,015 2,047 67.9 1,927 120 5.9
West North Central 868 630 72.6 600 30 4.8 916 661 72.2 620 41 6.2
West................ 12,773 8,719 68.3 8,309 410 4.7 12,822 8,701 67.9 8,122 579 6.7
Mountain.......... 2,178 1,513 69.5 1,453 61 4.0 2,195 1,529 69.6 1,445 83 5.5
Pacific........... 10,595 7,206 68.0 6,857 349 4.8 10,627 7,172 67.5 6,677 495 6.9
NATIVE BORN
Northeast........... 35,327 22,881 64.8 21,863 1,018 4.4 35,527 23,186 65.3 21,903 1,283 5.5
New England....... 9,770 6,623 67.8 6,322 301 4.5 9,839 6,659 67.7 6,299 360 5.4
Middle Atlantic... 25,556 16,257 63.6 15,541 717 4.4 25,688 16,527 64.3 15,604 923 5.6
South............... 73,484 47,086 64.1 44,994 2,092 4.4 74,203 47,437 63.9 44,826 2,611 5.5
South Atlantic.... 38,242 24,749 64.7 23,708 1,041 4.2 38,649 24,989 64.7 23,584 1,406 5.6
East South Central 13,223 8,199 62.0 7,792 407 5.0 13,316 8,134 61.1 7,619 515 6.3
West South Central 22,019 14,139 64.2 13,494 645 4.6 22,238 14,314 64.4 13,624 691 4.8
Midwest............. 47,517 32,377 68.1 30,697 1,680 5.2 47,526 32,231 67.8 30,279 1,953 6.1
East North Central 32,930 22,073 67.0 20,827 1,245 5.6 32,903 21,939 66.7 20,483 1,456 6.6
West North Central 14,587 10,305 70.6 9,870 435 4.2 14,623 10,293 70.4 9,796 497 4.8
West................ 40,522 26,786 66.1 25,525 1,261 4.7 41,215 27,369 66.4 25,694 1,675 6.1
Mountain.......... 13,893 9,417 67.8 9,080 337 3.6 14,227 9,635 67.7 9,148 487 5.1
Pacific........... 26,629 17,368 65.2 16,445 923 5.3 26,988 17,734 65.7 16,546 1,188 6.7
NOTE: The states (plus the District of Columbia) that comprise the census divisions are: New England (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts,
New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont); Middle Atlantic (New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania); South Atlantic (Delaware, District of
Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia); East South Central (Alabama, Kentucky,
Mississippi, and Tennessee); West South Central Division (Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas); East North Central (Illinois, Indiana,
Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin); West North Central (Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota); Mountain
(Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming); Pacific (Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington).
Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data. See the Technical Note for further information.
United States Department of Labor
