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Economic News Release
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Labor Force Characteristics of Foreign-born Workers News Release

For release 10:00 a.m. (ET) Thursday, May 18, 2023                                  USDL-23-1013

Technical information:  (202) 691-6378  *  cpsinfo@bls.gov  *  www.bls.gov/cps 
Media contact:          (202) 691-5902  *  PressOffice@bls.gov 


               FOREIGN-BORN WORKERS: LABOR FORCE CHARACTERISTICS -- 2022


The unemployment rate for foreign-born persons in the United States was 3.4 percent in 2022,
down from 5.6 percent in 2021, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The jobless
rate of native-born persons declined to 3.7 percent in 2022 from 5.3 percent in 2021. Both
measures are down considerably from their highs in 2020. However, the jobless rate for the 
foreign born remains above its level of 3.1 percent prior to the coronavirus (COVID-19)
pandemic in 2019, while the rate for the native born is little changed from its pre-pandemic
level of 3.8 percent.

Data on nativity 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 not U.S. citizens at birth. Specifically, they were born
outside the United States (or one of its outlying areas such as Puerto Rico or Guam), and 
neither parent was a U.S. citizen. The foreign born include legally-admitted immigrants,
refugees, temporary residents such as students and temporary workers, and undocumented
immigrants. However, the survey does not separately identify persons in these categories.
For further information about the survey, see the Technical Note in this news release.

Highlights from the 2022 data:

 --In 2022, the foreign born accounted for 18.1 percent of the U.S. civilian labor force,
   up from 17.4 percent in 2021. (See table 1.)

 --From 2021 to 2022, the unemployment rate of the foreign born declined from 5.6 percent
   to 3.4 percent, and the jobless rate for the native born decreased from 5.3 percent to
   3.7 percent. (See table 1.)
 
 --Hispanics continued to account for nearly one-half of the foreign-born labor force in 2022,
   and Asians accounted for one-quarter. (See table 1.) (Data in this news 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.)

 --Foreign-born men continued to participate in the labor force at a considerably higher rate
   in 2022 (77.4 percent) than their native-born counterparts (66.0 percent). By contrast, 
   55.0 percent of foreign-born women were labor force participants, lower than the
   participation rate of 57.2 percent for native-born women. (See table 1.)

 --In 2022, foreign-born workers were more likely than native-born workers to be employed in
   service occupations; natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations; and
   production, transportation, and material moving occupations. Foreign-born workers were
   less likely than native-born workers to be employed in management, professional, and 
   related occupations and in sales and office occupations. (See table 4.)

 --The median usual weekly earnings of foreign-born full-time wage and salary workers were
   $945 in 2022, compared with $1,087 for their native-born counterparts. (See table 5.)
   (Differences in earnings reflect a variety of factors, including variations in the
   distributions of foreign-born and native-born workers by educational attainment, occupation, 
   industry, and geographic region.) 

Demographic Characteristics

The demographic composition of the foreign-born labor force differs from that of the native-born
labor force. In 2022, men accounted for 57.2 percent of the foreign-born labor force, compared
with 52.3 percent of the native-born labor force. By age, the proportion of the foreign-born
labor force made up of 25- to 54-year-olds (71.1 percent) was higher than for the native-born
labor force (62.2 percent). Labor force participation is typically highest among persons in
that age bracket. (See table 1.)

In 2022, nearly one-half (47.6 percent) of the foreign-born labor force was Hispanic, and 
one-quarter (24.7 percent) was Asian. Hispanics and Asians made up much lower percentages of
the native-born labor force, at 12.2 percent and 2.4 percent, respectively. About 16.0 percent
of the foreign-born labor force was White and 10.4 percent was Black, compared with 69.9 percent
and 12.4 percent, respectively, of the native-born labor force.

In terms of educational attainment, the proportion of the foreign-born labor force age 25 and 
over that had not completed high school was 18.3 percent in 2022, much higher than the figure
for the native-born labor force, at 3.4 percent. The foreign born were less likely than the 
native born to have some college or an associate degree--15.5 percent versus 27.2 percent. The
proportions of foreign-born and native-born high school graduates (25.5 percent versus 25.0
percent) and those with a bachelor's degree or higher (40.7 percent versus 44.5 percent) were
more similar.

Labor Force

In 2022, the foreign born accounted for 18.1 percent of the U.S. civilian labor force, up from
17.4 percent in 2021. In 2022, the labor force participation rate of the foreign born increased
to 65.9 percent. The rate for foreign-born men changed little at 77.4 percent, while the rate
for foreign-born women increased to 55.0 percent. The labor force participation rate of the
native born changed little at 61.5 percent. The rate for native-born men was little changed
at 66.0 percent, while the rate for native-born women increased to 57.2 percent. (See table 1.)

Labor force participation rates for the foreign born varied across the major race and ethnicity
groups in 2022, ranging from 60.2 percent for foreign-born Whites to 72.7 percent for foreign-born
Blacks. Participation rates for the native born showed less variation across major race and 
ethnicity groups, ranging from 60.5 percent for native-born Blacks to 65.4 percent for native-born
Hispanics.

Among the major race and ethnicity groups, the labor force participation rate of foreign-born
Blacks and Hispanics increased to 72.7 percent and 67.3 percent, respectively, from 2021 to 2022.
The rates for foreign-born Whites and Asians showed little or no change over the year. Among
the native born, the participation rate of Blacks and Asians increased to 60.5 percent and to
63.9 percent, respectively. The rate for native-born Hispanics changed little from 2021 to 2022.
After adjusting for population controls, the participation rate for native-born Whites declined
from 2021 to 2022.

In 2022, foreign-born mothers with children under age 18 were less likely to be labor force 
participants than native-born mothers--63.0 percent versus 76.0 percent. Labor force participation
differences between foreign-born and native-born mothers were greater among those with younger
children than among those with older children. Among women with children under age 3, the
participation rate for foreign-born mothers was 52.7 percent, 16.2 percentage points below that
for native-born mothers, at 68.9 percent. By comparison, the labor force participation rate of
foreign-born mothers with children ages 6 to 17 (68.2 percent) was 11.3 percentage points lower
than that for native-born mothers with children ages 6 to 17 (79.5 percent). The labor force
participation rates of foreign-born and native-born fathers with children under age 18 were more
similar, at 93.4 percent and 92.7 percent, respectively. (See table 2.)

By region, the foreign born made up a larger share of the labor force in the West
(23.5 percent) and in the Northeast (21.6 percent) in 2022 than for the nation as a whole (18.1
percent). The foreign born made up a smaller share of the labor force than for the nation as
a whole in the South (17.5 percent) and the Midwest (10.2 percent). (See table 6.) 

Employment

In 2022, the employment population ratio of the foreign born increased to 63.6 percent. The 
rates for foreign-born men and women increased to 74.9 percent and 53.0 percent, respectively.
The employment population ratio of the native born rose to 59.2 percent. The population ratios
for native-born men and women increased to 63.5 percent and 55.1 percent, respectively. (See
table 1.) 
 
Unemployment

The unemployment rate of the foreign born declined from 5.6 percent to 3.4 percent from 2021 
to 2022, and the jobless rate for the native born decreased from 5.3 percent to 3.7 percent. 
The jobless rate for the foreign born remained higher than its 2019 level (3.1 percent), prior
to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, while the rate for the native born was little changed 
from its pre-pandemic level (3.8 percent). The over-the-year declines in the unemployment 
rates of the foreign born and the native born reflected declines in the rates for both men and
women. In 2022, the unemployment rates for foreign-born men and women fell by 1.8 percentage
points and 2.5 percentage points to 3.3 percent and 3.6 percent, respectively. The unemployment 
rates for native-born men and women fell by 1.7 percentage points and 1.4 percentage points
to 3.8 percent and 3.6 percent, respectively. (See table 1.)

For both the foreign born and the native born, jobless rates vary considerably by race and 
ethnicity. Among the foreign born, Blacks had the highest unemployment rate in 2022 (4.8 percent),
followed by Hispanics (3.7 percent), Whites (3.4 percent), and Asians (2.4 percent). Among
the native born, jobless rates were highest for Blacks (6.4 percent), followed by Hispanics 
(4.8 percent), Asians (3.6 percent), and Whites (2.9 percent).

Occupation

In 2022, foreign-born workers continued to be more likely than native-born workers to be 
employed in service occupations (21.6 percent versus 14.8 percent); natural resources, 
construction, and maintenance occupations (13.9 percent versus 7.9 percent); and production, 
transportation, and material moving occupations (15.2 percent versus 12.1 percent). Foreign-born
workers were less likely than native-born workers to be employed in management, professional,
and related occupations (35.7 percent versus 44.7 percent) and in sales and office occupations
(13.6 percent versus 20.5 percent). (See table 4.)

Among employed men, the disparity was especially great in natural resources, construction,
and maintenance occupations--22.6 percent of the foreign born worked in this occupational field
in 2022, versus 14.4 percent of the native born. The occupational disparity for women was 
pronounced in service occupations--30.0 percent of the foreign born worked in that occupation
group, compared with 17.5 percent of the native born. By contrast, employed native-born men and
women were more likely than their foreign-born counterparts to work in management, professional,
and related occupations and in sales and office occupations.

Earnings

In 2022, median usual weekly earnings of foreign-born full-time wage and salary workers ($945)
were 86.9 percent of the earnings of their native-born counterparts ($1,087). Among men, median
weekly earnings for the foreign born ($1,000) were 84.4 percent of the earnings of the native
born ($1,185). Median earnings for foreign-born women ($861) were 88.3 percent of the earnings
of native-born women ($975). (See table 5.) Differences in earnings reflect a variety of factors,
including variations in the distributions of foreign-born and native-born workers by educational
attainment, occupation, industry, and geographic region. 

Among the major race and ethnicity groups, Hispanic foreign-born full-time wage and salary 
workers earned 83.3 percent as much as their native-born counterparts in 2022. For Black and
Asian workers, earnings for the foreign born were slightly higher than for their native-born
counterparts (by 8.3 percent and 2.6 percent, respectively), while White foreign-born workers
earned 13.4 percent more than their native-born counterparts.   

The earnings of both foreign-born and native-born workers increase with education. In 2022,
foreign-born workers age 25 and over with less than a high school diploma earned $663 per week,
while those with a bachelor's degree and higher earned 2.4 times as much--$1,581 per week. 
Among the native born, those with a bachelor's degree and higher earned 2.2 times as much as
those with less than a high school diploma--$1,537 per week versus $708 per week.

Native-born workers earn more than the foreign born at most educational attainment levels. For
example, among high school graduates (no college), full-time workers who were foreign born
($767) earned 87.3 percent as much as their native-born counterparts ($879) in 2022. However,
among those with a bachelor's degree and higher, the earnings of foreign-born workers ($1,581)
were slightly higher than the earnings of native-born workers ($1,537).




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 survey of about 60,000 eligible 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 parental
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 presented in this release are not
strictly comparable with data for earlier years due to the introduction
of updated population estimates, or controls, used in the CPS. The
population controls are updated each year in January to reflect the
latest information about population change. Additional information is
available from the BLS website at www.bls.gov/cps/documentation.htm#pop.

   If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please
dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services

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 component of this
difference that occurs because samples differ by chance is known as
sampling error, and its 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
sampling 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 population, inability to obtain information for all
respondents in the sample, inability or unwillingness of respondents
to provide correct information, and errors made in the collection or
processing of the data.

   Additional information about the reliability of data from the CPS
and estimating standard errors is available at
www.bls.gov/cps/documentation.htm#reliability.

Definitions

   Definitions of the principal terms used in this release are
presented below.

   Foreign born. The foreign born are persons residing in the United
States who were not U.S. citizens at birth. Specifically, they were born
outside the United States (or one of its outlying areas such as Guam or
Puerto Rico), and neither parent 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 data on race and ethnicity in this release differs from that
which appears in most analyses of CPS labor force data because 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 because
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 all those who, during the survey
reference week, (a) did any work at all as paid employees; (b) worked
in their own business, profession, or on their own farm; or (c) worked
15 hours or more as unpaid workers in a family member's business.
Persons who were temporarily absent from their jobs because of
illness, bad weather, vacation, labor dispute, or another reason also
are counted as employed.

   Unemployed. The unemployed are those who had no employment during
the reference week, were available for work at that time, 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.

   Full-time wage and salary workers. These are workers who usually
work 35 hours or more per week at their sole or principal job and
receive wages, salaries, and other types of compensation. The group
includes employees in both the private and public sectors but, for
purposes of the earnings series, excludes all self-employed persons,
regardless of whether or not their businesses are incorporated.

   Median earnings. The median earnings 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, 2021-2022 annual averages [Numbers in thousands]
Characteristic 2021 2022
Civilian
noninsti-
tutional
population
Civilian labor force Civilian
noninsti-
tutional
population
Civilian labor force
Total Participa-
tion rate
Employed Unemployed Total Participa-
tion rate
Employed Unemployed
Number Unem-
ployment
rate
Number Unem-
ployment
rate

TOTAL

Total, 16 years and over

261,445 161,204 61.7 152,581 8,623 5.3 263,973 164,287 62.2 158,291 5,996 3.6

Men

126,487 85,505 67.6 80,829 4,676 5.5 128,617 87,421 68.0 84,203 3,218 3.7

Women

134,958 75,699 56.1 71,752 3,948 5.2 135,356 76,866 56.8 74,089 2,778 3.6

FOREIGN BORN

Total, 16 years and over

43,226 27,987 64.7 26,431 1,556 5.6 45,150 29,755 65.9 28,737 1,017 3.4

Men

20,922 16,069 76.8 15,245 823 5.1 21,998 17,031 77.4 16,475 556 3.3

Women

22,304 11,918 53.4 11,186 733 6.1 23,152 12,724 55.0 12,262 462 3.6

Age

16 to 24 years

3,174 1,683 53.0 1,521 161 9.6 3,409 1,846 54.2 1,691 155 8.4

25 to 34 years

6,987 5,397 77.2 5,099 298 5.5 7,255 5,671 78.2 5,484 187 3.3

35 to 44 years

9,419 7,472 79.3 7,118 354 4.7 9,898 7,918 80.0 7,678 240 3.0

45 to 54 years

8,949 7,125 79.6 6,762 363 5.1 9,353 7,570 80.9 7,358 212 2.8

55 to 64 years

7,020 4,798 68.3 4,505 292 6.1 7,338 5,128 69.9 4,963 166 3.2

65 years and over

7,678 1,512 19.7 1,425 87 5.8 7,897 1,621 20.5 1,564 58 3.6

Race and Hispanic
or Latino ethnicity(1)

White non-Hispanic or Latino

7,555 4,545 60.2 4,310 234 5.2 7,915 4,768 60.2 4,608 160 3.4

Black non-Hispanic or Latino

4,000 2,777 69.4 2,579 198 7.1 4,245 3,086 72.7 2,939 147 4.8

Asian non-Hispanic or Latino

10,915 6,994 64.1 6,651 344 4.9 11,354 7,345 64.7 7,168 178 2.4

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

20,170 13,308 66.0 12,545 763 5.7 21,048 14,168 67.3 13,650 519 3.7

Educational attainment

Total, 25 years and over

40,052 26,304 65.7 24,909 1,395 5.3 41,741 27,908 66.9 27,047 862 3.1

Less than a high school diploma

8,972 5,037 56.1 4,708 330 6.5 9,076 5,100 56.2 4,878 222 4.4

High school graduates, no college(2)

10,497 6,530 62.2 6,115 414 6.3 10,990 7,109 64.7 6,874 235 3.3

Some college or associate degree

6,129 4,071 66.4 3,849 222 5.4 6,391 4,328 67.7 4,189 139 3.2

Bachelor's degree and higher(3)

14,455 10,666 73.8 10,237 429 4.0 15,284 11,371 74.4 11,105 266 2.3

NATIVE BORN

Total, 16 years and over

218,219 133,217 61.0 126,150 7,067 5.3 218,823 134,533 61.5 129,554 4,979 3.7

Men

105,565 69,436 65.8 65,584 3,852 5.5 106,619 70,390 66.0 67,727 2,663 3.8

Women

112,654 63,781 56.6 60,566 3,215 5.0 112,204 64,143 57.2 61,827 2,316 3.6

Age

16 to 24 years

34,088 19,005 55.8 17,153 1,851 9.7 34,548 19,246 55.7 17,687 1,559 8.1

25 to 34 years

37,764 31,273 82.8 29,479 1,794 5.7 36,913 31,054 84.1 29,816 1,238 4.0

35 to 44 years

32,423 26,848 82.8 25,616 1,232 4.6 33,101 27,753 83.8 26,946 806 2.9

45 to 54 years

30,566 24,752 81.0 23,792 960 3.9 30,641 24,871 81.2 24,295 576 2.3

55 to 64 years

34,865 22,252 63.8 21,407 845 3.8 34,807 22,332 64.2 21,798 534 2.4

65 years and over

48,513 9,088 18.7 8,703 385 4.2 48,813 9,276 19.0 9,011 266 2.9

Race and Hispanic
or Latino ethnicity(1)

White non-Hispanic or Latino

154,513 93,561 60.6 89,674 3,886 4.2 154,438 94,061 60.9 91,292 2,769 2.9

Black non-Hispanic or Latino

27,576 16,390 59.4 14,939 1,451 8.9 27,612 16,698 60.5 15,636 1,062 6.4

Asian non-Hispanic or Latino

5,047 3,159 62.6 2,993 166 5.2 5,019 3,207 63.9 3,091 116 3.6

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

24,733 16,115 65.2 14,884 1,232 7.6 25,123 16,433 65.4 15,650 783 4.8

Educational attainment

Total, 25 years and over

184,131 114,213 62.0 108,997 5,216 4.6 184,275 115,286 62.6 111,866 3,420 3.0

Less than a high school diploma

11,031 3,970 36.0 3,556 414 10.4 10,713 3,888 36.3 3,620 268 6.9

High school graduates, no college(2)

52,736 28,465 54.0 26,706 1,759 6.2 52,717 28,810 54.6 27,623 1,186 4.1

Some college or associate degree

50,526 31,617 62.6 30,006 1,611 5.1 50,149 31,316 62.4 30,334 982 3.1

Bachelor's degree and higher(3)

69,838 50,162 71.8 48,729 1,432 2.9 70,697 51,273 72.5 50,289 984 1.9

Footnotes
(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.


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, 2021-2022 annual averages [Numbers in thousands]
Characteristic 2021 2022
Total Men Women Total Men Women

FOREIGN BORN

With own children under 18

Civilian noninstitutional population

14,986 7,039 7,948 15,547 7,295 8,251

Civilian labor force

11,349 6,574 4,775 12,011 6,816 5,196

Participation rate

75.7 93.4 60.1 77.3 93.4 63.0

Employed

10,800 6,306 4,494 11,662 6,651 5,012

Employment-population ratio

72.1 89.6 56.5 75.0 91.2 60.7

Unemployed

549 268 281 349 165 184

Unemployment rate

4.8 4.1 5.9 2.9 2.4 3.5

With own children 6 to 17, none younger

Civilian noninstitutional population

8,850 4,101 4,749 9,210 4,250 4,960

Civilian labor force

6,940 3,809 3,131 7,313 3,933 3,381

Participation rate

78.4 92.9 65.9 79.4 92.5 68.2

Employed

6,621 3,660 2,961 7,103 3,836 3,267

Employment-population ratio

74.8 89.3 62.3 77.1 90.2 65.9

Unemployed

318 149 169 210 97 113

Unemployment rate

4.6 3.9 5.4 2.9 2.5 3.4

With own children under 6

Civilian noninstitutional population

6,136 2,938 3,198 6,337 3,045 3,291

Civilian labor force

4,409 2,765 1,644 4,698 2,883 1,815

Participation rate

71.9 94.1 51.4 74.1 94.7 55.1

Employed

4,179 2,646 1,533 4,559 2,815 1,744

Employment-population ratio

68.1 90.1 47.9 72.0 92.4 53.0

Unemployed

230 119 111 139 68 70

Unemployment rate

5.2 4.3 6.8 3.0 2.4 3.9

With own children under 3

Civilian noninstitutional population

3,216 1,559 1,656 3,298 1,596 1,703

Civilian labor force

2,260 1,459 802 2,412 1,514 897

Participation rate

70.3 93.6 48.4 73.1 94.9 52.7

Employed

2,137 1,394 742 2,336 1,473 864

Employment-population ratio

66.4 89.4 44.8 70.8 92.3 50.7

Unemployed

124 65 59 75 42 34

Unemployment rate

5.5 4.4 7.4 3.1 2.7 3.7

With no own children under 18

Civilian noninstitutional population

28,240 13,883 14,357 29,603 14,703 14,901

Civilian labor force

16,638 9,494 7,143 17,743 10,215 7,528

Participation rate

58.9 68.4 49.8 59.9 69.5 50.5

Employed

15,631 8,939 6,692 17,075 9,825 7,250

Employment-population ratio

55.3 64.4 46.6 57.7 66.8 48.7

Unemployed

1,007 555 452 668 390 278

Unemployment rate

6.1 5.8 6.3 3.8 3.8 3.7

NATIVE BORN

With own children under 18

Civilian noninstitutional population

47,272 20,951 26,321 47,482 21,128 26,354

Civilian labor force

38,959 19,327 19,632 39,624 19,596 20,028

Participation rate

82.4 92.2 74.6 83.5 92.7 76.0

Employed

37,291 18,606 18,685 38,551 19,193 19,358

Employment-population ratio

78.9 88.8 71.0 81.2 90.8 73.5

Unemployed

1,668 721 947 1,073 403 670

Unemployment rate

4.3 3.7 4.8 2.7 2.1 3.3

With own children 6 to 17, none younger

Civilian noninstitutional population

26,277 11,543 14,733 26,646 11,879 14,768

Civilian labor force

22,079 10,500 11,579 22,622 10,877 11,744

Participation rate

84.0 91.0 78.6 84.9 91.6 79.5

Employed

21,201 10,131 11,071 22,064 10,662 11,402

Employment-population ratio

80.7 87.8 75.1 82.8 89.8 77.2

Unemployed

878 370 508 558 215 343

Unemployment rate

4.0 3.5 4.4 2.5 2.0 2.9

With own children under 6

Civilian noninstitutional population

20,995 9,408 11,587 20,836 9,250 11,586

Civilian labor force

16,879 8,827 8,053 17,002 8,719 8,284

Participation rate

80.4 93.8 69.5 81.6 94.3 71.5

Employed

16,090 8,475 7,614 16,487 8,531 7,956

Employment-population ratio

76.6 90.1 65.7 79.1 92.2 68.7

Unemployed

790 351 438 516 188 328

Unemployment rate

4.7 4.0 5.4 3.0 2.2 4.0

With own children under 3

Civilian noninstitutional population

11,949 5,381 6,568 11,893 5,340 6,554

Civilian labor force

9,437 5,052 4,385 9,565 5,050 4,515

Participation rate

79.0 93.9 66.8 80.4 94.6 68.9

Employed

8,996 4,856 4,141 9,268 4,939 4,329

Employment-population ratio

75.3 90.2 63.0 77.9 92.5 66.1

Unemployed

441 197 244 298 111 186

Unemployment rate

4.7 3.9 5.6 3.1 2.2 4.1

With no own children under 18

Civilian noninstitutional population

170,947 84,614 86,333 171,342 85,491 85,850

Civilian labor force

94,258 50,109 44,149 94,909 50,794 44,115

Participation rate

55.1 59.2 51.1 55.4 59.4 51.4

Employed

88,859 46,978 41,881 91,003 48,534 42,469

Employment-population ratio

52.0 55.5 48.5 53.1 56.8 49.5

Unemployed

5,399 3,131 2,268 3,906 2,260 1,646

Unemployment rate

5.7 6.2 5.1 4.1 4.4 3.7

NOTE: Own children include sons, daughters, step-children, and adopted children. Not included are nieces, nephews, grandchildren, and other related and unrelated children. Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.


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, 2021-2022 annual averages [Numbers in thousands]
Characteristic 2021 2022
Less than
a high
school
diploma
High school
graduates,
no college(1)
Some
college or
associate
degree
Bachelor's
degree and
higher(2)
Less than
a high
school
diploma
High school
graduates,
no college(1)
Some
college or
associate
degree
Bachelor's
degree and
higher(2)

FOREIGN BORN

White non-Hispanic or Latino

Civilian noninstitutional population

494 1,663 1,321 3,589 549 1,678 1,375 3,807

Civilian labor force

174 795 763 2,571 209 840 803 2,670

Participation rate

35.2 47.8 57.8 71.6 38.0 50.1 58.4 70.1

Employed

162 747 724 2,464 197 811 779 2,600

Employment-population ratio

32.8 44.9 54.8 68.7 35.9 48.3 56.6 68.3

Unemployed

12 48 39 106 11 29 24 70

Unemployment rate

6.6 6.0 5.2 4.1 5.5 3.5 3.0 2.6

Black non-Hispanic or Latino

Civilian noninstitutional population

376 1,034 825 1,415 376 1,055 900 1,503

Civilian labor force

185 684 596 1,135 206 734 674 1,266

Participation rate

49.2 66.2 72.3 80.2 54.8 69.6 74.9 84.3

Employed

169 625 558 1,073 192 698 639 1,234

Employment-population ratio

44.9 60.5 67.7 75.8 51.2 66.1 71.0 82.1

Unemployed

16 59 38 62 13 36 35 33

Unemployment rate

8.7 8.6 6.3 5.5 6.5 4.9 5.2 2.6

Asian non-Hispanic or Latino

Civilian noninstitutional population

849 1,916 1,239 6,190 901 1,927 1,309 6,445

Civilian labor force

330 1,008 787 4,554 321 1,090 817 4,749

Participation rate

38.9 52.6 63.6 73.6 35.6 56.6 62.4 73.7

Employed

307 923 745 4,391 312 1,063 799 4,654

Employment-population ratio

36.1 48.1 60.1 70.9 34.6 55.2 61.1 72.2

Unemployed

24 85 43 163 9 27 17 95

Unemployment rate

7.2 8.4 5.4 3.6 2.8 2.5 2.1 2.0

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Civilian noninstitutional population

7,200 5,762 2,624 3,025 7,197 6,208 2,687 3,290

Civilian labor force

4,327 3,971 1,845 2,238 4,341 4,377 1,949 2,506

Participation rate

60.1 68.9 70.3 74.0 60.3 70.5 72.5 76.2

Employed

4,049 3,752 1,749 2,148 4,155 4,237 1,888 2,441

Employment-population ratio

56.2 65.1 66.6 71.0 57.7 68.3 70.3 74.2

Unemployed

278 219 96 91 186 140 60 64

Unemployment rate

6.4 5.5 5.2 4.0 4.3 3.2 3.1 2.6

NATIVE BORN

White non-Hispanic or Latino

Civilian noninstitutional population

6,350 37,125 36,296 55,629 6,171 36,913 35,927 56,190

Civilian labor force

2,207 19,132 21,891 39,006 2,172 19,161 21,542 39,816

Participation rate

34.7 51.5 60.3 70.1 35.2 51.9 60.0 70.9

Employed

2,030 18,200 20,969 38,009 2,058 18,523 20,971 39,115

Employment-population ratio

32.0 49.0 57.8 68.3 33.4 50.2 58.4 69.6

Unemployed

176 932 922 997 114 638 571 701

Unemployment rate

8.0 4.9 4.2 2.6 5.2 3.3 2.7 1.8

Black non-Hispanic or Latino

Civilian noninstitutional population

2,093 7,923 6,795 6,072 2,054 7,907 6,824 6,122

Civilian labor force

598 4,395 4,448 4,579 650 4,476 4,482 4,667

Participation rate

28.6 55.5 65.5 75.4 31.7 56.6 65.7 76.2

Employed

488 3,946 4,103 4,391 576 4,171 4,260 4,529

Employment-population ratio

23.3 49.8 60.4 72.3 28.1 52.8 62.4 74.0

Unemployed

110 450 345 187 74 305 222 138

Unemployment rate

18.4 10.2 7.7 4.1 11.4 6.8 5.0 3.0

Asian non-Hispanic or Latino

Civilian noninstitutional population

142 580 642 2,335 149 499 643 2,365

Civilian labor force

52 329 425 1,833 59 296 450 1,869

Participation rate

36.8 56.7 66.2 78.5 39.7 59.3 70.0 79.0

Employed

48 302 398 1,777 58 287 434 1,826

Employment-population ratio

33.6 52.1 62.0 76.1 38.9 57.6 67.5 77.2

Unemployed

5 27 27 55 1 8 16 44

Unemployment rate

8.9 8.1 6.3 3.0 1.9 2.8 3.5 2.3

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Civilian noninstitutional population

2,079 5,701 5,227 4,407 1,970 5,876 5,190 4,566

Civilian labor force

977 3,751 3,809 3,642 872 3,951 3,812 3,795

Participation rate

47.0 65.8 72.9 82.6 44.3 67.2 73.5 83.1

Employed

871 3,470 3,560 3,504 809 3,779 3,687 3,721

Employment-population ratio

41.9 60.9 68.1 79.5 41.0 64.3 71.0 81.5

Unemployed

106 281 249 138 64 172 125 74

Unemployment rate

10.9 7.5 6.5 3.8 7.3 4.3 3.3 2.0

Footnotes
(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.


Table 4. Employed foreign-born and native-born persons 16 years and over by occupation and sex, 2022 annual averages [Percent distribution]
Occupation Foreign born Native born
Total Men Women Total Men Women

Total employed (in thousands)

28,737 16,475 12,262 129,554 67,727 61,827

Occupation as a percent of total employed

Total employed

100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Management, professional, and related occupations

35.7 33.3 38.8 44.7 40.6 49.0

Management, business, and financial operations occupations

13.8 13.8 13.9 19.6 20.6 18.5

Management occupations

9.6 10.5 8.3 13.5 15.2 11.6

Business and financial operations occupations

4.3 3.2 5.7 6.1 5.4 6.9

Professional and related occupations

21.8 19.6 24.9 25.1 20.1 30.5

Computer and mathematical occupations

5.7 7.1 3.8 3.5 4.9 1.9

Architecture and engineering occupations

2.4 3.3 1.1 2.1 3.5 0.7

Life, physical, and social science occupations

1.6 1.5 1.7 1.1 1.0 1.1

Community and social service occupations

1.1 0.8 1.5 2.0 1.2 2.9

Legal occupations

0.5 0.3 0.7 1.3 1.2 1.4

Education, training, and library occupations

3.8 2.2 5.9 6.3 3.1 9.8

Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations

1.6 1.4 1.8 2.3 2.3 2.4

Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations

5.2 2.9 8.3 6.4 2.8 10.4

Service occupations

21.6 15.4 30.0 14.8 12.4 17.5

Healthcare support occupations

4.1 1.1 8.1 2.9 0.8 5.1

Protective service occupations

0.9 1.2 0.5 2.2 3.2 1.0

Food preparation and serving related occupations

6.4 5.9 7.0 4.7 4.0 5.4

Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations

7.4 6.2 9.0 2.7 3.3 2.0

Personal care and service occupations

2.8 1.0 5.3 2.4 1.1 3.9

Sales and office occupations

13.6 10.2 18.3 20.5 14.9 26.5

Sales and related occupations

6.8 6.1 7.8 9.5 9.2 9.9

Office and administrative support occupations

6.8 4.1 10.5 10.9 5.7 16.6

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations

13.9 22.6 2.2 7.9 14.4 0.9

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations

1.3 1.7 0.9 0.5 0.7 0.2

Construction and extraction occupations

9.9 16.4 1.1 4.3 7.9 0.4

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations

2.7 4.5 0.2 3.2 5.8 0.3

Production, transportation, and material moving occupations

15.2 18.5 10.7 12.1 17.7 6.0

Production occupations

6.7 7.1 6.2 4.9 6.8 2.7

Transportation and material moving occupations

8.5 11.5 4.5 7.2 10.9 3.3

NOTE: Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.


Table 5. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers for the foreign born and native born by selected characteristics, 2021-2022 annual averages [Numbers in thousands]
Characteristic 2021 2022
Foreign born Native born Earnings
of foreign
born as
percent of
native
born
Foreign born Native born Earnings
of foreign
born as
percent of
native
born
Number Median
weekly
earnings
Number Median
weekly
earnings
Number Median
weekly
earnings
Number Median
weekly
earnings

Total, 16 years and over

19,975 $898 94,341 $1,017 88.3 21,929 $945 96,940 $1,087 86.9

Men

11,934 957 50,994 1,131 84.6 12,974 1,000 52,580 1,185 84.4

Women

8,041 804 43,347 927 86.7 8,955 861 44,360 975 88.3

AGE

16 to 24 years

998 621 9,394 624 99.5 1,049 683 9,677 691 98.8

25 to 34 years

4,126 889 24,570 938 94.8 4,477 962 24,820 998 96.4

35 to 44 years

5,538 957 20,911 1,159 82.6 6,049 992 22,016 1,233 80.5

45 to 54 years

5,184 936 19,134 1,205 77.7 5,730 983 19,567 1,250 78.6

55 to 64 years

3,284 921 16,008 1,169 78.8 3,676 933 16,467 1,202 77.6

65 years and over

845 806 4,325 1,020 79.0 949 889 4,393 1,082 82.2

RACE AND HISPANIC OR
LATINO ETHNICITY(1)

White non-Hispanic or Latino

3,027 1,276 66,221 1,106 115.4 3,294 1,318 67,524 1,162 113.4

Black non-Hispanic or Latino

2,003 859 11,809 799 107.5 2,360 943 12,391 871 108.3

Asian non-Hispanic or Latino

5,168 1,371 2,304 1,272 107.8 5,584 1,435 2,359 1,398 102.6

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

9,531 713 11,310 846 84.3 10,408 758 11,819 910 83.3

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT

Total, 25 years and over

18,977 921 84,947 1,091 84.4 20,881 968 87,263 1,150 84.2

Less than a high school diploma

3,538 610 2,495 669 91.2 3,748 663 2,454 708 93.6

High school graduates, no college(2)

4,495 735 20,365 826 89.0 5,157 767 21,277 879 87.3

Some college or associate degree

2,842 846 22,982 934 90.6 3,083 889 23,193 981 90.6

Bachelor's degree and higher(3)

8,102 1,521 39,105 1,440 105.6 8,893 1,581 40,338 1,537 102.9

Footnotes
(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.


Table 6. Employment status of the foreign-born and native-born populations 16 years and over by census region and division, 2021-2022 annual averages [Numbers in thousands]
Census region and
division
2021 2022
Civilian
noninsti-
tutional
population
Civilian labor force Civilian
noninsti-
tutional
population
Civilian labor force
Total Participa-
tion rate
Employed Unemployed Total Participa-
tion rate
Employed Unemployed
Number Unem-
ployment
rate
Number Unem-
ployment
rate

FOREIGN BORN

Northeast

8,878 5,680 64.0 5,288 392 6.9 9,443 6,201 65.7 5,962 240 3.9

New England

1,996 1,345 67.4 1,263 83 6.2 2,111 1,440 68.2 1,390 49 3.4

Middle Atlantic

6,882 4,335 63.0 4,025 309 7.1 7,332 4,762 64.9 4,571 190 4.0

South

15,471 10,230 66.1 9,753 477 4.7 16,072 10,774 67.0 10,449 325 3.0

South Atlantic

9,010 5,944 66.0 5,684 260 4.4 9,343 6,318 67.6 6,147 171 2.7

East South Central

892 598 67.0 574 24 4.0 926 617 66.6 599 18 3.0

West South Central

5,570 3,689 66.2 3,496 193 5.2 5,802 3,839 66.2 3,703 136 3.5

Midwest

4,852 3,324 68.5 3,184 140 4.2 5,164 3,552 68.8 3,437 116 3.3

East North Central

3,654 2,453 67.1 2,347 106 4.3 3,899 2,641 67.7 2,552 89 3.4

West North Central

1,198 871 72.7 838 34 3.9 1,265 911 72.0 885 26 2.9

West

14,025 8,752 62.4 8,205 547 6.2 14,471 9,227 63.8 8,890 337 3.7

Mountain

2,781 1,788 64.3 1,693 95 5.3 2,776 1,799 64.8 1,743 56 3.1

Pacific

11,244 6,964 61.9 6,512 452 6.5 11,695 7,429 63.5 7,148 281 3.8

NATIVE BORN

Northeast

36,101 22,034 61.0 20,664 1,370 6.2 36,639 22,502 61.4 21,594 908 4.0

New England

10,167 6,453 63.5 6,106 347 5.4 10,318 6,556 63.5 6,326 230 3.5

Middle Atlantic

25,934 15,581 60.1 14,558 1,023 6.6 26,321 15,945 60.6 15,268 677 4.2

South

84,604 50,224 59.4 47,824 2,400 4.8 84,813 50,751 59.8 49,000 1,751 3.5

South Atlantic

44,216 26,171 59.2 24,992 1,179 4.5 44,238 26,303 59.5 25,445 858 3.3

East South Central

14,306 8,190 57.2 7,836 354 4.3 14,498 8,320 57.4 8,037 283 3.4

West South Central

26,082 15,863 60.8 14,996 867 5.5 26,077 16,128 61.8 15,518 609 3.8

Midwest

49,100 30,896 62.9 29,457 1,439 4.7 49,363 31,264 63.3 30,174 1,090 3.5

East North Central

33,488 20,624 61.6 19,565 1,059 5.1 33,634 20,861 62.0 20,035 826 4.0

West North Central

15,612 10,272 65.8 9,892 379 3.7 15,730 10,403 66.1 10,139 264 2.5

West

48,414 30,064 62.1 28,205 1,858 6.2 48,008 30,016 62.5 28,787 1,230 4.1

Mountain

17,295 10,936 63.2 10,387 549 5.0 17,403 11,080 63.7 10,677 403 3.6

Pacific

31,120 19,128 61.5 17,819 1,309 6.8 30,604 18,937 61.9 18,110 826 4.4

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 (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.


Last Modified Date: May 18, 2023