U.S. Department of Commerce

Economics and Statistics Administration

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU

U S C E N S U S B U R E A U

Helping You Make Informed Decisions

The Foreign-Born Labor Force 

in the United States: 2007

American Community Survey Reports

By 

Eric Newburger 

and 

Thomas Gryn

ACS-10

Issued December 2009

INTRODUCTION

Economic opportunity is a primary attraction for many immigrants to the United 

States. In 2007, labor force participation 

among the foreign born was higher than 

that among natives (Table 1).1 Foreign1 The terms “native” and “native born” are used 

interchangeably in this report. 

born workers have historically made up a 

sizeable part of the labor force (Figure 1). 

In 1900, about 20 percent of the 

employed labor force had been born outside the United States.2 More restrictive 

2 The defi nitions of “foreign born” and “labor 

force” have changed over time. In 1900, the foreignborn labor force included all foreign born 10 years 

old and over employed in gainful occupations, 

Figure 1. 

Number and Percent Foreign Born in the Labor Force in the 

United States: 1900 to 2007

(For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and 

definitions, see www.census.gov/acs/www/)

1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2007

Notes: 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930: "Labor force" included those 10 years and over employed in gainful 

 occupations.

 1940, 1950, 1960: "Labor force" included those 14 years and over employed or seeking 

 employment.

 1970, 1980, 1990, 2000, 2007: "Labor force" included those 16 years and over employed or 

 seeking employment.

 Tabulations of foreign born in 1910, 1920, 1930, 1940, 1950, and 1960 included only Whites. 

 In all other years, figures for the foreign-born population included all races.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Decennial Censuses, 1900 to 2000, and the American Community 

Survey, 2007. 

Foreign-born labor force, in millions Percent of total labor force 

that is foreign born

6.0

20.3%

7.8

20.5%

7.7

18.6%

7.4

15.2%

5.8

11.0%

4.9

8.1%

4.2

5.9%

4.3

5.2%

7.1

6.7%

11.6

9.3%

17.3

12.5%

23.9

15.6%
2 U.S. Census Bureau

reference week, and (2) were looking for work during 

the last 4 weeks, and (3) were available to start a job. 

Civilian labor force—Anyone classifi ed as either 

employed or unemployed in accordance with the 

criteria described above. 

Not in labor force—Anyone 16 years old and over 

who is neither employed nor seeking employment, 

nor in the military. This category consists mainly 

of students, housewives, retired workers, seasonal 

workers interviewed in an off season who were not 

looking for other work, institutionalized people, and 

people doing only incidental unpaid family work 

(fewer than 15 hours during the previous week).

Industry and occupation—Industry is the type of 

activity at a person’s place of work, and occupation 

is the kind of work a person does to earn a living. 

For employed people, the data refer to the person’s 

job during the previous week. For those who worked 

at two or more jobs, the data refer to the job where 

the person worked the largest number of hours. For 

unemployed people, the data refer to their last job in 

the last 5 years. Respondent-provided descriptions 

of their industries or occupations were coded into 

standard classifi cations based on the detailed classifi cation systems developed for Census 2000 and 

modifi ed in 2002.

For more information on any of these defi nitions, see 

“American Community Survey 2007 Subject Defi nitions” at <www.census.gov/acs/www/Downloads

/2007/usedata/Subject_Defi nitions.pdf>.

Table 1. 

Labor Force Participation in the United States by Nativity: 2007

(Numbers in thousands. For information on confi dentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and defi nitions, 

see www.census.gov/acs/www/) 

Total Native Foreign born 

Characteristic

Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent

 Population 16 years and over . . . 236,417 100.0 200,723 100.0 35,694 100.0

In labor force . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153,213 64.8 129,322 64.4 23,891 66.9

 In civilian labor force . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152,211 64.4 128,373 64.0 23,838 66.8

 Employed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142,588 60.3 120,050 59.8 22,538 63.1

 Armed Forces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,001 0.4 949 0.5 53 0.1

Not in labor force . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83,204 35.2 71,401 35.6 11,803 33.1

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2007.

Terms and Defi nitions

Native born—Anyone who was a U.S. citizen or 

U.S. national at birth. This includes respondents who 

indicated they were born in the United States, Puerto 

Rico, a U.S. Island Area (such as Guam), or abroad of 

a U.S. citizen parent or parents.

Foreign born—Anyone who was not a U.S. citizen 

or U.S. national at birth. This includes those who 

have become U.S. citizens through naturalization 

and those who are not U.S. citizens. The American 

Community Survey questionnaires do not ask about 

immigrant status. People who are not U.S. citizens 

may be legal permanent residents (immigrants), 

temporary migrants (e.g., foreign students), humanitarian migrants (e.g., refugees), and unauthorized 

migrants (people present in the United States without

legal documentation). 

Civilian employed—Civilians 16 years old and over 

who either (1) were “at work”—those who did any 

work at all during the previous week as paid employees, worked in their own business or profession, 

worked on their own farm, or worked 15 hours or 

more as unpaid workers on a family farm or in a family business or (2) were “with a job but not at work”—

those who did not work during the previous week but 

had jobs or businesses from which they were temporarily absent due to illness, bad weather, industrial 

dispute, vacation, or other personal reasons.

Unemployed—Civilians 16 years old and over are 

classifi ed as unemployed if they (1) were neither “at 

work” nor “with a job but not at work” during the 
U.S. Census Bureau 3

immigration polices instituted in 

the 1920s reduced the size of the 

foreign-born labor force until, in 

including those in the armed forces. Later 

decades saw increases in the minimum age 

of workers, exclusion of non-White foreign 

born from tabulations, later reinclusion of 

all foreign born, and inclusion of those who 

were unemployed but looking for work. The 

present defi nition of the foreign-born labor 

force has remained unchanged since 1970 

and includes all foreign born 16 years old and 

over who are employed or looking for work 

or are in the military. 

1970, only about 5.2 percent of 

U.S. workers were foreign born. 

However, changes in immigration 

policies in the 1960s and later 

decades have led to a new wave of 

immigration.3

3 Schmidley, D., 2001, U.S. Census Bureau, 

Current Population Reports, Series P23-206, 

Profi le of the Foreign-Born Population in the 

United States: 2000, U.S. Government Printing 

Offi ce, Washington, DC.

Today, there are greater numbers of foreign-born workers 

in the United States than ever 

before—23.9 million in 2007.4 They 

represented about 16 percent of 

the total labor force—lower than 

the equivalent proportion at the 

4 All comparative statements in this report 

have undergone statistical testing and are 

signifi cant at the 90-percent confi dence level 

unless otherwise noted.

Table 2. 

Characteristics of the Civilian Labor Force in the United States by Nativity and 

Citizenship Status: 2007 

(Numbers in thousands. For information on confi dentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and defi nitions, 

see www.census.gov/acs/www/)

Foreign born

Total Native

Characteristic Naturalized 

Total citizen Not a citizen

Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent

16 years and over and in labor force . . . . . 152,211 100.0 128,373 100.0 23,838 100.0 10,108 100.0 13,730 100.0

Age

 16 to 19 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,673 5.0 7,127 5.6 546 2.3 129 1.3 417 3.0

 20 to 24 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15,375 10.1 13,497 10.5 1,878 7.9 423 4.2 1,455 10.6

 25 to 34 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32,375 21.3 26,265 20.5 6,111 25.6 1,626 16.1 4,484 32.7

 35 to 44 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35,407 23.3 28,551 22.2 6,857 28.8 2,838 28.1 4,019 29.3

 45 to 54 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35,268 23.2 30,112 23.5 5,156 21.6 2,865 28.3 2,292 16.7

 55 to 64 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20,448 13.4 17,815 13.9 2,633 11.0 1,748 17.3 886 6.4

 65 years and over . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,664 3.7 5,007 3.9 657 2.8 480 4.7 178 1.3

Sex

 Female . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70,902 46.6 61,191 47.7 9,711 40.7 4,738 46.9 4,973 36.2

 Male . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81,310 53.4 67,182 52.3 14,127 59.3 5,371 53.1 8,757 63.8

Educational attainment1

 Less than high school diploma . . . . . . . . 18,959 12.5 12,148 9.5 6,811 28.6 1,599 15.8 5,212 38.0

 High school graduate or GED . . . . . . . . . 43,464 28.6 37,581 29.3 5,883 24.7 2,318 22.9 3,565 26.0

 Some college, no degree . . . . . . . . . . . . 33,692 22.1 30,566 23.8 3,126 13.1 1,658 16.4 1,468 10.7

 Associate's degree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12,324 8.1 10,942 8.5 1,382 5.8 841 8.3 541 3.9

 Bachelor's degree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28,254 18.6 24,354 19.0 3,900 16.4 2,213 21.9 1,687 12.3

 Master's degree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10,742 7.1 9,004 7.0 1,738 7.3 918 9.1 820 6.0

 Professional degree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,054 2.0 2,533 2.0 521 2.2 324 3.2 197 1.4

 Doctoral degree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,722 1.1 1,246 1.0 477 2.0 237 2.3 239 1.7

 High school graduate or more. . . . . . . . . 133,253 87.5 116,225 90.5 17,027 71.4 8,509 84.2 8,518 62.0

 Bachelor's degree or more . . . . . . . . . . . 43,773 28.8 37,137 28.9 6,636 27.8 3,692 36.5 2,943 21.4

Language ability

 Speaks only English at home . . . . . . . . . 121,979 80.1 118,406 92.2 3,573 15.0 2,073 20.5 1,500 10.9

 Speaks a language other than English 

 at home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30,232 19.9 9,967 7.8 20,265 85.0 8,036 79.5 12,229 89.1

 Speaks English very well . . . . . . . . . . 16,454 10.8 8,403 6.5 8,050 33.8 4,528 44.8 3,522 25.7

 Speaks English less than very well . . . 13,779 9.1 1,564 1.2 12,215 51.2 3,508 34.7 8,707 63.4

Region

 Northeast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28,226 18.5 23,027 17.9 5,199 21.8 2,617 25.9 2,583 18.8

 Midwest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34,596 22.7 31,918 24.9 2,678 11.2 1,133 11.2 1,544 11.2

 South . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54,294 35.7 46,990 36.6 7,305 30.6 2,733 27.0 4,571 33.3

 West . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35,095 23.1 26,439 20.6 8,656 36.3 3,625 35.9 5,032 36.6

1 Analyses focused on educational attainment usually consider only those 25 years old or over. However, this table explores the characteristics 

of the civilian labor force as a whole. Thus, it includes all civilian labor force participants, some of whom may be as young as 16 years old.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2007.
4 U.S. Census Bureau

turn of the last century, but still a 

notable part of the U.S. economy. 

This report uses data from the 

2007 American Community Survey 

to describe the foreign-born labor 

force in the United States.5 It 

focuses on the civilian labor force, 

which included more than 99 

percent of both foreign-born and 

native-born workers.

FINDINGS

Groups with diverse 

characteristics make up the 

foreign-born labor force.

Foreign-born workers, when considered as a single group, were more 

likely to be male than native-born 

workers, more often less educated, 

and included higher proportions 

of workers in their late twenties 

and early thirties (Table 2). However, the foreign-born labor force 

is composed of distinct subgroups, 

with characteristics that can diff er 

substantially from one another.6

One characteristic that distinguishes segments of the foreignborn population is citizenship. 

Foreign-born labor force participants who have attained U.S. 

citizenship through naturalization, 

which can take several years, are 

more likely to be older than either 

noncitizens or natives in the labor 

5 This report discusses the U.S. labor force 

at the national level. However, there may be 

geographic variations. Appendix Tables A and 

B provide data on the foreign-born labor force 

by state. 6 This report sometimes uses the shortened “labor force” to denote the civilian labor 

force. 

force. Twenty-eight percent of 

naturalized citizens in the labor 

force were 45 to 54 years old in 

2007, compared with only 17 percent of those who were not citizens 

(Figure 2). About 24 percent of 

natives were 45 to 54 years old. 

The net result of these distributions 

is that nearly 1 in 5 labor force participants 25 to 44 years old were 

foreign born (Figure 3). 

Naturalized citizens in the labor 

force were about as likely to be 

male as natives in the labor force 

(53 percent and 52 percent, respectively). However, foreign-born labor 

force participants who were not 

citizens were more likely to be 

male (64 percent) than either naturalized citizens or natives. 

Naturalized citizens in the labor 

force were less likely than natives 

to have attained at least a high 

school diploma (84 percent and 

91 percent, respectively), though 

more likely than people who were 

not citizens (62 percent). However, 

naturalized citizen labor force 

participants were more likely to 

have a bachelor’s degree or more 

education (37 percent) than either 

natives (29 percent) or noncitizens 

(21 percent).

Naturalized citizens in the labor 

force were more likely than their 

noncitizen counterparts to speak 

only English (21 percent and 11 

percent, respectively) or to speak 

English very well in addition to 

another language they spoke at 

home (45 percent and 26 percent, 

respectively).

The foreign-born labor force 

contributes both highly skilled 

and low-skilled workers to the 

U.S. economy. 

Educational attainment provides a 

useful indicator of human capital.7

Foreign-born workers made up 

large proportions of the U.S. labor 

force at the top and bottom of the 

skills spectrum, as indicated by 

educational attainment (Figure 4). 

While the foreign born made up 

about 16 percent of the total civilian labor force in 2007, 28 percent 

of the labor force with doctoral 

degrees were foreign born. Seventeen percent of people with professional degrees in the U.S. labor 

force were foreign born, as well as 

16 percent of those with a master’s 

degree. Among low-skilled workers, the foreign born made up 

36 percent of the labor force with 

less than a high school diploma. 

Citizenship among the foreign born 

correlates with educational attainment. Half (50 percent) of foreign 

born with a doctorate in the labor 

force were naturalized citizens, and 

7 Human capital is that group of individual 

characteristics, both tangible and intangible, 

that translates into productivity in the workplace. Examples of tangible characteristics 

include educational attainment, specifi c skills 

accumulated on the job, or unique expertise of a particular fi eld. Intangibles include 

such diffi cult-to-measure characteristics as 

motivation and work ethic. For more, see 

Gary S. Becker, Human Capital, A Theoretical 

and Empirical Analysis, with Special Reference to Education, 3d ed., National Bureau of 

 Economic Research, 1993.
U.S. Census Bureau 5

62 percent of those with a professional degree were naturalized 

citizens. Only about one-quarter (24 

percent) of foreign born in the labor 

force with less than a high school 

diploma were naturalized citizens. 

Immigrant groups from 

diff erent parts of the world 

contribute diff erent skill sets 

to the U.S. economy.

While foreign born of every educational attainment level come from 

all over the world, some regions 

contribute higher proportions of 

workers with particular educational 

attainments to the U.S. labor force 

(Table 3). For example, in 2007, 

while people born in Asia made up 

about a quarter of all foreign-born 

labor force participants (26 percent), they made up more than half 

of those with a doctoral degree (55 

percent). People born in Europe (11 

percent of the foreign-born labor 

force) made up about another quarter of those with a doctorate (24 

percent); about 1 in 11 (9.3 percent) 

of foreign-born labor force participants with a doctorate came from 

Latin America. Fifty-six percent of 

all foreign-born labor force participants were born in Latin America. 

Among the 6.8 million foreignborn labor force participants with 

less than a high school diploma in 

2007, about 6 in 10 were born in 

Mexico (62 percent), with another 

23 percent coming from the 

remainder of Latin America. Foreign 

born from Asia made up about 9.4 

percent of foreign-born labor force 

participants with less than a high 

school diploma. 

Every sector of the United 

States economy employs 

foreign-born workers.

Though native-born individuals 

make up the great bulk of workers, the foreign born have found 

employment in every industry group 

(Figure 5). Some industries employ 

a higher proportion of foreign-born 

Figure 2. 

Age Distribution of the Civilian Labor Force 

by Nativity and Citizenship Status: 2007

(Percent of labor force in age group. For information on confidentiality 

protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and definitions, 

see www.census.gov/acs/www/)

65 years and over

55 to 64 years

45 to 54 years

35 to 44 years

25 to 34 years

20 to 24 years

16 to 19 years

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2007.

Native

Naturalized citizen

Not a citizen 5.6

1.3

3.0

10.5

4.2

10.6

20.5

16.1

32.7

22.2

28.1

29.3

23.5

28.3

16.7

13.9

17.3

6.4

3.9

4.7

1.3
6 U.S. Census Bureau

laborers than others, often those 

with lower median earnings. 

For example, in 2007 about 26 

percent of workers in the agriculture, forestry, fi shing, and hunting 

industry were foreign born, as were 

about 24 percent of workers in the 

accommodation and food service 

industry group. Median earnings 

of workers in both these industries, about $21,400 and $13,400, 

respectively, were well below the 

median earnings for all workers 

in the nation, about $31,500 per 

year. Workers in administrative, 

support, and waste management 

services—24 percent of whom were 

foreign born—also had low median 

earnings, about $22,800. Workers 

in construction industries (23 percent foreign born) had earnings of 

about $32,300, slightly above the 

national median.8

8 The percent foreign born in administrative support and waste management services 

did not diff er statistically from the percent 

foreign born in construction.

Many industries with the highest 

median earnings employ lower proportions of foreign-born workers. 

In 2007, workers from the foreignborn labor force made up only 

about 6 percent of employees in the 

utilities industry, which had median 

earnings of about $54,200. Eleven 

percent of workers in management of companies and enterprises 

(median earnings $53,900) were 

foreign born; 7 percent of workers in the mining (median earnings 

$51,300) and public administration 

(median earnings $46,000) industries were foreign born. 

The professional, scientifi c, and 

technical services industry (median 

earnings $51,900) was a notable 

exception, with 14 percent foreign 

born. This refl ected the large segment of the foreign born who have 

advanced degrees. A majority of 

foreign born in this industry group 

were naturalized citizens. 

Lower-wage industries tend to 

employ more noncitizens from 

the foreign-born labor force 

than naturalized citizens.

When an industry group employs 

a relatively large proportion of 

foreign-born workers, noncitizens 

often make up the majority of that 

labor. For example, 17 percent of 

workers in the accommodation and 

food services industry group were 

foreign born and not citizens, while 

naturalized citizens made up only 

7.2 percent of that workforce. In 

the agriculture, forestry, fi shing, 

and hunting industry, 22 percent of 

employees were noncitizens, compared with only 3.8 percent naturalized citizens. The net result of these 

diff erences is that noncitizen workers are somewhat more prevalent 

in lower wage industries, while 

foreign born who have achieved 

citizenship are more evenly spread 

throughout U.S. industries. 

Figure 3. 

Civilian Labor Force by Age, Nativity, and Citizenship Status: 2007

(Percent distribution. For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling 

error, and definitions, see www.census.gov/acs/www/)

65 years and over

55 to 64 years

45 to 54 years

35 to 44 years

25 to 34 years

20 to 24 years

16 to 19 years

All 16 years and over

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2007.

Native

Naturalized 

citizen Not a citizen

88.4 8.5 3.1

87.1 8.5 4.3

85.4 8.1 6.5

80.6 8.0 11.4

81.1 5.0 13.9

87.8 2.8 9.5

92.9 1.7 5.4

84.3 6.6 9.0
U.S. Census Bureau 7

The mix of occupations among 

naturalized citizens is more 

similar to that among natives 

than noncitizens 

While industry is the type of activity pursued at a person’s place of 

work, occupation is the kind of 

work a person does to earn a living. 

Thirty-seven percent of employed 

naturalized citizens and 36 percent 

of native-born workers earned their 

livings in management, professional, and related occupations in 

2007, compared with 20 percent 

of workers who were not citizens 

(Table 4). Naturalized citizens were 

far less likely than noncitizens to 

work in service occupations (19 

percent and 27 percent, respectively), though somewhat more 

likely to than natives (16 percent). 

All occupational groupings showed 

greater similarity in occupational 

distribution between naturalized 

citizens and natives than between 

naturalized citizens and noncitizens. 

Figure 4. 

Foreign Born as a Percent of the Civilian 

Labor Force by Educational Attainment: 2007

(Percent of labor force who were foreign born. For information on 

confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and 

definitions, see www.census.gov/acs/www/)

Less than high

school diploma

High school

graduate or GED

Some college,

no degree

Associate's degree

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree

Professional degree

Doctoral degree

Total

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2007.

42.4

49.8

62.1

52.8

56.8

60.8

53.0

39.4

23.5

Percent naturalized

citizens among

foreign-born civilians

15.7

27.7

17.1

16.2

13.8

11.2

9.3

13.5

35.9

Table 3. 

Place of Birth of the Foreign-Born Civilian Labor Force by Educational Attainment: 2007

(For information on confi dentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and defi nitions, see www.census.gov/acs/www/)

Place of birth

Latin America

Educational attainment

Central America

 Carib- South Other Other Total Africa Asia Europe Total bean Mexico America regions1

 Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100.0 4.1 26.1 11.2 56.2 9.0 31.9 8.1 7.2 2.5

Less than high school diploma . . . . 100.0 1.3 9.4 3.5 85.2 6.0 61.9 13.4 3.8 0.6

High school graduate or GED . . . . . 100.0 3.5 18.4 10.7 65.5 11.6 36.1 8.9 8.9 1.9

Some college, no degree . . . . . . . . . 100.0 6.0 25.6 13.8 50.8 12.2 21.6 7.2 9.7 3.8

Associate's degree . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100.0 6.2 30.7 16.3 42.9 14.4 13.5 5.8 9.2 3.9

Bachelor's degree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100.0 6.0 47.7 14.8 27.7 8.1 7.4 3.7 8.4 3.8

Master's degree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100.0 5.7 51.7 21.0 17.5 5.7 3.5 1.9 6.4 4.0

Professional degree . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100.0 6.7 46.1 16.9 24.9 7.7 6.1 2.0 9.1 5.4

Doctoral degree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100.0 6.9 55.2 23.8 9.3 2.4 2.0 0.9 4.0 4.7

High school graduate or more . . . . . 100.0 5.2 32.7 14.3 44.6 10.2 19.8 6.0 8.6 3.2

Bachelor's degree or more . . . . . . . 100.0 6.0 49.2 17.3 23.5 7.1 5.9 2.9 7.6 4.1

1 Includes Northern America and Oceania.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2007.
8 U.S. Census Bureau Figure 5. Nativity, Citizenship, and Median Earnings of Employed Civilian Workers by Industry: 2007 (Percent distribution. For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and definitions, see www.census.g

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2007, and American FactFinder Table B24031. Accommodation and food services Arts, entertainment, and recreation Retail trade Agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting Other services except public administration Admin. and support and waste mgmt. services Health care and social assistance Total U.S. employed labor force Construction Real estate and rental and leasing Educational services Manufacturing Wholesale trade Transportation and warehousing Information Finance and insurance Public administration Mining Professional, scientific, and technical services Management of companies and enterprises Utilities Native Naturalized citizen Not 

75.9 7.2 

88.5 5.0 

86.9 6.0 

74.3 3.8 

79.1 8.2 

76.1 6.7 

85.9 8.3 

84.2 6.8 

76.6 5.0 

85.5 8.5 

90.0 5.4 4

81.6 7.7 

84.0 7.0 

84.3 8.5 

88.7 6.0 

88.4 7.2 4

93.0 5.1 1.8 92.9 2.6 

86.3 7.2 

89.0 5.6 

93.8 3.9 2.
U.S. Census Bureau 9

Table 4. 

Employed Civilian Labor Force by Occupation, Nativity, and Citizenship Status: 2007

(Numbers in thousands. For information on confi dentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and defi nitions, 

see www.census.gov/acs/www/) 

Foreign born

Total Native

Occupation Total Naturalized citizen Not a citizen

Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent

 Total employed workers . . . . . . . 142,588 100.0 120,050 100.0 22,538 100.0 9,657 100.0 12,880 100.0

Management, professional, and 49,291 34.6 43,159 36.0 6,132 27.2 3,555 36.8 2,577 20.0 related . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23,883 16.7 18,673 15.6 5,210 23.1 1,800 18.6 3,410 26.5

Sales and offi ce . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36,471 25.6 32,422 27.0 4,049 18.0 2,179 22.6 1,870 14.5

Production, transportation, and 18,151 12.7 14,462 12.0 3,689 16.4 1,335 13.8 2,354 18.3 material moving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

 Construction, extraction, maintenance, 13,796 9.7 10,781 9.0 3,015 13.4 736 7.6 2,279 17.7 and repair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Farming, fi shing, and forestry . . . . . . . 996 0.7 553 0.5 443 2.0 53 0.5 390 3.0

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2007. 

Occupations of the foreign 

born vary by place of birth.

Foreign born from diff erent parts of 

the world tend to work in diff erent 

occupations, in patterns that refl ect 

their diff erent educational attainment (Figure 6). 

For example, in 2007, workers 

born in Asia were more likely than 

natives to work in management, 

professional, and related fi elds (46 

percent compared with 36 percent), as were workers from Europe 

(43 percent). Only 13 percent of 

workers from Latin America were 

employed in management, professional, and related fi elds. 

Workers born in Latin America were 

far more likely than natives to work 

in construction, extraction, maintenance, and repair occupations 

(20 percent and 9 percent, respectively). Workers from Asia or Africa 

were far less likely than those from 

Latin America to work in these 

occupations (both about 4 percent). 

Furthermore, labor force participants born in diff erent parts 

of Latin America tended to enter 

diff erent occupations. For example, 

4 percent of U.S. workers born in 

exico, and 21 percent from other

entral American countries, were 

mployed in construction, extracion, maintenance, and repair occuations in 2007, compared with 

bout 13 percent of workers born 

n South America, and 9.1 percent 

f those from the Caribbean. 

even percent of U.S. workers born 

n Mexico, and 12 percent from 

ther Central American countries, 

ere in management, professional, 

nd related occupations, while 

5 percent of workers born in the 

aribbean and 26 percent from 

outh America were in these occuations.9

arming, fi shing, and forestry 

ccupations employed relatively 

ew foreign-born workers from any 

ountry. However, those born in 

exico were about ten times more 

ikely than native-born workers to 

 nd employment in these occupaions in 2007 (5.5 percent and 0.5 

9 The percentages of workers from the 

aribbean or South America in management, 

rofessional, and related occupations were 

ot statistically diff erent. 

2

M

C

e

t

p

a

i

o

S

i

o

w

a

2

C

S

p

F

o

f

c

M

l

fi

t

C

p

n

percent, respectively), about four 

times more likely than workers 

born in the rest of Central America 

(1.2 percent), and about 25 times 

more likely than workers born in 

the Caribbean or South America 

(0.2 percent). 

CONCLUSION

The labor force in the United States 

included proportionately fewer 

foreign-born people in 2007 than 

in 1900, despite recent increases. 

Less than 1 worker in 6 was foreign 

born in 2007, compared to more 

than 1 in 5 at the beginning of the 

last century. Yet if their relative 

numbers are lower then they have 

been historically, the foreign born 

still contribute an important portion 

of labor to the U.S. economy. Every 

industry group employs the foreign 

born. Some employ higher proportions of foreign-born labor; typically 

those off ering lower median wages, 

but also scientifi c and technical 

fi elds requiring high educational 

attainment. However, despite these 

variations, native-born workers fi ll 

the overwhelming majority of positions in every industry group. 
10 U.S. Census Bureau

Figure 6. 

Employed Civilian Labor Force by Occupation, Nativity, and Area of 

Birth of the Foreign Born: 2007

(Percent distribution. For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, 

and definitions, see www.census.gov/acs/www/)

Note: Latin America includes the Caribbean, Mexico, Other Central America, and South America.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2007.

Management, 

professional, 

and related Service

Sales and 

office

Production, 

transportation,

and material 

moving

Construction, 

extraction,

maintenance,

and repair

Farming,

fishing,

and 

forestry

 South

America

 Other Central

America

 Mexico

 Caribbean

Latin

America

Europe

Asia

Africa

 Foreign

born

 Native

Total

26.0 24.7 21.4 14.2 13.4 0.2

11.5 31.2 14.5 20.4 21.3 1.2

7.4 28.5 11.5 23.3 23.7 5.5

25.3 28.0 22.5 14.8 9.1 0.2

13.2 28.3 14.9 20.4 19.7 3.4

42.8 16.1 20.7 11.0 9.1 0.2

46.4 16.1 22.1 11.4 3.8 0.2

36.7 23.1 22.0 14.0 4.0 0.1

27.2 23.1 18.0 16.4 13.4 2.0

36.0 15.6 27.0 12.0 9.0 0.5

34.6 16.7 25.6 12.7 9.7 0.7

SOURCE OF THE DATA 

AND ACCURACY OF 

THE ESTIMATES

American Community Survey

Many of the fi ndings presented 

in this report were based on the 

American Community Survey (ACS) 

data collected in 2007. These data 

were based on the population living in either households or group 

quarters (which include correctional facilities, nursing homes, 

college dormitories, group homes, 

and overnight shelters) that were 

included in the ACS sample. The 

Census Bureau is both the sponsor 

and the collector of the ACS.

The 2007 ACS is based on a sample 

of just under 3 million housing unit 

addresses and a separate sample 

of just under 200,000 people living 

in group quarters. ACS fi gures are 

estimates based on this sample and 

approximate the actual fi gures that 

would have been obtained by interviewing the entire household and 

group quarters populations using 

the same methodology. The estimates from the 2007 ACS sample 

may also diff er from estimates 

based on other samples of housing units and group quarters and 

people within those housing units 

and group quarter.

The Decennial Census

Other fi ndings presented in this 

report that were not derived from 

the 2007 ACS were collected from 

previously published fi ndings 

based on data from each decennial 

census conducted by the Census 

Bureau since 1900. Because the 

structure of the decennial census 

has changed over time, some of the 

data were based on complete censuses (100 percent of the population, from 1900 to 1930) and some 

were based on sample populations 

of various sizes (ranging from 5 

percent to 20 percent, from 1940 

to 2000). In general, the decennial 
U.S. Census Bureau 11

censuses collected data from the 

population living in households 

as well as those living in group 

quarters such as those described 

above. For more information about 

the source and accuracy details of 

the decennial censuses, refer to 

Working Paper No. 81, “Historical 

Census Statistics on the ForeignBorn Population of the United 

States: 1850–2000,” available at 

<www.census.gov/population

/www/documentation/twps0081

/twps0081.html>.

Sampling and 

Nonsampling Error

Sampling error occurs when the 

characteristics of a sample are measured instead of those of the entire 

population (as from a census). Note 

that sample-based estimates will 

vary depending on the particular 

sample selected from the population, but all attempt to approximate 

the actual fi gures. Measures of the 

magnitude of sampling error refl ect 

the variation in the estimates over 

all possible samples that could have 

been selected from the population 

using the same sampling, data collection, and processing methods.

Estimates of the magnitude of 

sampling errors are provided in 

the form of margins of error for all 

key ACS estimates included in this 

report. The Census Bureau recommends that data users incorporate 

this information into their analyses, 

as sampling error in survey estimates could impact the conclusions 

drawn from the results. All comparative statements in this report have 

undergone statistical testing, and 

comparisons are signifi cant at the 

90-percent confi dence level unless 

noted otherwise. This means the 

90-percent confi dence interval for 

the diff erence between the estimates being compared does not 

include zero.

In addition to sampling error, 

nonsampling errors may be introduced during any phase of data 

collection or processing. For 

example, operations such as editing, reviewing, or keying data from 

questionnaires may introduce error 

into the estimates. The primary 

sources of nonsampling error and 

the processes instituted to control 

error in the 2007 ACS are described 

in further detail in the “2007 ACS 

Accuracy of the Data” document 

(see link below).

Title 13, U.S. Code, Section 9, 

prohibits the Census Bureau from 

publishing results from which the 

identity of an individual survey 

respondent could be determined. 

For more information on how the 

Census Bureau protects the confi -

dentiality of data, see the “2007 ACS 

Accuracy of the Data” document 

<www.census.gov/acs/www

/Downloads/ACS/accuracy2007

.pdf>.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Further information from the 2007 

ACS is available from the American 

FactFinder on the Census Bureau’s 

Web site. The Internet address is 

<http://factfi nder.census.gov/>.

A copy of the 2007 ACS questionnaire is available at 

<www.census.gov/acs/www

/Downloads/SQuest07.pdf>.

Defi nitions of specifi c terminology used in this report and in the 

ACS questionnaire are available at 

<www.census.gov/acs/www

/Downloads/2007/usedata

/Subject_Defi nitions.pdf>.

Measures of ACS quality—including 

sample size and number of interviews, response and nonresponse 

rates, coverage rates, and item 

allocation rates—are available at 

<www.census.gov/acs/www

/UseData/sse/index.htm>.

Additional information about the 

foreign-born population is available 

on the Census Bureau’s Web site at 

<www.census.gov/population

/www/socdemo/foreign

/index.html>. For more information 

about labor force statistics, visit 

<www.census.gov/hhes/www

/laborfor/laborforce.html>.

CONTACTS

For additional information on these 

topics, please call 1-866-758-1060 

(toll free) or visit 

<www.census.gov>.

SUGGESTED CITATION

Newburger, Eric and Thomas Gryn. 

2009. The Foreign-Born Labor 

Force in the United States: 2007, 

 American Community Survey 

Reports, ACS-10, U.S. Census 

Bureau, Washington, DC.

USER COMMENTS 

The Census Bureau welcomes the 

comments and advice of users of 

our data and reports. Please send 

suggestions or comments to:

Chief, Population Division

U.S. Census Bureau

Washington, DC 20233-8800
12 U.S. Census Bureau

Appendix Table A. 

Employed Civilian Foreign-Born Labor Force by State: 2007

(Numbers in thousands. For information on confi dentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and defi nitions, 

see www.census.gov/acs/www/)

Total 16 and over Foreign born Percent foreign born State

Estimate Margin of error Estimate Margin of error Estimate Margin of error

California . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16,860 43 5,886 38 34.9 0.2

New York . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9,091 29 2,454 26 27.0 0.3

New Jersey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,253 19 1,089 16 25.6 0.4

Nevada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,247 9 315 8 25.2 0.6

Florida . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8,375 31 1,994 22 23.8 0.2

Hawaii . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 607 7 125 6 20.6 0.9

Texas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10,966 30 2,257 22 20.6 0.2

Arizona . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,840 17 555 14 19.5 0.5

Illinois . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,184 20 1,101 17 17.8 0.3

Massachusetts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,277 16 556 14 17.0 0.4

District of Columbia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292 5 49 4 16.9 1.4

Connecticut . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,768 11 281 10 15.9 0.5

United States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142,588 110 22,538 81 15.8 0.1

Maryland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,848 14 448 10 15.7 0.3

Rhode Island . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 522 7 81 4 15.5 0.8

Washington . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,138 15 449 10 14.3 0.3

Virginia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,791 15 515 10 13.6 0.3

Oregon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,808 14 223 9 12.3 0.5

Georgia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,422 19 535 12 12.1 0.3

New Mexico . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 885 10 104 6 11.7 0.6

Colorado . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,489 14 289 11 11.6 0.5

Utah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,273 9 131 5 10.3 0.4

Delaware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 416 7 40 3 9.5 0.7

Alaska . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 330 5 31 3 9.5 0.8

North Carolina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,228 20 385 9 9.1 0.2

Minnesota . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,748 11 206 7 7.5 0.2

Kansas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,400 10 104 4 7.4 0.3

Idaho . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 714 6 52 3 7.2 0.4

Michigan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,534 19 322 10 7.1 0.2

Oklahoma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,661 12 111 5 6.7 0.3

Nebraska . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 925 6 59 4 6.4 0.4

Pennsylvania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,916 21 373 12 6.3 0.2

New Hampshire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 700 7 39 4 5.6 0.5

South Carolina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,994 16 109 5 5.5 0.3

Arkansas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,239 11 67 4 5.4 0.3

Tennessee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,848 13 151 7 5.3 0.2

Wisconsin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,875 12 146 6 5.1 0.2

Indiana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,033 14 150 5 4.9 0.2

Iowa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,548 9 70 4 4.5 0.3

Missouri . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,811 15 120 6 4.3 0.2

Ohio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,440 21 231 8 4.2 0.1

Louisiana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,892 15 80 5 4.2 0.3

Alabama . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,028 16 78 4 3.9 0.2

Vermont . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 336 4 12 2 3.5 0.5

Maine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 662 6 23 3 3.5 0.4

Wyoming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279 5 10 2 3.4 0.7

Kentucky . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,905 14 64 4 3.4 0.2

Mississippi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,207 13 32 4 2.6 0.3

North Dakota . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 340 4 8 2 2.4 0.5

South Dakota . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 414 5 8 1 1.9 0.3

West Virginia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 759 10 13 2 1.8 0.3

Montana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 470 6 8 2 1.7 0.3

Note: Data are based on a sample and are subject to sampling variability. The degree of uncertainty for an estimate arising from sampling variability is represented through the use of a margin of error. The value shown here is the 90 percent margin of error. The margin of error can be interpreted roughly as providing a 90 percent probability that the interval defi ned by the estimate minus the margin of error and the estimate plus the 

margin of error (the lower and upper confi dence bounds) contains the true value. In addition to sampling variability, the ACS estimates are subject 

to nonsampling error (for a discussion of nonsampling variability, see "Accuracy of the Data" at <www.census.gov/acs/www/Downloads/ACS

/accuracy2007.pdf>). The eff ect of nonsampling error is not represented in these tables.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2007.
U.S. Census Bureau 13 Appendix Table B. Percent Foreign Born of Employed Civilian Labor Force by Industry in the United States and Ten 

Largest Foreign-Born Workforces: 2007 (For information on confi dentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and defi nitions, see www.census.gov/acs/www/) Massac

United States California New York New Jersey Florida Texas Arizona Illinois 

setts Industry Mar- Mar- Mar- Mar- Mar- Mar- Mar- Mar- 

Per- gin of Per- gin of Per- gin of Per- gin of Per- gin of Per- gin of Per- gin of Per- gin of Per- 

cent error cent error cent error cent error cent error cent error cent error cent error cent 

 All industries . . . . 15.8 0.1 34.9 0.2 27.0 0.3 25.6 0.4 23.8 0.2 20.6 0.2 19.5 0.5 17.8 0.3 17.0 Agriculture, forestry, fi shing, and hunting . . . . . . . . . . . . 25.7 0.7 72.1 1.5 8.8 3.2 38.3 6.1 51.1 4.1 25.8 2.3 52.5 7.8 7.7 2.3 21.0 Accommodation and food services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24.1 0.3 48.0 1.2 41.2 1.5 36.0 2.3 26.9 1.2 31.5 1.1 30.7 2.4 30.0 1.8 30.1 Administrative and support and waste management services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23.9 0.4 49.3 1.0 32.1 1.4 35.8 2.8 29.4 1.6 30.7 1.5 35.1 3.5 30.0 1.8 28.7 Construction . . . . . . . . . . . 23.4 0.3 42.3 0.9 35.2 1.1 33.0 1.9 32.0 1.1 41.6 0.9 37.1 1.6 25.1 1.4 16.2 Other services, except 20.9 0.3 45.0 1.0 40.7 1.2 36.0 2.3 30.5 1.3 29.3 1.1 26.6 2.6 21.8 1.3 21.5  public administration . . . . . Manufacturing . . . . . . . . . . 18.4 0.2 49.4 0.7 27.6 1.0 33.4 1.2 27.2 1.3 26.3 0.8 24.9 1.5 27.7 0.9 23.6 Wholesale trade . . . . . . . . . 16.0 0.3 38.8 1.2 30.2 1.7 28.7 2.1 28.9 1.6 17.8 1.1 13.9 2.2 17.0 1.6 11.9 Transportation and warehousing . . . . . . . . . . . 15.7 0.3 37.4 1.1 37.1 1.5 30.3 1.9 28.2 1.5 16.9 1.0 11.9 1.9 15.2 1.1 15.7 Real estate and rental and leasing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14.5 0.4 28.0 1.4 30.5 1.6 21.9 1.8 23.1 1.5 15.2 1.3 10.2 2.0 13.5 1.7 11.4 Health care and social assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14.1 0.1 33.0 0.6 29.9 0.7 26.1 1.2 23.9 0.8 15.3 0.5 15.0 1.3 14.9 0.7 17.4 Professional, scientifi c, and technical services . . . . . . . 13.7 0.2 26.2 0.7 20.2 0.9 23.6 1.2 18.5 0.9 13.2 0.6 11.3 1.3 13.0 0.9 15.2 Retail trade . . . . . . . . . . . . 13.1 0.2 29.9 0.7 25.9 0.8 22.7 1.1 21.3 0.8 17.2 0.7 14.5 1.4 14.6 0.9 12.7 Finance and insurance . . . 11.6 0.2 24.1 0.9 23.5 1.0 22.0 1.2 18.7 1.0 10.1 0.7 8.7 1.6 11.1 1.0 14.6 Arts, entertainment, and recreation . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.5 0.4 21.0 1.4 15.8 1.7 15.8 2.1 18.8 1.7 13.4 1.8 12.2 2.4 10.7 1.8 8.9 Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.3 0.3 21.0 1.0 17.3 1.2 19.5 1.9 16.2 1.4 13.1 1.3 10.0 2.8 10.3 1.3 12.1 Management of companies and enterprises . . . . . . . . . 11.0 1.2 20.5 4.7 16.2 5.2 19.1 8.7 15.1 5.8 12.2 4.1 7.0 5.7 10.9 3.8 17.1 Educational services . . . . . 10.0 0.1 19.7 0.5 15.6 0.6 14.2 1.0 15.9 0.9 12.0 0.5 11.3 1.2 10.6 0.8 14.2 Mining . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.1 0.6 16.1 3.9 7.3 5.4 18.1 12.0 10.3 5.9 13.5 1.4 7.9 3.2 4.5 2.9 19.0 Public administration . . . . . 7.0 0.1 16.5 0.6 14.1 0.9 10.9 1.2 10.6 0.7 6.2 0.5 7.1 1.1 5.3 0.7 6.4 Utilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.2 0.4 16.1 1.8 11.4 2.3 8.9 2.7 14.3 2.8 9.6 1.7 7.6 3.1 5.4 1.7 5.7 

Note: Data are based on a sample and are subject to sampling variability. The degree of uncertainty for an estimate arising from sampling variability is repr

of error. The value shown here is the 90 percent margin of error. The margin of error can be interpreted roughly as providing a 90 percent probability that the minus the margin of error and the estimate plus the margin of error (the lower and upper confi dence bounds) contains the true value. In addition to sampling vsubject to nonsampling error (for a discussion of nonsampling variability, see "Accuracy of the Data" at <www.census.gov/acs/www/Downloads/ACS/accuracypling error is not represented in these tables. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2007.
14 U.S. Census Bureau

Appendix Table C. 

Margins of Error for Characteristics of the Civilian Labor Force in the United States by 

Nativity and Citizenship Status: 2007

(Numbers in thousands. For information on confi dentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and defi nitions, 

see www.census.gov/acs/www/)

Foreign born

Total Native

Naturalized Characteristic Total citizen Not a citizen

Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent

16 years and over and in labor force . . . . . 113 (X) 146 (X) 83 (X) 56 (X) 80 (X)

Age

 16 to 19 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 0.1 39 0.1 13 0.1 6 0.1 12 0.1

 20 to 24 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 0.1 47 0.1 27 0.1 12 0.1 24 0.2

 25 to 34 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 0.1 59 0.1 43 0.1 22 0.2 41 0.2

 35 to 44 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 0.1 60 0.1 39 0.1 32 0.3 36 0.2

 45 to 54 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 0.1 55 0.1 35 0.1 28 0.2 28 0.2

 55 to 64 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 0.1 44 0.1 24 0.1 20 0.2 17 0.1

 65 years and over . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 0.1 30 0.1 12 0.1 12 0.1 7 0.1

Sex

 Female . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 0.1 86 0.1 43 0.1 35 0.2 35 0.2

 Male . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 0.1 96 0.1 62 0.1 38 0.2 63 0.2

Educational attainment1

 Less than high school diploma . . . . . . . . 87 0.1 63 0.1 53 0.2 23 0.2 50 0.3

 High school graduate or GED . . . . . . . . . 144 0.1 121 0.1 60 0.2 30 0.3 47 0.3

 Some college, no degree . . . . . . . . . . . . 106 0.1 104 0.1 33 0.1 23 0.2 22 0.2

 Associate's degree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 0.1 63 0.1 24 0.1 17 0.2 15 0.1

 Bachelor's degree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105 0.1 92 0.1 36 0.1 25 0.2 24 0.2

 Master's degree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 0.1 44 0.1 21 0.1 15 0.1 15 0.1

 Professional degree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 0.1 24 0.1 14 0.1 10 0.1 7 0.1

 Doctoral degree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 0.1 18 0.1 11 0.1 7 0.1 8 0.1

 High school graduate or more. . . . . . . . . 141 0.1 159 0.1 76 0.2 54 0.2 60 0.3

 Bachelor's degree or more . . . . . . . . . . . 133 0.1 118 0.1 42 0.2 31 0.3 27 0.2

Language ability

 Speaks only English at home . . . . . . . . . 121 0.1 122 0.1 40 0.2 28 0.2 26 0.2

 Speaks a language other than English 

 at home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 0.1 58 0.1 75 0.2 49 0.2 78 0.2

 Speaks English very well . . . . . . . . . . 64 0.1 48 0.1 48 0.2 42 0.3 34 0.2

 Speaks English less than very well . . . 64 0.1 26 0.1 70 0.2 28 0.3 68 0.3

Region

 Northeast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 0.1 51 0.1 38 0.1 30 0.3 33 0.2

 Midwest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 0.1 61 0.1 27 0.1 17 0.2 23 0.2

 South . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 0.1 78 0.1 46 0.2 29 0.2 45 0.2

 West . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 0.1 63 0.1 47 0.2 32 0.3 42 0.3

X Not applicable.

1 Analyses focused on educational attainment usually consider only those 25 years old or over. However, this table explores the characteristics 

of the civilian labor force as a whole. Thus, it includes all civilian labor force participants, some of whom may be as young as 16 years old.

Note: Data are based on a sample and are subject to sampling variability. The degree of uncertainty for an estimate arising from sampling variability is represented through the use of a margin of error. The value shown here is the 90 percent margin of error. The margin of error can be interpreted 

roughly as providing a 90 percent probability that the interval defi ned by the estimate minus the margin of error and the estimate plus the margin of 

error (the lower and upper confi dence bounds) contains the true value. In addition to sampling variability, the ACS estimates are subject to nonsampling error (for a discussion of nonsampling variability, see “Accuracy of the Data” at <www.census.gov/acs/www/Downloads/ACS/accuracy2007

.pdf>). The eff ect of nonsampling error is not represented in these tables.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2007. 

 
U.S. Census Bureau 15

Appendix Table D. 

Margins of Error for Place of Birth of the Foreign-Born Civilian Labor Force by 

Educational Attainment: 2007

(For information on confi dentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and defi nitions, see www.census.gov/acs/www/)

Place of birth

Latin America

Educational attainment

Central America

 Carib- South Other Other Total Africa Asia Europe Total bean Mexico America regions1

 Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (X) 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.1

Less than high school diploma . . . . (X) 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.3 0.2 0.5 0.3 0.2 0.1

High school graduate or GED . . . . . (X) 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.5 0.3 0.2 0.1

Some college, no degree . . . . . . . . . (X) 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.5 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.2

Associate's degree . . . . . . . . . . . . . (X) 0.3 0.6 0.7 0.7 0.6 0.6 0.4 0.5 0.3

Bachelor's degree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (X) 0.2 0.5 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.2

Master's degree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (X) 0.3 0.7 0.5 0.5 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.2

Professional degree . . . . . . . . . . . . . (X) 0.6 1.1 0.8 1.0 0.7 0.6 0.3 0.7 0.4

Doctoral degree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (X) 0.6 1.2 1.1 0.7 0.3 0.4 0.2 0.5 0.4

High school graduate or more . . . . . (X) 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.1

Bachelor's degree or more . . . . . . . (X) 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.1

X Not applicable. 

1 Includes Northern America and Oceania. 

Note: Data are based on a sample and are subject to sampling variability. The degree of uncertainty for an estimate arising from sampling variability is represented through the use of a margin of error. The value shown here is the 90 percent margin of error. The margin of error can be interpreted 

roughly as providing a 90 percent probability that the interval defi ned by the estimate minus the margin of error and the estimate plus the margin of 

error (the lower and upper confi dence bounds) contains the true value. In addition to sampling variability, the ACS estimates are subject to nonsampling error (for a discussion of nonsampling variability, see “Accuracy of the Data” at <www.census.gov/acs/www/Downloads/ACS/accuracy2007

.pdf>). The eff ect of nonsampling error is not represented in these tables.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2007. 

 

Appendix Table E. 

Margins of Error for Employed Civilian Labor Force by Occupation, Nativity, and 

Citizenship Status: 2007

(Numbers in thousands. For information on confi dentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and defi nitions, 

see www.census.gov/acs/www/) 

Foreign born

Total Native

Occupation Total Naturalized citizen Not a citizen

Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent

 Total employed workers . . . . . . . . 110 (X) 141 (X) 81 (X) 54 (X) 80 (X)

Management, professional, and 125 0.1 116 0.1 37 0.2 31 0.3 20 0.2 related . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 0.1 72 0.1 47 0.2 22 0.2 42 0.3

Sales and offi ce . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 0.1 84 0.1 33 0.1 23 0.2 22 0.2

Production, transportation, and 66 0.1 58 0.1 37 0.1 21 0.2 33 0.2 material moving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Construction, extraction, maintenance, 58 0.1 53 0.1 37 0.2 15 0.1 37 0.2 and repair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Farming, fi shing, and forestry . . . . . . . . 19 0.1 11 0.1 17 0.1 4 0.1 16 0.1

X Not applicable.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2007.