News

Bureau of Labor Statistics Washington, D.C. 20212 

United States 

Department 

of Labor 

Technical information: (202) 691-6378 USDL 09-0303 

 http://www.bls.gov/cps/ 

 For release: 10:00 A.M. (EDT) 

Media contact: (202) 691-5902 Thursday, March 26, 2009 

FOREIGN-BORN WORKERS: LABOR FORCE CHARACTERISTICS IN 2008 

In 2008, 24.1 million persons, or 15.6 percent of the U. S. civilian labor force age 16 and over, were 

foreign born, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. The unemployment rate for the foreign born was 5.8 percent in 2008, up from 4.3 percent in 2007. The jobless 

rate of the native born also increased to 5.8 percent in 2008; it was 4.7 percent in the prior year. 

This news release compares the labor force characteristics of the foreign born with those of their 

native-born counterparts. The 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 born outside the country or one of its outlying areas to 

parents who were not U.S. citizens. The foreign born include legally-admitted immigrants, refugees, 

temporary residents such as students and temporary workers, and undocumented immigrants. The 

survey data, however, do not separately identify the numbers of persons in these categories. For further 

information about the survey, see the Technical Note. 

Demographic Characteristics

The demographic characteristics of the foreign-born labor force differ from those of the native born. 

In 2008, men made up a larger proportion of the foreign-born labor force (59.8 percent) than they did of 

the native-born (52.3 percent) labor force. Also, a higher proportion of the foreign-born than the nativeborn labor force was made up of 25- to 54-year-olds (76.6 and 66.0 percent, respectively); labor force 

participation is typically highest among persons in that age group. (See table 1.) 

In 2008, Hispanics comprised 49.4 percent of the foreign-born labor force compared with 7.8 percent of the native-born labor force. Asians made up 22.4 percent of the foreign-born labor force 

compared with 1.3 percent of the native-born labor force. (Data in this release for persons who are 

white, black, or Asian do not include those of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity. Data on persons of Hispanic 

or Latino ethnicity are presented separately.) 

In terms of educational attainment, 26.4 percent of the foreign-born labor force 25 years old and 

over had not completed high school in 2008, compared with 5.8 percent of the native-born labor force. 

Similar proportions of foreign-born and native-born persons in the labor force had a bachelor's or higher 

degree (31.7 and 34.6 percent, respectively). Foreign-born workers were less likely than native-born 

workers to have some college or an associate degree. 
2

Labor Force and Unemployment

In 2008, 68.1 percent of the foreign born were in the labor force, 0.4 percentage point lower than in 

2007. The labor force participation rate of the native-born workers held steady at 65.6 percent in 2008. 

Both the number of foreign-born labor force participants (24.1 million) and their share of the U.S. civilian labor force (15.6 percent) were little changed from 2007 to 2008. (See table 1.) 

The labor force participation rate of foreign-born men was 81.4 percent, compared with 71.4 percent for native-born men in 2008. In contrast, 54.8 percent of foreign-born women were labor force 

participants, compared with 60.3 percent of native-born women. 

Among the major race and ethnicity groups, labor force participation rates of foreign-born whites 

(60.3 percent) and Hispanics (70.7 percent) were down over the year. The rates for foreign-born blacks 

(73.2 percent) and Asians (68.2 percent) showed little change in 2008. Among the native born, labor 

force participation rates for all the major groups were about unchanged over the year. 

Foreign-born mothers with children under age 18 were less likely to be labor force participants than 

native-born mothers—60.7 versus 74.1 percent. Among women with children under age 3, the 

participation rate for the foreign born was 44.6 percent, while that for the native born was 64.5 percent. 

The labor force participation rate of both foreign- and native-born fathers with children under age 18 

was about 94 percent in 2008. (See table 2.) 

The over-the-year increase in the unemployment rate of foreign-born workers—from 4.3 percent in 

2007 to 5.8 percent in 2008—reflected increases in the rates for both men and women. The unemployment rate for foreign-born men rose from 4.1 to 5.7 percent, and the rate for foreign-born women was up 

from 4.6 to 6.0 percent. Among the native born, the unemployment rate increased from 4.7 to 5.8 percent over the year. The rate for men rose from 4.9 to 6.2 percent, while the rate for women was up from 

4.5 to 5.3 percent in 2008. (See table 1.) 

By region, the foreign born made up a larger share of the total labor force in the West (24.1 percent) 

and in the Northeast (17.9 percent) than for the nation as a whole (15.6 percent). In contrast, the shares 

of the labor force made up by foreign-born workers in the South (13.8 percent) and Midwest (7.8 percent) were less than for the nation. (See table 6.) 

Occupation

In 2008, foreign-born workers were more likely than their native-born counterparts to be employed 

in service occupations (23.2 versus 15.6 percent); in production, transportation, and material moving 

occupations (16.4 versus 11.5 percent); and in natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations (15.1 versus 9.3 percent). In contrast, native-born workers were more likely than foreign-born 

workers to be employed in management, professional, and related occupations—37.8 versus 28.2 percent. (See table 4.) 

Foreign-born men were more likely than native-born men to be employed in service occupations; 

natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations; and production, transportation, and 

material moving occupations. Compared with native-born women, foreign-born women were more 

likely to be employed in service occupations and in production, transportation, and material moving 

occupations. 
3

Earnings

In 2008, the median usual weekly earnings of foreign-born full-time wage and salary workers were 

$595, compared with $744 for the native born. Among men, median earnings were $613 per week for 

the foreign born, compared with $842 for the native born; the median for foreign-born women was $557, 

compared with $651 for the native born. (See table 5.) 

As with the native born, the earnings of foreign-born workers increased with education. Foreignborn workers age 25 and over with less than a high school education earned $417 per week in 2008, 

while those with bachelor’s degrees and higher earned about 2.6 times as much—$1,092 a week. 

The gap between the earnings of foreign-born and native-born workers narrows with higher levels 

of education. For example, among those with less than a high school diploma, full-time workers who 

were foreign born earned 84.6 percent as much as their native-born counterparts. Among those with a 

bachelor's degree and higher, foreign born workers earned almost as much (97.6 percent) as native-born 

workers. 
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 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 for 2008 are not 

strictly comparable with data for 2007 and earlier years 

because of the introduction in January 2008 of revised 

population controls used in the CPS. The effect of the revised 

population controls on the foreign- and native-born estimates 

is unknown. However, the effect of the new controls on the 

monthly CPS estimates was to decrease the December 2007 

employment level by 598,000 and the unemployment level 

by 40,000. The updated controls had little or no effect on 

unemployment rates and other ratios. More detailed 

information on the population adjustments and their effect on 

national labor force estimates are available at 

http://www.bls.gov/cps/cps08adj.pdf. 

Information in this release will be made available to 

sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 

(202) 691-5200, TDD message referral phone number: 

1-800-877-8339. 

Reliability of the estimates 

Statistics based on the CPS are subject to both sampling 

and nonsampling error. When a sample, rather than the entire 

population, is surveyed, there is a chance that the sample 

estimates may differ from the “true” population values they 

represent. The exact difference, or sampling error, varies 

depending upon the particular sample selected, and this 

variability is measured by the standard error of the estimate. 

There is about a 90-percent chance, or level of confidence, 

that an estimate based on a sample will differ by no more 

than 1.6 standard errors from the “true” population value 

because of 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. For a full discussion of the reliability of data from the 

CPS and information on estimating standard errors, see the 

Household Data section of the “Explanatory Notes and 

Estimates of Error” in Employment and Earnings Online at 

http://www.bls.gov/cps/eetech_methods.pdf. 

Concepts and definitions 

Foreign born. The foreign born are persons residing in 

the United States who were not U.S. citizens at birth. That is, 

they were born outside the United States or one of its outlying 

areas such as Puerto Rico or Guam, to parents neither of 

whom was a U.S. citizen. The foreign-born population 

includes legally-admitted immigrants, refugees, temporary 

residents such as students and temporary workers, and 

undocumented immigrants. The survey data, however, do not 

separately identify the number of persons in these categories. 

Native born. The native born are persons born in the 

United States or one of its outlying areas such as Puerto Rico 

or Guam or who were born abroad of at least one parent who 

was a U.S. citizen. 

Race and ethnicity groups. In this release, the data are 

presented for non-Hispanic whites, blacks, and Asians and for 

persons of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity. These four groups are 

mutually exclusive but not exhaustive. Other race groups 

(including persons who selected more than one race category) 

are included in the overall totals but are not shown separately 

because the number of survey respondents is too small to 

develop statistically reliable estimates. The presentation of the 

data on race and ethnicity in this release differs from that 

which appears in most analyses of CPS labor force data in 

that persons of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity are separated 

from the race groups. Because persons of Hispanic or Latino 

ethnicity can be of any race, they are usually included in the 

race groups as well as shown separately in the Hispanic or 

Latino ethnicity group. The reason for the difference in the 

data presentation in this release is because about half of the 

foreign born are of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity and they have 

somewhat different labor force characteristics than the nonHispanic foreign born. 

Employed. Employed persons are (a) all those who, 

during the survey reference week, did any work at all as paid 

employees, worked in their own business, profession, or on 

their own farm, or who worked 15 hours or more as unpaid 

workers in a family-operated enterprise; and (b) all those who 

did not work but had jobs or businesses from which they were 
temporarily absent due to illness, bad weather, vacation, 

childcare problems, labor disputes, or personal reasons, 

whether or not they were paid for the time off and whether or 

not they were seeking other jobs.

Unemployed. The unemployed are persons who had no 

employment during the reference week, were available for 

work at that time, except for temporary illness, and had made 

specific efforts to find employment sometime during the 4-

week period ending with the reference week. Persons who 

were waiting to be recalled to a job from which they had 

been laid off need not be looking for work to be classified as 

unemployed. 

Civilian labor force. The civilian labor force comprises 

all persons classified as employed or unemployed. 

Unemployment rate. The unemployment rate is the 

number unemployed as a percent of the civilian labor force. 

Labor force participation rate. The labor force participation rate is the labor force as a percent of the population. 

Usual weekly earnings. Data represent earnings before 

taxes and other deductions and include any overtime pay, 

commissions, or tips usually received (at the main job in the 

case of multiple jobholders). Earnings reported on a basis 

other than weekly are converted to a weekly equivalent. 

Median earnings. The median is the amount which 

divides a given earnings distribution into two equal groups, 

one having earnings above the median and the other having 

earnings below the median. 
Table 1. Employment status of the foreign-born and native-born populations by selected characteristics, 2007-08 annual averages

(Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic

2007 2008

Civilian

noninstitutional

population

Civilian labor force

Civilian

noninstitutional

population

Civilian labor force

Total Participation rate Employed

Unemployed

Total Participation rate Employed

Unemployed

Number

Unemployment

rate

Number

Unemployment

rate

TOTAL

Total, 16 years and over ................. 231,867 153,124 66.0 146,047 7,078 4.6 233,788 154,287 66.0 145,362 8,924 5.8

Men ..................................................... 112,173 82,136 73.2 78,254 3,882 4.7 113,113 82,520 73.0 77,486 5,033 6.1

Women ............................................... 119,694 70,988 59.3 67,792 3,196 4.5 120,675 71,767 59.5 67,876 3,891 5.4

FOREIGN BORN

Total, 16 years and over ................. 35,017 23,994 68.5 22,967 1,027 4.3 35,317 24,063 68.1 22,660 1,403 5.8

Men ..................................................... 17,670 14,470 81.9 13,883 588 4.1 17,688 14,400 81.4 13,578 822 5.7

Women ............................................... 17,347 9,524 54.9 9,085 439 4.6 17,629 9,663 54.8 9,082 581 6.0

Age

16 to 24 years ..................................... 4,205 2,454 58.4 2,266 188 7.7 3,845 2,211 57.5 1,979 232 10.5

25 to 34 years ..................................... 8,243 6,421 77.9 6,147 274 4.3 7,992 6,236 78.0 5,866 371 5.9

35 to 44 years ..................................... 8,322 6,782 81.5 6,546 236 3.5 8,327 6,814 81.8 6,473 341 5.0

45 to 54 years ..................................... 6,278 5,126 81.7 4,930 196 3.8 6,602 5,380 81.5 5,083 297 5.5

55 to 64 years ..................................... 3,850 2,531 65.7 2,424 107 4.2 4,126 2,700 65.4 2,580 120 4.5

65 years and over ............................... 4,119 680 16.5 655 25 3.7 4,424 721 16.3 679 42 5.9

Race and Hispanic

or Latino ethnicity 1

White non-Hispanic or Latino ............ 7,492 4,599 61.4 4,428 171 3.7 7,517 4,531 60.3 4,305 226 5.0

Black non-Hispanic or Latino ............. 2,610 1,901 72.8 1,795 106 5.6 2,743 2,007 73.2 1,863 144 7.2

Asian non-Hispanic or Latino ............. 7,762 5,264 67.8 5,106 158 3.0 7,894 5,382 68.2 5,185 197 3.7

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity ................. 16,817 11,987 71.3 11,405 582 4.9 16,816 11,889 70.7 11,067 822 6.9

Educational attainment

Total, 25 years and over ................. 30,812 21,540 69.9 20,701 839 3.9 31,472 21,852 69.4 20,681 1,171 5.4

Less than a high school diploma ........ 9,456 5,893 62.3 5,585 308 5.2 9,420 5,759 61.1 5,316 443 7.7

High school graduates, no college 2 ... 7,863 5,400 68.7 5,188 212 3.9 8,098 5,514 68.1 5,201 312 5.7

Some college or associate degree ..... 4,780 3,538 74.0 3,387 151 4.3 4,951 3,648 73.7 3,457 190 5.2

Bachelor’s degree and higher 3 .......... 8,713 6,709 77.0 6,541 168 2.5 9,003 6,931 77.0 6,705 226 3.3

See footnotes at end of table.
Table 1. Employment status of the foreign-born and native-born populations by selected characteristics, 2007-08 annual

averages—Continued

(Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic

2007 2008

Civilian

noninstitutional

population

Civilian labor force

Civilian

noninstitutional

population

Civilian labor force

Total Participation rate Employed

Unemployed

Total Participation rate Employed

Unemployed

Number

Unemployment

rate

Number

Unemployment

rate

NATIVE BORN

Total, 16 years and over ................. 196,850 129,130 65.6 123,079 6,051 4.7 198,471 130,224 65.6 122,703 7,521 5.8

Men ..................................................... 94,503 67,666 71.6 64,372 3,294 4.9 95,424 68,119 71.4 63,908 4,211 6.2

Women ............................................... 102,347 61,464 60.1 58,707 2,757 4.5 103,047 62,104 60.3 58,795 3,310 5.3

Age

16 to 24 years ..................................... 33,204 19,763 59.5 17,608 2,155 10.9 33,639 19,821 58.9 17,223 2,599 13.1

25 to 34 years ..................................... 31,509 26,708 84.8 25,439 1,270 4.8 32,001 27,096 84.7 25,517 1,579 5.8

35 to 44 years ..................................... 34,079 28,745 84.3 27,756 989 3.4 33,372 28,247 84.6 26,984 1,264 4.5

45 to 54 years ..................................... 37,266 30,571 82.0 29,633 938 3.1 37,357 30,623 82.0 29,446 1,177 3.8

55 to 64 years ..................................... 28,683 18,219 63.5 17,684 535 2.9 29,364 18,915 64.4 18,232 682 3.6

65 years and over ............................... 32,109 5,124 16.0 4,959 165 3.2 32,737 5,522 16.9 5,300 222 4.0

Race and Hispanic

or Latino ethnicity 1

White non-Hispanic or Latino ............ 151,596 100,279 66.1 96,411 3,868 3.9 152,157 100,679 66.2 95,909 4,770 4.7

Black non-Hispanic or Latino ............. 23,921 14,961 62.5 13,671 1,290 8.6 24,157 15,101 62.5 13,524 1,577 10.4

Asian non-Hispanic or Latino ............. 2,708 1,683 62.2 1,620 63 3.7 2,669 1,674 62.7 1,600 74 4.4

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity ................. 14,566 9,615 66.0 8,977 638 6.6 15,325 10,135 66.1 9,279 856 8.4

Educational attainment

Total, 25 years and over ................. 163,645 109,367 66.8 105,471 3,896 3.6 164,832 110,403 67.0 105,480 4,923 4.5

Less than a high school diploma ........ 17,177 6,514 37.9 5,936 578 8.9 16,702 6,406 38.4 5,757 649 10.1

High school graduates, no college 2 ... 53,510 33,139 61.9 31,670 1,470 4.4 53,017 32,749 61.8 30,896 1,854 5.7

Some college or associate degree ..... 45,051 32,349 71.8 31,225 1,124 3.5 46,153 33,070 71.7 31,582 1,488 4.5

Bachelor’s degree and higher 3 .......... 47,908 37,365 78.0 36,640 725 1.9 48,959 38,177 78.0 37,245 932 2.4

1 Data for race/ethnicity groups do not sum to totals because data are not presented for all races. 2 Includes persons with a high school diploma or equivalent. 3 Includes persons with bachelor’s, master’s, professional, and doctoral degrees.

 NOTE: Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data. See the Technical Note for further information. 
Table 2. Employment status of the foreign-born and native-born populations 16 years and over by presence and age of

youngest child and sex, 2007-08 annual averages

(Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic

2007 2008

Total Men Women Total Men Women

FOREIGN BORN

With own children under 18

Civilian noninstitutional population ................................. 13,970 6,640 7,329 13,864 6,618 7,245

Civilian labor force ........................................................ 10,667 6,260 4,407 10,626 6,228 4,399

Participation rate ....................................................... 76.4 94.3 60.1 76.6 94.1 60.7

Employed .................................................................... 10,245 6,055 4,190 10,047 5,929 4,118

Employment-population ratio .................................... 73.3 91.2 57.2 72.5 89.6 56.8

Unemployed ............................................................... 422 205 217 580 299 281

Unemployment rate .................................................. 4.0 3.3 4.9 5.5 4.8 6.4

With own children 6 to 17, none younger

Civilian noninstitutional population ................................. 6,974 3,252 3,722 7,173 3,359 3,814

Civilian labor force ........................................................ 5,640 3,029 2,611 5,791 3,123 2,668

Participation rate ....................................................... 80.9 93.1 70.2 80.7 93.0 69.9

Employed .................................................................... 5,431 2,935 2,497 5,505 2,985 2,520

Employment-population ratio .................................... 77.9 90.2 67.1 76.7 88.9 66.1

Unemployed ............................................................... 209 94 115 286 138 148

Unemployment rate .................................................. 3.7 3.1 4.4 4.9 4.4 5.5

With own children under 6

Civilian noninstitutional population ................................. 6,996 3,388 3,608 6,691 3,259 3,431

Civilian labor force ........................................................ 5,027 3,231 1,795 4,835 3,104 1,731

Participation rate ....................................................... 71.9 95.4 49.8 72.3 95.2 50.4

Employed .................................................................... 4,814 3,120 1,693 4,542 2,944 1,598

Employment-population ratio .................................... 68.8 92.1 46.9 67.9 90.3 46.6

Unemployed ............................................................... 213 111 102 294 161 133

Unemployment rate .................................................. 4.2 3.4 5.7 6.1 5.2 7.7

With own children under 3

Civilian noninstitutional population ................................. 4,087 1,982 2,105 3,923 1,927 1,996

Civilian labor force ........................................................ 2,821 1,888 933 2,727 1,837 890

Participation rate ....................................................... 69.0 95.3 44.3 69.5 95.3 44.6

Employed .................................................................... 2,700 1,825 876 2,558 1,745 813

Employment-population ratio .................................... 66.1 92.1 41.6 65.2 90.6 40.7

Unemployed ............................................................... 120 63 57 169 92 78

Unemployment rate .................................................. 4.3 3.4 6.1 6.2 5.0 8.7

With no own children under 18

Civilian noninstitutional population ................................. 21,047 11,030 10,018 21,453 11,070 10,383

Civilian labor force ........................................................ 13,327 8,210 5,117 13,436 8,173 5,264

Participation rate ....................................................... 63.3 74.4 51.1 62.6 73.8 50.7

Employed .................................................................... 12,722 7,828 4,895 12,613 7,650 4,964

Employment-population ratio .................................... 60.4 71.0 48.9 58.8 69.1 47.8

Unemployed ............................................................... 605 383 222 823 523 300

Unemployment rate .................................................. 4.5 4.7 4.3 6.1 6.4 5.7

See footnotes at end of table.
Table 2. Employment status of the foreign-born and native-born populations 16 years and over by presence and age of

youngest child and sex, 2007-08 annual averages—Continued

(Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic

2007 2008

Total Men Women Total Men Women

NATIVE BORN

With own children under 18

Civilian noninstitutional population ................................. 52,683 22,996 29,686 51,642 22,467 29,175

Civilian labor force ........................................................ 43,578 21,699 21,879 42,762 21,144 21,617

Participation rate ....................................................... 82.7 94.4 73.7 82.8 94.1 74.1

Employed .................................................................... 42,005 21,119 20,887 40,859 20,403 20,455

Employment-population ratio .................................... 79.7 91.8 70.4 79.1 90.8 70.1

Unemployed ............................................................... 1,573 581 992 1,903 741 1,162

Unemployment rate .................................................. 3.6 2.7 4.5 4.5 3.5 5.4

With own children 6 to 17, none younger

Civilian noninstitutional population ................................. 29,861 13,085 16,775 29,259 12,841 16,418

Civilian labor force ........................................................ 25,413 12,197 13,216 24,936 11,955 12,981

Participation rate ....................................................... 85.1 93.2 78.8 85.2 93.1 79.1

Employed .................................................................... 24,622 11,889 12,733 23,974 11,555 12,419

Employment-population ratio .................................... 82.5 90.9 75.9 81.9 90.0 75.6

Unemployed ............................................................... 791 308 483 963 400 562

Unemployment rate .................................................. 3.1 2.5 3.7 3.9 3.3 4.3

With own children under 6

Civilian noninstitutional population ................................. 22,822 9,911 12,911 22,384 9,627 12,757

Civilian labor force ........................................................ 18,165 9,502 8,663 17,825 9,189 8,636

Participation rate ....................................................... 79.6 95.9 67.1 79.6 95.5 67.7

Employed .................................................................... 17,383 9,230 8,154 16,885 8,849 8,036

Employment-population ratio .................................... 76.2 93.1 63.2 75.4 91.9 63.0

Unemployed ............................................................... 782 272 509 940 340 600

Unemployment rate .................................................. 4.3 2.9 5.9 5.3 3.7 6.9

With own children under 3

Civilian noninstitutional population ................................. 13,406 5,851 7,554 13,358 5,758 7,600

Civilian labor force ........................................................ 10,412 5,624 4,788 10,419 5,517 4,902

Participation rate ....................................................... 77.7 96.1 63.4 78.0 95.8 64.5

Employed .................................................................... 9,935 5,457 4,478 9,841 5,299 4,542

Employment-population ratio .................................... 74.1 93.3 59.3 73.7 92.0 59.8

Unemployed ............................................................... 477 167 310 578 218 360

Unemployment rate .................................................. 4.6 3.0 6.5 5.5 3.9 7.4

With no own children under 18

Civilian noninstitutional population ................................. 144,167 71,506 72,661 146,829 72,957 73,872

Civilian labor force ........................................................ 85,552 45,967 39,585 87,462 46,975 40,487

Participation rate ....................................................... 59.3 64.3 54.5 59.6 64.4 54.8

Employed .................................................................... 81,074 43,253 37,821 81,844 43,505 38,339

Employment-population ratio .................................... 56.2 60.5 52.1 55.7 59.6 51.9

Unemployed ............................................................... 4,478 2,714 1,764 5,618 3,470 2,148

Unemployment rate .................................................. 5.2 5.9 4.5 6.4 7.4 5.3

 NOTE: Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data. See the Technical Note for further information. 
Table 3. Employment status of the foreign-born and native-born populations 25 years and over by educational attainment,

race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 2007-08 annual averages

(Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic

2007 2008

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 ....................... 895 1,850 1,338 2,701 891 1,884 1,360 2,744

Civilian labor force .............................................. 306 1,035 882 1,991 276 990 885 2,024

Participation rate ............................................. 34.1 55.9 65.9 73.7 30.9 52.5 65.1 73.7

Employed .......................................................... 292 993 850 1,937 253 939 838 1,952

Employment-population ratio .......................... 32.7 53.7 63.5 71.7 28.4 49.9 61.6 71.2

Unemployed ..................................................... 13 42 32 53 22 50 48 71

Unemployment rate ........................................ 4.3 4.1 3.6 2.7 8.1 5.1 5.4 3.5

Black non-Hispanic or Latino

Civilian noninstitutional population ....................... 318 712 570 654 334 758 629 677

Civilian labor force .............................................. 193 515 474 566 192 561 501 582

Participation rate ............................................. 60.7 72.2 83.2 86.6 57.4 74.0 79.7 86.0

Employed .......................................................... 177 491 445 549 176 516 466 559

Employment-population ratio .......................... 55.6 68.9 78.1 84.1 52.9 68.1 74.0 82.5

Unemployed ..................................................... 16 24 29 17 15 45 36 24

Unemployment rate ........................................ 8.4 4.7 6.1 3.0 7.9 8.0 7.1 4.1

Asian non-Hispanic or Latino

Civilian noninstitutional population ....................... 836 1,428 1,066 3,754 864 1,453 1,033 3,880

Civilian labor force .............................................. 370 924 769 2,889 402 951 758 2,979

Participation rate ............................................. 44.3 64.7 72.1 77.0 46.6 65.5 73.4 76.8

Employed .......................................................... 359 892 736 2,828 375 913 725 2,898

Employment-population ratio .......................... 43.0 62.5 69.0 75.3 43.4 62.8 70.2 74.7

Unemployed ..................................................... 11 32 33 61 27 39 33 81

Unemployment rate ........................................ 3.0 3.5 4.3 2.1 6.8 4.1 4.4 2.7

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Civilian noninstitutional population ....................... 7,368 3,801 1,726 1,508 7,292 3,940 1,852 1,579

Civilian labor force .............................................. 5,001 2,877 1,352 1,189 4,871 2,967 1,439 1,245

Participation rate ............................................. 67.9 75.7 78.3 78.9 66.8 75.3 77.7 78.9

Employed .......................................................... 4,736 2,764 1,297 1,155 4,495 2,790 1,368 1,198

Employment-population ratio .......................... 64.3 72.7 75.1 76.6 61.6 70.8 73.9 75.9

Unemployed ..................................................... 266 112 56 34 376 177 71 47

Unemployment rate ........................................ 5.3 3.9 4.1 2.9 7.7 6.0 5.0 3.7

See footnotes at end of table.
Table 3. Employment status of the foreign-born and native-born populations 25 years and over by educational attainment,

race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 2007-08 annual averages—Continued

(Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic

2007 2008

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

NATIVE BORN

White non-Hispanic or Latino

Civilian noninstitutional population ....................... 11,099 41,790 35,413 41,067 10,723 41,180 35,972 41,982

Civilian labor force .............................................. 4,092 25,333 25,048 31,725 3,975 24,863 25,386 32,458

Participation rate ............................................. 36.9 60.6 70.7 77.3 37.1 60.4 70.6 77.3

Employed .......................................................... 3,783 24,377 24,281 31,150 3,644 23,659 24,397 31,727

Employment-population ratio .......................... 34.1 58.3 68.6 75.9 34.0 57.5 67.8 75.6

Unemployed ..................................................... 309 955 767 575 331 1,204 990 731

Unemployment rate ........................................ 7.5 3.8 3.1 1.8 8.3 4.8 3.9 2.3

Black non-Hispanic or Latino

Civilian noninstitutional population ....................... 3,215 6,938 5,306 3,496 3,128 6,923 5,533 3,582

Civilian labor force .............................................. 1,154 4,481 3,948 2,872 1,167 4,467 4,125 2,881

Participation rate ............................................. 35.9 64.6 74.4 82.1 37.3 64.5 74.6 80.4

Employed .......................................................... 1,003 4,138 3,731 2,788 979 4,046 3,815 2,769

Employment-population ratio .......................... 31.2 59.6 70.3 79.7 31.3 58.4 69.0 77.3

Unemployed ..................................................... 151 343 216 84 187 420 310 113

Unemployment rate ........................................ 13.1 7.7 5.5 2.9 16.0 9.4 7.5 3.9

Asian non-Hispanic or Latino

Civilian noninstitutional population ....................... 143 397 399 953 147 360 442 929

Civilian labor force .............................................. 58 223 287 757 57 210 308 737

Participation rate ............................................. 40.6 56.0 72.0 79.4 38.9 58.2 69.6 79.3

Employed .......................................................... 56 218 281 734 55 200 301 715

Employment-population ratio .......................... 39.4 54.8 70.3 77.0 37.7 55.4 68.2 76.9

Unemployed ..................................................... 2 5 7 23 2 10 6 23

Unemployment rate ........................................ 2.9 2.2 2.3 3.0 2.9 4.9 2.1 3.1

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Civilian noninstitutional population ....................... 2,275 3,390 2,939 1,784 2,264 3,587 3,131 1,835

Civilian labor force .............................................. 1,039 2,468 2,340 1,517 1,040 2,609 2,476 1,588

Participation rate ............................................. 45.7 72.8 79.6 85.1 45.9 72.8 79.1 86.5

Employed .......................................................... 942 2,345 2,245 1,489 931 2,442 2,353 1,537

Employment-population ratio .......................... 41.4 69.2 76.4 83.5 41.1 68.1 75.2 83.8

Unemployed ..................................................... 97 122 94 29 109 167 123 50

Unemployment rate ........................................ 9.4 5.0 4.0 1.9 10.4 6.4 5.0 3.2

1 Includes persons with a high school diploma or equivalent. 2 Includes persons with bachelor’s, master’s, professional, and doctoral degrees.

 NOTE: Data for race/ethnicity groups do not sum to totals because data are not presented for all races. Updated population controls are introduced

annually with the release of January data. See the Technical Note for further information. 
Table 4. Employed foreign-born and native-born persons 16 years and over by occupation and sex,

2008 annual averages

(Percent distribution)

Occupation

Foreign Born Native Born

Total Men Women Total Men Women

Total ................................................................................................ 22,660 13,578 9,082 122,703 63,908 58,795

Percent ........................................................................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Management, professional, and related occupations ......................... 28.2 25.9 31.5 37.8 35.1 40.7

Management, business, and financial operations occupations ........ 10.8 10.6 11.0 16.0 17.5 14.3

Management occupations .............................................................. 7.7 8.3 6.8 11.5 13.8 9.0

Business and financial operations occupations .............................. 3.1 2.3 4.2 4.5 3.8 5.3

Professional and related occupations ............................................... 17.4 15.3 20.5 21.8 17.6 26.4

Computer and mathematical occupations ...................................... 3.6 4.7 2.1 2.3 3.3 1.2

Architecture and engineering occupations ..................................... 2.0 2.9 .8 2.0 3.4 .6

Life, physical, and social science occupations ............................... 1.2 1.2 1.2 .9 .9 .8

Community and social services occupations .................................. .9 .7 1.1 1.7 1.3 2.2

Legal occupations ........................................................................... .4 .3 .7 1.3 1.2 1.4

Education, training, and library occupations ................................... 3.3 1.8 5.4 6.4 3.1 10.0

Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations .......... 1.4 1.2 1.6 2.0 2.0 2.0

Healthcare practitioner and technical occupations ......................... 4.6 2.6 7.8 5.2 2.4 8.2

Service occupations ........................................................................... 23.2 17.7 31.3 15.6 12.6 18.9

Healthcare support occupations ..................................................... 2.5 .5 5.4 2.2 .5 4.0

Protective service occupations ....................................................... .9 1.1 .6 2.3 3.4 1.1

Food preparation and serving related occupations ........................ 7.5 7.3 7.7 5.0 3.8 6.3

Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations ....... 8.2 7.2 9.7 2.9 3.6 2.2

Personal care and service occupations .......................................... 4.1 1.5 7.9 3.3 1.3 5.3

Sales and office occupations .............................................................. 17.2 12.4 24.3 25.8 17.8 34.5

Sales and related occupations ....................................................... 8.9 7.8 10.6 11.6 11.2 12.1

Office and administrative support occupations ............................... 8.3 4.6 13.8 14.2 6.6 22.4

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations ........ 15.1 24.2 1.5 9.3 17.0 .8

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations ..................................... 1.7 2.2 .9 .5 .7 .2

Construction and extraction occupations ........................................ 10.4 17.2 .4 5.1 9.6 .3

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ......................... 3.0 4.8 .2 3.6 6.7 .3

Production, transportation, and material moving occupations ............ 16.4 19.7 11.3 11.5 17.4 5.0

Production occupations .................................................................. 9.3 9.9 8.4 5.6 7.8 3.2

Transportation and material moving occupations ........................... 7.1 9.9 2.9 5.9 9.6 1.8

 NOTE: Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data. See the Technical Note for further information. 
Table 5. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary works for the foreign born and native born by selected

characteristics, 2007-08 annual averages

(Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic

2007 2008

Foreign Born Native Born Earnings

of foreign

born as 

percent of

native

born 1

Foreign Born Native Born Earnings

of foreign

born as 

percent of

native

born 1

Number

Median

weekly

earnings

Number

Median

weekly

earnings

Number

Median

weekly

earnings

Number

Median

weekly

earnings

Total, 16 years and over ......................... 17,876 $554 89,463 $722 76.8 17,328 $595 89,320 $744 79.9

Men ............................................................. 11,329 585 48,969 809 72.3 10,848 613 48,591 842 72.9

Women ....................................................... 6,547 509 40,494 627 81.2 6,480 557 40,729 651 85.5

AGE

16 to 24 years ......................................... 1,650 391 9,599 435 89.8 1,337 402 9,284 451 89.1

25 to 34 years ......................................... 5,078 520 20,792 669 77.8 4,786 572 20,857 689 83.0

35 to 44 years ......................................... 5,186 604 21,814 807 74.7 5,118 635 21,290 842 75.4

45 to 54 years ......................................... 3,816 615 22,877 817 75.2 3,846 663 22,794 848 78.2

55 to 64 years ......................................... 1,761 632 12,435 828 76.3 1,849 661 12,914 849 77.9

65 years and over ................................... 386 518 1,946 622 83.3 392 568 2,181 659 86.2

RACE AND HISPANIC OR

LATINO ETHNICITY 2

White non-Hispanic or Latino ................ 3,084 805 68,484 762 105.6 2,984 846 68,334 788 107.3

Black non-Hispanic or Latino ................. 1,442 585 11,160 569 102.8 1,472 601 10,905 588 102.2

Asian non-Hispanic or Latino ................. 3,876 832 1,188 832 100.0 3,988 864 1,184 865 99.8

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity ..................... 9,297 448 6,904 605 74.0 8,686 483 7,122 621 77.8

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT

Total, 25 years and over ..................... 16,225 586 79,864 763 76.7 15,992 614 80,036 788 78.0

Less than a high school diploma ............ 4,582 405 4,164 479 84.6 4,213 417 3,908 493 84.6

High school graduates, no college 3 ....... 3,928 511 24,069 617 82.9 3,920 523 23,472 633 82.7

Some college or associate degree ......... 2,539 617 23,651 714 86.5 2,582 651 23,944 729 89.3

Bachelor’s degree and higher 4 .............. 5,177 1,057 27,980 1,075 98.3 5,277 1,092 28,713 1,119 97.6

1 These figures are computed using unrounded medians and may differ slightly from percents computed using the rounded medians displayed in this

table. 2 Data for race/ethnicity groups do not sum to totals because data are not presented for all races. 3 Includes persons with a high school diploma or equivalent. 4 Includes persons with bachelor’s, master’s, professional, and doctoral degrees.

 NOTE: Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data. See the Technical Note for further information. 
Table 6. Employment status of the foreign-born and native-born populations 16 years and over by census regions and divisions,

2007-08 annual averages

(Numbers in thousands)

Census regions and

divisions

2007 2008

Civilian

noninstitutional

population

Civilian labor force

Civilian

noninstitutional

population

Civilian labor force

Total Participation rate Employed

Unemployed

Total Participation rate Employed

Unemployed

Number Unemployment rate Number Unemployment rate

FOREIGN BORN

Northeast ...................... 7,742 5,113 66.0 4,887 225 4.4 7,652 5,044 65.9 4,793 251 5.0

New England ............ 1,540 1,062 68.9 1,018 43 4.1 1,491 1,023 68.6 963 60 5.8

Middle Atlantic .......... 6,202 4,051 65.3 3,869 182 4.5 6,162 4,021 65.3 3,830 192 4.8

South ............................ 10,711 7,536 70.4 7,265 272 3.6 10,912 7,610 69.7 7,198 412 5.4

South Atlantic ........... 6,434 4,602 71.5 4,431 171 3.7 6,474 4,577 70.7 4,301 276 6.0

East South Central ... 567 424 74.8 412 12 2.9 583 434 74.5 413 21 4.9

West South Central .. 3,709 2,510 67.7 2,422 88 3.5 3,855 2,599 67.4 2,484 115 4.4

Midwest ........................ 3,791 2,626 69.3 2,506 120 4.6 3,931 2,708 68.9 2,547 161 5.9

East North Central .... 2,923 1,996 68.3 1,906 90 4.5 3,015 2,047 67.9 1,927 120 5.9

West North Central ... 868 630 72.6 600 30 4.8 916 661 72.2 620 41 6.2

West ............................. 12,773 8,719 68.3 8,309 410 4.7 12,822 8,701 67.9 8,122 579 6.7

Mountain ................... 2,178 1,513 69.5 1,453 61 4.0 2,195 1,529 69.6 1,445 83 5.5

Pacific ....................... 10,595 7,206 68.0 6,857 349 4.8 10,627 7,172 67.5 6,677 495 6.9

NATIVE BORN

Northeast ...................... 35,327 22,881 64.8 21,863 1,018 4.4 35,527 23,186 65.3 21,903 1,283 5.5

New England ............ 9,770 6,623 67.8 6,322 301 4.5 9,839 6,659 67.7 6,299 360 5.4

Middle Atlantic .......... 25,556 16,257 63.6 15,541 717 4.4 25,688 16,527 64.3 15,604 923 5.6

South ............................ 73,484 47,086 64.1 44,994 2,092 4.4 74,203 47,437 63.9 44,826 2,611 5.5

South Atlantic ........... 38,242 24,749 64.7 23,708 1,041 4.2 38,649 24,989 64.7 23,584 1,406 5.6

East South Central ... 13,223 8,199 62.0 7,792 407 5.0 13,316 8,134 61.1 7,619 515 6.3

West South Central .. 22,019 14,139 64.2 13,494 645 4.6 22,238 14,314 64.4 13,624 691 4.8

Midwest ........................ 47,517 32,377 68.1 30,697 1,680 5.2 47,526 32,231 67.8 30,279 1,953 6.1

East North Central .... 32,930 22,073 67.0 20,827 1,245 5.6 32,903 21,939 66.7 20,483 1,456 6.6

West North Central ... 14,587 10,305 70.6 9,870 435 4.2 14,623 10,293 70.4 9,796 497 4.8

West ............................. 40,522 26,786 66.1 25,525 1,261 4.7 41,215 27,369 66.4 25,694 1,675 6.1

Mountain ................... 13,893 9,417 67.8 9,080 337 3.6 14,227 9,635 67.7 9,148 487 5.1

Pacific ....................... 26,629 17,368 65.2 16,445 923 5.3 26,988 17,734 65.7 16,546 1,188 6.7

 NOTE: The states (plus the District of Columbia) that comprise the census divisions are: New England (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island,

and Vermont); Middle Atlantic (New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania); South Atlantic (Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South

Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia); East South Central (Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee); West South Central Division (Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and

Texas); East North Central (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin); West North Central (Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South

Dakota); Mountain (Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming); Pacific (Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington). 

 Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data. See the Technical Note for further information.