For release 10:00 a.m. (EDT) Friday, May 27, 2011 USDL-11-0763 

Technical information: (202) 691-6378 • cpsinfo@bls.gov • www.bls.gov/cps 

Media contact: (202) 691-5902 • PressOffice@bls.gov 

FOREIGN-BORN WORKERS: LABOR FORCE CHARACTERISTICS — 2010 

The unemployment rate for the foreign born was 9.8 percent in 2010, little changed from a year earlier, 

the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The jobless rate of the native born was 9.6 percent in 

2010, up from 9.2 percent in 2009. The foreign born made up 15.8 percent of the labor force in 2010. 

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

born. 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. 

Highlights from the 2010 data: 

 Over the year, the number of foreign-born labor force participants rose, while the number of 

native born in the labor force declined. (See table 1.) 

 Hispanics accounted for 49.9 percent of the foreign-born labor force in 2010; Asians accounted 

for 21.8 percent. (See table 1.) 

 Foreign-born workers were more likely than native-born workers to be employed in service 

occupations; production, transportation, and material moving occupations; and natural resources, 

construction, and maintenance occupations. (See table 4.) 

 The median usual weekly earnings of foreign-born full-time wage and salary workers were $598 

in 2010, compared with $771 for their native-born counterparts. (See table 5.) 

Demographic Characteristics 

In 2010, men made up a larger share of the foreign-born labor force (59.0 percent) than they did of the 

native-born labor force (52.2 percent). The proportion of the foreign-born labor force made up of 25- to 

54-year-olds was higher than for their native-born counterparts (76.1 and 65.2 percent, respectively). 

Labor force participation is typically highest among persons in that age bracket. (See table 1.) 
- 2 - 

Hispanics comprised 49.9 percent of the foreign-born labor force in 2010, compared with 8.2 percent of 

the native-born labor force. Asians made up 21.8 percent of the foreign-born labor force, compared with 

1.4 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 2010, 26.5 percent of the foreign-born labor force age 25 and over had not completed high school, 

compared with 5.4 percent of the native-born labor force. Similar proportions of foreign-born and 

native-born persons in the labor force had a bachelor's degree or higher (31.1 and 35.3 percent, 

respectively). Foreign-born workers were less likely than the native born to have some college or an 

associate degree—17.1 versus 29.9 percent. 

Labor Force and Unemployment 

In 2010, the labor force participation rate of the foreign born was unchanged at 67.9 percent. From 2009 

to 2010, the labor force participation rate of the native born fell by 0.8 percentage point to 64.1 percent. 

(See table 1.) In 2010, both the number of foreign-born labor force participants (24.4 million) and their 

share of the U.S. civilian labor force (15.8 percent) increased after showing little change in 2008 and 

2009. The share of the U.S. civilian labor force that was foreign born grew steadily from 1996 to 2007. 

The labor force participation rate of foreign-born men was 80.1 percent in 2010, compared with 69.5 

percent for native-born men. The gap was narrower for women; 55.7 percent of foreign-born women 

were labor force participants, compared with 59.1 percent of native-born women. 

Among the major race and ethnicity groups, labor force participation rates of foreign-born blacks (74.6 

percent) increased in 2010, while the rate for foreign-born Asians (65.8 percent) fell. The participation 

rate for foreign-born whites (60.7 percent) and Hispanics (70.8 percent) showed little or no change in 

2010. Among the native born, labor force participation rates of whites and Hispanics fell, while rates of 

Asians and blacks changed little. 

The labor force participation rate of foreign-born mothers with children under age 18 was 60.8 percent 

in 2010, well below the figure of 73.2 percent for native-born mothers. Foreign-born mothers with 

younger children are much less likely to be labor force participants than their native-born counterparts. 

Among women with children under age 3, the participation rate for the foreign born was 46.5 percent in 

2010, while that for the native born was 64.5 percent. The labor force participation rates of foreign- and 

native-born fathers with children under age 18 were similar, at 94.0 and 93.3 percent, respectively. (See 

table 2.) 

By region, the foreign born made up a larger share of the labor force in 2010 in the West (24.2 percent) 

and in the Northeast (18.4 percent) than for the nation as a whole (15.8 percent). In contrast, the foreign 

born made up a smaller share of the labor force than for the nation as a whole in the South (14.1 percent) 

and Midwest (7.8 percent). Of the total 24.4 million foreign born in the labor force in 2010, about twothirds lived in the West and the South. (See table 6.) 

In 2010, the unemployment rate of the foreign born was 9.8 percent, little changed from a year earlier. 

The jobless rate for the native born increased by 0.4 percentage point to 9.6 percent. The unemployment 

rates for both foreign-born men and women were little changed in 2010, at 9.9 and 9.6 percent, 

respectively. Among the native born, the rate for men rose by 0.3 percentage point to 10.6 percent, while 

the rate for women was up by 0.6 percentage point to 8.5 percent. (See table 1.) 
- 3 - 

Occupation 

In 2010, foreign-born workers were more likely than native-born workers to be employed in service 

occupations (25.0 versus 16.4 percent); in production, transportation, and material moving occupations 

(16.1 versus 10.8 percent); and in natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations (13.6 

versus 8.6 percent). Native-born workers were more likely than foreign-born workers to be employed in 

management, professional, and related occupations (38.9 versus 28.0 percent), and in sales and office 

occupations (25.3 versus 17.3 percent). (See table 4.) 

Foreign-born men were more likely than native-born men to be employed in natural resources, 

construction, and maintenance occupations; production, transportation, and material moving 

occupations; and in service 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. 

Earnings 

In 2010, the median usual weekly earnings of foreign-born full-time wage and salary workers ($598) 

were 77.5 percent of the earnings of their native-born counterparts ($771). Among men, median 

earnings for the foreign born were $610 per week, while the native born earned $873 per week. The 

median usual weekly earnings for foreign-born women were $577, compared with $686 for native-born 

women. Differences in earnings reflect a variety of factors, including variations in the distributions of 

foreign-born and native-born workers by educational attainment, occupation, industry, and geographic 

region. (See table 5.) 

Hispanic foreign-born full-time wage and salary workers earned 76.4 percent as much as their nativeborn counterparts in 2010. For white, black, and Asian workers, earnings were similar for the foreign 

born and the native born. 

The earnings of both foreign-born and native-born workers increase with education. In 2010, foreignborn workers age 25 and over with less than a high school education earned $416 per week, while those 

with a bachelor’s degree and higher earned about 2.7 times as much—$1,119 per week. Among the 

native born, those with a bachelor’s degree and higher earned about 2.4 times as much as those with less 

than a high school education—$1,147 versus $486 per week. 

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

levels of education. Among those with less than a high school diploma in 2010, full-time workers who 

were foreign born earned 85.5 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 2010 are not strictly 

comparable with data for 2009 and earlier years because of the 

introduction in January 2010 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 2009 employment level by 243,000 and 

the unemployment level by 5,000. The new population controls 

had a negligible impact on unemployment rates and other 

percentage estimates. More detailed information on the 

population adjustments and their effect on national labor force 

estimates are available at www.bls.gov/cps/cps10adj.pdf. 

Information in this release will be made available to 

sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: (202) 

691-5200, Federal Relay Service: (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" 

from Employment and Earnings Online at 

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 whom was a 

U.S. citizen. The foreign-born population includes legallyadmitted 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 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 because persons of 

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity are separated from the race groups. 

Because persons of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity can be of any 

race, they are usually included in the race groups as well as 

shown separately in the Hispanic Latino ethnicity group. The 

reason for the difference in the data presentation in this release 

is because about half of the foreign born are of Hispanic or 

Latino ethnicity and they have somewhat different labor force 

characteristics than the non-Hispanic foreign born. 

Employed. Employed persons are (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 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, 2009-10 annual averages

(Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic

2009 2010

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 ................. 235,801 154,142 65.4 139,877 14,265 9.3 237,830 153,889 64.7 139,064 14,825 9.6

Men ..................................................... 114,136 82,123 72.0 73,670 8,453 10.3 115,174 81,985 71.2 73,359 8,626 10.5

Women ............................................... 121,665 72,019 59.2 66,208 5,811 8.1 122,656 71,904 58.6 65,705 6,199 8.6

FOREIGN BORN

Total, 16 years and over ................. 35,216 23,926 67.9 21,608 2,317 9.7 35,869 24,356 67.9 21,969 2,387 9.8

Men ..................................................... 17,628 14,190 80.5 12,765 1,426 10.0 17,936 14,375 80.1 12,946 1,429 9.9

Women ............................................... 17,588 9,735 55.4 8,844 891 9.2 17,934 9,981 55.7 9,023 958 9.6

Age

16 to 24 years ..................................... 3,542 1,986 56.1 1,681 304 15.3 3,533 1,975 55.9 1,661 314 15.9

25 to 34 years ..................................... 7,637 5,907 77.3 5,330 577 9.8 7,714 5,936 77.0 5,387 550 9.3

35 to 44 years ..................................... 8,379 6,847 81.7 6,210 637 9.3 8,470 6,884 81.3 6,265 619 9.0

45 to 54 years ..................................... 6,819 5,588 81.9 5,096 491 8.8 6,949 5,719 82.3 5,172 547 9.6

55 to 64 years ..................................... 4,321 2,838 65.7 2,590 249 8.8 4,528 3,011 66.5 2,727 284 9.4

65 years and over ............................... 4,517 760 16.8 701 59 7.8 4,674 831 17.8 757 74 8.9

Race and Hispanic

or Latino ethnicity 1

White non-Hispanic or Latino ............ 7,249 4,334 59.8 4,002 332 7.7 7,363 4,470 60.7 4,138 332 7.4

Black non-Hispanic or Latino ............. 2,812 2,037 72.4 1,807 231 11.3 2,898 2,162 74.6 1,893 269 12.4

Asian non-Hispanic or Latino ............. 7,876 5,332 67.7 4,967 365 6.8 8,073 5,315 65.8 4,928 386 7.3

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity ................. 16,933 11,982 70.8 10,612 1,370 11.4 17,162 12,152 70.8 10,776 1,376 11.3

Educational attainment

Total, 25 years and over ................. 31,674 21,940 69.3 19,927 2,013 9.2 32,336 22,381 69.2 20,308 2,073 9.3

Less than a high school diploma ........ 9,542 5,862 61.4 5,122 740 12.6 9,620 5,930 61.6 5,219 712 12.0

High school graduates, no college 2 ... 7,992 5,371 67.2 4,875 496 9.2 8,284 5,663 68.4 5,087 576 10.2

Some college or associate degree ..... 5,070 3,735 73.7 3,406 328 8.8 5,200 3,818 73.4 3,463 355 9.3

Bachelor’s degree and higher 3 .......... 9,070 6,972 76.9 6,524 448 6.4 9,232 6,970 75.5 6,539 431 6.2

See footnotes at end of table.
Table 1. Employment status of the foreign-born and native-born populations by selected characteristics, 2009-10 annual

averages—Continued

(Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic

2009 2010

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 ................. 200,585 130,216 64.9 118,269 11,947 9.2 201,960 129,533 64.1 117,095 12,438 9.6

Men ..................................................... 96,508 67,933 70.4 60,905 7,028 10.3 97,238 67,610 69.5 60,414 7,196 10.6

Women ............................................... 104,077 62,284 59.8 57,364 4,920 7.9 104,722 61,923 59.1 56,682 5,242 8.5

Age

16 to 24 years ..................................... 34,025 19,375 56.9 15,920 3,455 17.8 34,415 18,960 55.1 15,417 3,543 18.7

25 to 34 years ..................................... 32,643 27,392 83.9 24,684 2,707 9.9 33,189 27,678 83.4 24,842 2,836 10.2

35 to 44 years ..................................... 32,540 27,391 84.2 25,307 2,085 7.6 31,620 26,482 83.8 24,398 2,084 7.9

45 to 54 years ..................................... 37,546 30,617 81.5 28,517 2,101 6.9 37,348 30,242 81.0 28,019 2,223 7.4

55 to 64 years ..................................... 30,349 19,667 64.8 18,429 1,238 6.3 31,357 20,286 64.7 18,909 1,377 6.8

65 years and over ............................... 33,481 5,774 17.2 5,413 362 6.3 34,032 5,886 17.3 5,511 375 6.4

Race and Hispanic

or Latino ethnicity 1

White non-Hispanic or Latino ............ 153,104 100,525 65.7 92,681 7,844 7.8 153,448 99,478 64.8 91,483 7,994 8.0

Black non-Hispanic or Latino ............. 24,466 14,971 61.2 12,700 2,271 15.2 24,691 14,996 60.7 12,529 2,467 16.5

Asian non-Hispanic or Latino ............. 2,756 1,681 61.0 1,542 138 8.2 2,900 1,782 61.5 1,641 141 7.9

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity ................. 15,958 10,370 65.0 9,034 1,336 12.9 16,551 10,596 64.0 9,130 1,467 13.8

Educational attainment

Total, 25 years and over ................. 166,560 110,842 66.5 102,349 8,492 7.7 167,546 110,573 66.0 101,679 8,895 8.0

Less than a high school diploma ........ 16,587 6,284 37.9 5,249 1,035 16.5 16,046 5,949 37.1 4,896 1,053 17.7

High school graduates, no college 2 ... 53,477 32,815 61.4 29,612 3,203 9.8 53,753 32,573 60.6 29,206 3,367 10.3

Some college or associate degree ..... 46,657 33,080 70.9 30,482 2,599 7.9 47,022 33,022 70.2 30,284 2,738 8.3

Bachelor’s degree and higher 3 .......... 49,839 38,662 77.6 37,007 1,655 4.3 50,724 39,029 76.9 37,293 1,736 4.4

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, 2009-10 annual averages

(Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic

2009 2010

Total Men Women Total Men Women

FOREIGN BORN

With own children under 18

Civilian noninstitutional population ................................. 13,723 6,585 7,138 14,385 6,896 7,490

Civilian labor force ........................................................ 10,577 6,209 4,368 11,032 6,480 4,552

Participation rate ....................................................... 77.1 94.3 61.2 76.7 94.0 60.8

Employed .................................................................... 9,573 5,645 3,928 10,008 5,913 4,095

Employment-population ratio .................................... 69.8 85.7 55.0 69.6 85.7 54.7

Unemployed ............................................................... 1,003 563 440 1,025 568 457

Unemployment rate .................................................. 9.5 9.1 10.1 9.3 8.8 10.0

With own children 6 to 17, none younger

Civilian noninstitutional population ................................. 7,180 3,395 3,785 7,338 3,423 3,915

Civilian labor force ........................................................ 5,834 3,176 2,658 5,908 3,184 2,725

Participation rate ....................................................... 81.2 93.5 70.2 80.5 93.0 69.6

Employed .................................................................... 5,292 2,876 2,416 5,373 2,903 2,470

Employment-population ratio .................................... 73.7 84.7 63.8 73.2 84.8 63.1

Unemployed ............................................................... 542 299 242 536 281 255

Unemployment rate .................................................. 9.3 9.4 9.1 9.1 8.8 9.4

With own children under 6

Civilian noninstitutional population ................................. 6,543 3,190 3,353 7,047 3,473 3,574

Civilian labor force ........................................................ 4,743 3,033 1,710 5,124 3,296 1,827

Participation rate ....................................................... 72.5 95.1 51.0 72.7 94.9 51.1

Employed .................................................................... 4,281 2,769 1,512 4,635 3,010 1,625

Employment-population ratio .................................... 65.4 86.8 45.1 65.8 86.7 45.5

Unemployed ............................................................... 461 264 198 489 287 202

Unemployment rate .................................................. 9.7 8.7 11.6 9.5 8.7 11.1

With own children under 3

Civilian noninstitutional population ................................. 3,758 1,852 1,907 4,074 2,022 2,053

Civilian labor force ........................................................ 2,632 1,758 874 2,871 1,916 955

Participation rate ....................................................... 70.0 95.0 45.8 70.5 94.8 46.5

Employed .................................................................... 2,379 1,612 767 2,585 1,748 837

Employment-population ratio .................................... 63.3 87.0 40.2 63.4 86.4 40.8

Unemployed ............................................................... 253 146 107 286 168 118

Unemployment rate .................................................. 9.6 8.3 12.2 10.0 8.8 12.3

With no own children under 18

Civilian noninstitutional population ................................. 21,493 11,043 10,450 21,484 11,040 10,444

Civilian labor force ........................................................ 13,349 7,982 5,367 13,323 7,895 5,429

Participation rate ....................................................... 62.1 72.3 51.4 62.0 71.5 52.0

Employed .................................................................... 12,035 7,119 4,916 11,961 7,033 4,928

Employment-population ratio .................................... 56.0 64.5 47.0 55.7 63.7 47.2

Unemployed ............................................................... 1,314 862 452 1,362 862 501

Unemployment rate .................................................. 9.8 10.8 8.4 10.2 10.9 9.2

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, 2009-10 annual averages—Continued

(Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic

2009 2010

Total Men Women Total Men Women

NATIVE BORN

With own children under 18

Civilian noninstitutional population ................................. 50,974 22,132 28,841 51,801 22,530 29,270

Civilian labor force ........................................................ 42,050 20,720 21,330 42,459 21,018 21,441

Participation rate ....................................................... 82.5 93.6 74.0 82.0 93.3 73.2

Employed .................................................................... 38,934 19,291 19,642 38,981 19,430 19,551

Employment-population ratio .................................... 76.4 87.2 68.1 75.3 86.2 66.8

Unemployed ............................................................... 3,116 1,429 1,687 3,478 1,588 1,890

Unemployment rate .................................................. 7.4 6.9 7.9 8.2 7.6 8.8

With own children 6 to 17, none younger

Civilian noninstitutional population ................................. 28,548 12,527 16,021 28,468 12,426 16,042

Civilian labor force ........................................................ 24,244 11,589 12,655 24,033 11,503 12,530

Participation rate ....................................................... 84.9 92.5 79.0 84.4 92.6 78.1

Employed .................................................................... 22,653 10,847 11,806 22,337 10,735 11,601

Employment-population ratio .................................... 79.4 86.6 73.7 78.5 86.4 72.3

Unemployed ............................................................... 1,591 743 848 1,697 768 929

Unemployment rate .................................................. 6.6 6.4 6.7 7.1 6.7 7.4

With own children under 6

Civilian noninstitutional population ................................. 22,426 9,606 12,820 23,333 10,104 13,229

Civilian labor force ........................................................ 17,806 9,131 8,675 18,426 9,515 8,911

Participation rate ....................................................... 79.4 95.1 67.7 79.0 94.2 67.4

Employed .................................................................... 16,281 8,445 7,836 16,644 8,695 7,949

Employment-population ratio .................................... 72.6 87.9 61.1 71.3 86.1 60.1

Unemployed ............................................................... 1,525 686 839 1,781 820 961

Unemployment rate .................................................. 8.6 7.5 9.7 9.7 8.6 10.8

With own children under 3

Civilian noninstitutional population ................................. 13,293 5,723 7,570 13,859 6,006 7,853

Civilian labor force ........................................................ 10,350 5,438 4,913 10,725 5,658 5,067

Participation rate ....................................................... 77.9 95.0 64.9 77.4 94.2 64.5

Employed .................................................................... 9,442 5,018 4,424 9,638 5,146 4,492

Employment-population ratio .................................... 71.0 87.7 58.4 69.5 85.7 57.2

Unemployed ............................................................... 908 420 488 1,087 511 575

Unemployment rate .................................................. 8.8 7.7 9.9 10.1 9.0 11.4

With no own children under 18

Civilian noninstitutional population ................................. 149,611 74,375 75,236 150,159 74,708 75,452

Civilian labor force ........................................................ 88,167 47,213 40,954 87,074 46,591 40,483

Participation rate ....................................................... 58.9 63.5 54.4 58.0 62.4 53.7

Employed .................................................................... 79,335 41,614 37,722 78,115 40,983 37,131

Employment-population ratio .................................... 53.0 56.0 50.1 52.0 54.9 49.2

Unemployed ............................................................... 8,831 5,599 3,232 8,960 5,608 3,352

Unemployment rate .................................................. 10.0 11.9 7.9 10.3 12.0 8.3

 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, 2009-10 annual averages

(Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic

2009 2010

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 ....................... 832 1,729 1,370 2,763 870 1,773 1,364 2,832

Civilian labor force .............................................. 266 899 865 2,004 307 937 883 2,053

Participation rate ............................................. 32.0 52.0 63.1 72.5 35.3 52.8 64.8 72.5

Employed .......................................................... 238 823 804 1,877 282 851 818 1,935

Employment-population ratio .......................... 28.6 47.6 58.6 67.9 32.4 48.0 60.0 68.3

Unemployed ..................................................... 28 77 61 127 25 85 66 118

Unemployment rate ........................................ 10.7 8.5 7.1 6.4 8.0 9.1 7.4 5.7

Black non-Hispanic or Latino

Civilian noninstitutional population ....................... 347 748 661 719 420 739 685 740

Civilian labor force .............................................. 194 544 525 615 246 556 568 623

Participation rate ............................................. 56.0 72.7 79.5 85.5 58.5 75.3 82.9 84.2

Employed .......................................................... 164 482 474 563 203 481 508 570

Employment-population ratio .......................... 47.2 64.4 71.7 78.3 48.3 65.1 74.2 77.1

Unemployed ..................................................... 30 62 52 52 43 75 60 53

Unemployment rate ........................................ 15.7 11.4 9.8 8.5 17.4 13.6 10.6 8.5

Asian non-Hispanic or Latino

Civilian noninstitutional population ....................... 936 1,425 1,032 3,881 931 1,536 1,088 3,877

Civilian labor force .............................................. 419 878 759 3,016 414 977 767 2,889

Participation rate ............................................. 44.8 61.6 73.6 77.7 44.5 63.6 70.6 74.5

Employed .......................................................... 386 814 696 2,841 368 901 703 2,724

Employment-population ratio .......................... 41.3 57.2 67.5 73.2 39.5 58.6 64.7 70.3

Unemployed ..................................................... 33 64 64 175 46 76 64 165

Unemployment rate ........................................ 7.9 7.3 8.4 5.8 11.2 7.8 8.3 5.7

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Civilian noninstitutional population ....................... 7,376 4,020 1,929 1,596 7,351 4,146 1,989 1,667

Civilian labor force .............................................. 4,959 3,002 1,526 1,247 4,937 3,134 1,542 1,316

Participation rate ............................................. 67.2 74.7 79.1 78.1 67.2 75.6 77.5 78.9

Employed .......................................................... 4,314 2,712 1,378 1,158 4,341 2,802 1,383 1,225

Employment-population ratio .......................... 58.5 67.5 71.5 72.5 59.1 67.6 69.5 73.5

Unemployed ..................................................... 644 289 147 89 595 332 159 91

Unemployment rate ........................................ 13.0 9.6 9.7 7.1 12.1 10.6 10.3 6.9

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, 2009-10 annual averages—Continued

(Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic

2009 2010

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 ....................... 10,507 41,552 36,165 42,586 10,172 41,667 36,307 43,147

Civilian labor force .............................................. 3,860 24,975 25,328 32,751 3,654 24,684 25,135 32,916

Participation rate ............................................. 36.7 60.1 70.0 76.9 35.9 59.2 69.2 76.3

Employed .......................................................... 3,295 22,797 23,543 31,445 3,086 22,458 23,275 31,582

Employment-population ratio .......................... 31.4 54.9 65.1 73.8 30.3 53.9 64.1 73.2

Unemployed ..................................................... 565 2,178 1,785 1,306 568 2,225 1,860 1,334

Unemployment rate ........................................ 14.6 8.7 7.0 4.0 15.5 9.0 7.4 4.1

Black non-Hispanic or Latino

Civilian noninstitutional population ....................... 3,112 6,897 5,738 3,659 3,036 6,895 5,826 3,798

Civilian labor force .............................................. 1,099 4,392 4,158 2,923 1,057 4,304 4,214 2,986

Participation rate ............................................. 35.3 63.7 72.5 79.9 34.8 62.4 72.3 78.6

Employed .......................................................... 851 3,760 3,673 2,717 798 3,605 3,682 2,752

Employment-population ratio .......................... 27.4 54.5 64.0 74.3 26.3 52.3 63.2 72.5

Unemployed ..................................................... 248 631 486 206 259 698 532 235

Unemployment rate ........................................ 22.6 14.4 11.7 7.0 24.5 16.2 12.6 7.9

Asian non-Hispanic or Latino

Civilian noninstitutional population ....................... 126 360 465 962 133 387 471 1,008

Civilian labor force .............................................. 51 201 315 779 54 228 329 817

Participation rate ............................................. 40.2 55.7 67.8 81.0 40.5 58.9 69.9 81.0

Employed .......................................................... 47 186 291 743 49 212 304 777

Employment-population ratio .......................... 37.3 51.5 62.5 77.2 37.1 54.7 64.6 77.1

Unemployed ..................................................... 4 15 25 36 4 16 25 40

Unemployment rate ........................................ 7.4 7.6 7.8 4.7 8.3 7.1 7.5 4.9

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Civilian noninstitutional population ....................... 2,388 3,716 3,174 1,947 2,295 3,769 3,314 2,059

Civilian labor force .............................................. 1,105 2,656 2,501 1,648 1,033 2,714 2,583 1,728

Participation rate ............................................. 46.3 71.5 78.8 84.7 45.0 72.0 77.9 83.9

Employed .......................................................... 918 2,357 2,278 1,571 842 2,373 2,343 1,637

Employment-population ratio .......................... 38.5 63.4 71.8 80.7 36.7 63.0 70.7 79.5

Unemployed ..................................................... 186 299 223 77 191 342 240 91

Unemployment rate ........................................ 16.9 11.3 8.9 4.7 18.5 12.6 9.3 5.3

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,

2010 annual averages

(Percent distribution)

Occupation

Foreign born Native born

Total Men Women Total Men Women

Total ................................................................................................ 21,969 12,946 9,023 117,095 60,414 56,682

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

Management, professional, and related occupations ......................... 28.0 25.3 31.7 38.9 36.1 42.0

Management, business, and financial operations occupations ........ 10.3 10.4 10.2 15.9 17.5 14.2

Management occupations .............................................................. 7.5 8.2 6.5 11.4 13.6 9.1

Business and financial operations occupations .............................. 2.8 2.2 3.7 4.5 4.0 5.2

Professional and related occupations ............................................... 17.6 14.9 21.5 23.0 18.5 27.8

Computer and mathematical occupations ...................................... 3.3 4.2 2.0 2.4 3.4 1.3

Architecture and engineering occupations ..................................... 1.8 2.6 .7 1.9 3.2 .5

Life, physical, and social science occupations ............................... 1.1 1.0 1.3 1.0 1.0 1.0

Community and social services occupations .................................. 1.0 .6 1.5 1.8 1.2 2.4

Legal occupations ........................................................................... .5 .4 .6 1.4 1.4 1.4

Education, training, and library occupations ................................... 3.6 2.1 5.7 6.7 3.3 10.3

Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations .......... 1.4 1.3 1.5 2.1 2.2 2.0

Healthcare practitioner and technical occupations ......................... 5.0 2.6 8.4 5.7 2.8 8.9

Service occupations ........................................................................... 25.0 19.1 33.4 16.4 13.5 19.4

Healthcare support occupations ..................................................... 2.8 .7 6.0 2.3 .5 4.3

Protective service occupations ....................................................... 1.1 1.4 .6 2.6 4.0 1.1

Food preparation and serving related occupations ........................ 7.9 7.9 8.0 5.1 4.0 6.2

Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations ....... 8.7 7.6 10.3 2.9 3.6 2.2

Personal care and service occupations .......................................... 4.4 1.6 8.5 3.5 1.5 5.6

Sales and office occupations .............................................................. 17.3 12.8 23.8 25.3 17.8 33.3

Sales and related occupations ....................................................... 8.9 7.8 10.5 11.5 11.1 11.9

Office and administrative support occupations ............................... 8.4 5.0 13.4 13.8 6.7 21.4

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations ........ 13.6 22.0 1.5 8.6 15.9 .8

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations ..................................... 1.8 2.4 1.0 .5 .7 .2

Construction and extraction occupations ........................................ 8.6 14.4 .3 4.5 8.5 .3

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ......................... 3.2 5.3 .2 3.6 6.7 .3

Production, transportation, and material moving occupations ............ 16.1 20.7 9.6 10.8 16.7 4.5

Production occupations .................................................................. 8.7 10.0 6.9 5.2 7.5 2.8

Transportation and material moving occupations ........................... 7.4 10.8 2.6 5.6 9.2 1.7

 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 workers for the foreign born and native born by selected

characteristics, 2009-10 annual averages

(Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic

2009 2010

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 ......................... 15,965 $602 83,855 $761 79.1 16,253 $598 83,278 $771 77.5

Men ............................................................. 9,867 620 45,241 864 71.7 10,056 610 45,003 873 69.9

Women ....................................................... 6,099 567 38,614 670 84.6 6,197 577 38,275 686 84.1

AGE

16 to 24 years ......................................... 1,085 400 7,873 452 88.5 1,037 392 7,515 443 88.5

25 to 34 years ......................................... 4,185 555 19,675 704 78.8 4,288 551 19,813 709 77.7

35 to 44 years ......................................... 4,709 647 19,659 856 75.5 4,784 649 19,038 864 75.2

45 to 54 years ......................................... 3,718 679 21,605 866 78.4 3,810 643 21,396 878 73.2

55 to 64 years ......................................... 1,886 672 12,842 865 77.7 1,911 651 13,230 887 73.4

65 years and over ................................... 383 574 2,201 703 81.6 422 584 2,287 708 82.4

RACE AND HISPANIC OR

LATINO ETHNICITY 2

White non-Hispanic or Latino ................ 2,693 863 64,497 808 106.7 2,809 850 64,060 824 103.2

Black non-Hispanic or Latino ................. 1,397 613 9,956 601 102.1 1,490 614 9,696 613 100.1

Asian non-Hispanic or Latino ................. 3,726 877 1,101 908 96.6 3,665 871 1,179 841 103.5

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity ..................... 7,964 479 6,660 632 75.8 8,092 480 6,745 629 76.4

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT

Total, 25 years and over ..................... 14,881 621 75,982 805 77.1 15,216 615 75,764 818 75.2

Less than a high school diploma ............ 3,817 415 3,472 498 83.3 3,895 416 3,258 486 85.5

High school graduates, no college 3 ....... 3,611 530 21,766 644 82.3 3,687 521 21,512 648 80.4

Some college or associate degree ......... 2,460 641 22,657 733 87.4 2,560 656 22,335 741 88.4

Bachelor’s degree and higher 4 .............. 4,993 1,129 28,088 1,138 99.2 5,073 1,119 28,658 1,147 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 region and division,

2009-10 annual averages

(Numbers in thousands)

Census region and

division

2009 2010

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 ...................... 7,688 5,079 66.1 4,652 427 8.4 7,740 5,221 67.5 4,782 439 8.4

New England ............ 1,421 974 68.5 888 85 8.8 1,465 1,013 69.2 923 90 8.9

Middle Atlantic .......... 6,266 4,106 65.5 3,764 342 8.3 6,275 4,208 67.1 3,859 349 8.3

South ............................ 10,934 7,593 69.4 6,914 679 8.9 11,241 7,760 69.0 7,063 697 9.0

South Atlantic ........... 6,361 4,432 69.7 3,996 436 9.8 6,556 4,534 69.2 4,075 459 10.1

East South Central ... 604 444 73.5 395 49 10.9 604 437 72.4 405 31 7.2

West South Central .. 3,969 2,717 68.5 2,523 194 7.2 4,082 2,789 68.3 2,583 206 7.4

Midwest ........................ 3,923 2,689 68.6 2,422 268 10.0 3,951 2,691 68.1 2,428 263 9.8

East North Central .... 2,995 2,016 67.3 1,805 211 10.5 3,018 2,029 67.2 1,827 203 10.0

West North Central ... 928 674 72.6 617 57 8.5 933 662 70.9 601 61 9.2

West ............................. 12,671 8,563 67.6 7,620 943 11.0 12,937 8,684 67.1 7,696 988 11.4

Mountain ................... 2,154 1,463 67.9 1,320 143 9.8 2,216 1,463 66.0 1,300 163 11.1

Pacific ....................... 10,518 7,101 67.5 6,301 800 11.3 10,721 7,221 67.3 6,395 825 11.4

NATIVE BORN

Northeast ...................... 35,785 23,268 65.0 21,336 1,932 8.3 36,130 23,093 63.9 21,081 2,011 8.7

New England ............ 9,965 6,720 67.4 6,172 547 8.1 10,071 6,744 67.0 6,174 570 8.4

Middle Atlantic .......... 25,820 16,548 64.1 15,163 1,385 8.4 26,059 16,349 62.7 14,907 1,441 8.8

South ............................ 75,111 47,388 63.1 43,142 4,246 9.0 75,818 47,446 62.6 42,984 4,462 9.4

South Atlantic ........... 39,142 24,880 63.6 22,555 2,324 9.3 39,475 24,735 62.7 22,286 2,449 9.9

East South Central ... 13,416 8,064 60.1 7,211 852 10.6 13,529 8,176 60.4 7,337 839 10.3

West South Central .. 22,553 14,445 64.0 13,375 1,069 7.4 22,814 14,535 63.7 13,361 1,174 8.1

Midwest ........................ 47,717 32,077 67.2 29,026 3,050 9.5 47,955 31,840 66.4 28,843 2,996 9.4

East North Central .... 33,020 21,746 65.9 19,449 2,297 10.6 33,128 21,572 65.1 19,313 2,259 10.5

West North Central ... 14,696 10,330 70.3 9,578 753 7.3 14,827 10,268 69.2 9,530 737 7.2

West ............................. 41,972 27,484 65.5 24,765 2,719 9.9 42,058 27,154 64.6 24,187 2,968 10.9

Mountain ................... 14,523 9,674 66.6 8,851 823 8.5 14,628 9,614 65.7 8,699 914 9.5

Pacific ....................... 27,449 17,810 64.9 15,914 1,896 10.6 27,429 17,541 63.9 15,487 2,053 11.7

 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.