For release 10:00 a.m. (ET) Wednesday, May 18, 2022 USDL-22-0902 

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 — 2021

The unemployment rate for foreign-born persons in the United States was 5.6 percent in 2021, down 

sharply from 9.2 percent in 2020, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The jobless rate of 

native-born persons also declined sharply; it was 5.3 percent in 2021, down from 7.8 percent in 2020. 

Both measures are down considerably from their highs in 2020, however, they remain above their levels 

prior to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in 2019. 

Data on nativity are collected as part of the Current Population Survey (CPS), a monthly sample survey 

of approximately 60,000 households. The foreign born are persons who reside in the United States but 

who were not U.S. citizens at birth. Specifically, they were born outside the United States (or one of its 

outlying areas such as Puerto Rico or Guam), and neither parent was a U.S. citizen. The foreign born 

include legally-admitted immigrants, refugees, temporary residents such as students and temporary 

workers, and undocumented immigrants. However, the survey does not separately identify persons in 

these categories. For further information about the survey, see the Technical Note in this news release.

Highlights from the 2021 data: 

• In 2021, the share of the U.S. civilian labor force that is foreign born returned to its pre-pandemic 

level of 17.4 percent in 2019, up from 17.0 percent in 2020. From 2020 to 2021, the foreign-born

labor force increased by 671,000 while that of the native-born labor force was essentially unchanged. 

(See table 1.)

• From 2020 to 2021, overall employment increased by 4.8 million. Among the foreign born, 

employment increased by 1.6 million, an increase of 6.5 percent. Employment also increased among 

the native born (+3.2 million); however, in relative terms, the increase was about less than half as 

large, at 2.6 percent. (See table 1.) 

 

• Hispanics continued to account for nearly half of the foreign-born labor force in 2021, and Asians 

accounted for one-quarter. (See table 1.) (Data in this news release for persons who are White,

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

Latino ethnicity are presented separately.)

• Foreign-born men continued to participate in the labor force at a considerably higher rate in 2021 

(76.8 percent) than their native-born counterparts (65.8 percent). By contrast, 53.4 percent of 

foreign-born women were labor force participants, lower than the participation rate of 56.6 percent 

for native-born women. (See table 1.)
-2- 

• In 2021, foreign-born workers were more likely than native-born workers to be employed in service 

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

transportation, and material moving occupations. Foreign-born workers were less likely than nativeborn workers to be employed in management, professional, and related occupations and in sales and 

office occupations. (See table 4.)

• The median usual weekly earnings of foreign-born full-time wage and salary workers were $898 in 

2021, compared with $1,017 for their native-born counterparts. (See table 5.) (Differences in 

earnings reflect a variety of factors, including variations in the distributions of foreign-born and 

native-born workers by educational attainment, occupation, industry, and geographic region.) 

Demographic Characteristics

The demographic composition of the foreign-born labor force differs from that of the native-born labor 

force. In 2021, men accounted for 57.4 percent of the foreign-born labor force, compared with 52.1 

percent of the native-born labor force. By age, the proportion of the foreign-born labor force made up of 

25- to 54-year-olds (71.4 percent) was higher than for the native-born labor force (62.2 percent). Labor 

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

In 2021, nearly half (47.6 percent) of the foreign-born labor force was Hispanic, and one-quarter (25.0 

percent) was Asian. Hispanics and Asians made up much lower percentages of the native-born labor 

force, at 12.1 percent and 2.4 percent, respectively. About 16.2 percent of the foreign-born labor force 

was White and 9.9 percent was Black, compared with 70.2 percent and 12.3 percent, respectively, of the 

native-born labor force.

In terms of educational attainment, the proportion of the foreign-born labor force age 25 and over that 

had not completed high school was 19.1 percent in 2021, much higher than the figure for the native-born 

labor force, at 3.5 percent. The foreign born were less likely than the native born to have some college or 

an associate degree—15.5 percent versus 27.7 percent. The proportions of foreign-born and native-born 

high school graduates (24.8 percent versus 24.9 percent) and those with a bachelor's degree or higher 

(40.5 percent versus 43.9 percent) were more similar.

Labor Force 

In 2021, the share of the U.S. civilian labor force that is foreign born returned to its pre-pandemic level 

of 17.4 percent in 2019, up from 17.0 percent in 2020. From 2020 to 2021, the foreign-born labor force 

increased by 671,000, while that of the native-born labor force was essentially unchanged. (See table 1.) 

In 2021, the labor force participation rate of the foreign born changed little at 64.7 percent. The rates for 

foreign-born men and women also were little changed at 76.8 percent and 53.4 percent, respectively. 

The labor force participation rate of the native born was little changed at 61.0 percent. The rates for 

native-born men and women were also little changed at 65.8 percent and 56.6 percent, respectively. 

Labor force participation rates for the foreign born varied across the major race and ethnicity groups in 

2021, ranging from 60.2 percent for foreign-born Whites to 69.4 percent for foreign-born Blacks. 

Participation rates for the native born showed less variation across major race and ethnicity groups, 

ranging from 59.4 percent for native-born Blacks to 65.2 percent for native-born Hispanics. 
-3- 

Among the major race and ethnicity groups, the labor force participation rate of foreign-born Asians 

increased by 1.7 percentage points to 64.1 percent from 2020 to 2021. The rates for foreign-born Whites, 

Blacks, and Hispanics were little changed over the year. Among the native born, the participation rate of 

Whites declined by 0.3 percentage point to 60.6 percent, while native born Blacks, Asians, and 

Hispanics changed little from 2020 to 2021.

In 2021, foreign-born mothers with children under age 18 were less likely to be labor force participants 

than native-born mothers—60.1 percent versus 74.6 percent. Labor force participation differences 

between foreign-born and native-born mothers were greater among those with younger children than 

among those with older children. Among women with children under age 3, the participation rate for 

foreign-born mothers was 48.4 percent, 18.4 percentage points below that for native-born mothers, at 

66.8 percent. By comparison, the labor force participation rate of foreign-born mothers with children 

ages 6 to 17 (65.9 percent) was 12.7 percentage points lower than that for native-born mothers with 

children ages 6 to 17 (78.6 percent). The labor force participation rates of foreign-born and native-born 

fathers with children under age 18 were more similar, at 93.4 percent and 92.2 percent, respectively. 

(See table 2.)

By region, the foreign born made up a larger share of the labor force in the West (22.5 percent) and in 

the Northeast (20.5 percent) in 2021 than for the nation as a whole (17.4 percent). The foreign born 

made up a smaller share of the labor force than for the nation as a whole in the South (16.9 percent) and 

the Midwest (9.7 percent). (See table 6.) 

Employment

From 2020 to 2021, overall employment grew by 4.8 million. Among the foreign born, employment 

increased by 1.6 million, or 6.5 percent. Employment also rose among the native born (+3.2 million); 

however, in relative terms, the increase was about less than half as large, at 2.6 percent. (See table 1.) 

Unemployment

The unemployment rate of the foreign born declined from 9.2 percent to 5.6 percent from 2020 to 2021, 

and the jobless rate for the native born decreased from 7.8 percent to 5.3 percent. However, the jobless 

rates for foreign born and native born remain higher than their 2019 levels (3.1 percent and 3.8 percent, 

respectively), prior to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The over-the-year decline in the 

unemployment rates of the foreign born and the native born reflected declines in the rates for both men 

and women. In 2021, the unemployment rates for foreign-born men and women fell by 2.9 percentage 

points and 4.7 percentage points to 5.1 percent and 6.1 percent, respectively. The unemployment rates 

for native-born men and women fell by 2.3 percentage points and 2.9 percentage points to 5.5 percent 

and 5.0 percent, respectively. (See table 1.)

For both the foreign born and the native born, jobless rates vary considerably by race and ethnicity. 

Among the foreign born, Blacks had the highest unemployment rate in 2021 (7.1 percent), followed by 

Hispanics (5.7 percent), Whites (5.2 percent), and Asians (4.9 percent). Among the native born, jobless 

rates were higher for Blacks (8.9 percent) and Hispanics (7.6 percent) than for Asians (5.2 percent) and 

Whites (4.2 percent).
-4- 

Occupation

In 2021, foreign-born workers continued to be more likely than native-born workers to be employed in 

service occupations (21.2 percent versus 14.9 percent); natural resources, construction, and maintenance 

occupations (14.2 percent versus 8.1 percent); and production, transportation, and material moving 

occupations (15.3 percent versus 12.1 percent). Foreign-born workers were less likely than native-born 

workers to be employed in management, professional, and related occupations (35.2 percent versus 43.9 

percent) and in sales and office occupations (14.2 percent versus 20.9 percent). (See table 4.)

Among employed men, the disparity was especially great in natural resources, construction, and 

maintenance occupations—23.1 percent of the foreign born worked in this occupational field in 2021, 

versus 14.7 percent of the native born. The occupational disparity for women was pronounced in service 

occupations—30.0 percent of the foreign born worked in that occupation group, compared with 17.7 

percent of the native born. By contrast, employed native-born men and women were more likely than 

their foreign-born counterparts to work in management, professional, and related occupations and in 

sales and office occupations.

Earnings

In 2021, median usual weekly earnings of foreign-born full-time wage and salary workers ($898) were 

88.3 percent of the earnings of their native-born counterparts ($1,017). Among men, median weekly 

earnings for the foreign born ($957) were 84.6 percent of the earnings of the native born ($1,131). 

Median earnings for foreign-born women ($804) were 86.7 percent of the earnings of native-born 

women ($927). (See table 5.) Differences in earnings reflect a variety of factors, including variations in 

the distributions of foreign-born and native-born workers by educational attainment, occupation, 

industry, and geographic region. 

Among the major race and ethnicity groups, Hispanic foreign-born full-time wage and salary workers 

earned 84.3 percent as much as their native-born counterparts in 2021. For Black and Asian workers, 

earnings for the foreign born were slightly higher than for their native-born counterparts (about an 8-

percent difference for both groups), while White foreign-born workers earned 15.4 percent more than 

their native-born counterparts. 

The earnings of both foreign-born and native-born workers increase with education. In 2021, foreignborn workers age 25 and over with less than a high school diploma earned $610 per week, while those 

with a bachelor's degree and higher earned about 2.5 times as much—$1,521 per week. Among the 

native born, those with a bachelor's degree and higher earned 2.2 times as much as those with less than a 

high school diploma—$1,440 per week versus $669 per week. 

Native-born workers earn more than the foreign born at most educational attainment levels. For 

example, among high school graduates (no college), full-time workers who were foreign born ($735) 

earned 89.0 percent as much as their native-born counterparts ($826) in 2021. However, among those

with a bachelor's degree and higher, the earnings of foreign-born workers ($1,521) were slightly higher 

than the earnings of native-born workers ($1,440).
Technical Note

The estimates in this release are based on annual 

average data from the Current Population Survey (CPS). The 

CPS, which is conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for the 

Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), is a monthly survey of 

about 60,000 eligible households that provides information 

on the labor force status, demographics, and other 

characteristics of the nation's civilian noninstitutional 

population age 16 and over. In response to the increased 

demand for statistical information about the foreign born, 

questions on nativity, citizenship, year of entry into the 

United States, and the parental nativity of respondents were 

added to the CPS beginning in January 1994. Prior to 1994, 

the primary sources of data on the foreign born were the 

decennial census, two CPS supplements (conducted in April 

1983 and November 1989), and, to some extent, information 

collected by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services 

(formerly known as the Immigration and Naturalization 

Service). 

The foreign- and native-born data presented in this 

release are not strictly comparable with data for earlier years 

due to the introduction of updated population estimates, or 

controls, used in the CPS. The population controls are 

updated each year in January to reflect the latest information 

about population change. Additional information is available 

from the BLS website at 

www.bls.gov/cps/documentation.htm#pop. 

If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech 

disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications 

relay services.

Reliability of the estimates 

Statistics based on the CPS are subject to both sampling 

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

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

estimates may differ from the true population values they 

represent. The component of this difference that occurs 

because samples differ by chance is known as sampling error, 

and its variability is measured by the standard error of the 

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

confidence, that an estimate based on a sample will differ by 

no more than 1.6 standard errors from the true population 

value because of sampling error. BLS analyses are generally 

conducted at the 90-percent level of confidence. 

The CPS data also are affected by nonsampling error. 

Nonsampling error can occur for many reasons, including the 

failure to sample a segment of the population, inability to 

obtain information for all respondents in the sample, inability 

or unwillingness of respondents to provide correct 

information, and errors made in the collection or processing 

of the data. 

Additional information about the reliability of data from 

the CPS and estimating standard errors is available at 

www.bls.gov/cps/documentation.htm#reliability. 

Definitions 

Definitions of the principal terms used in this release are 

presented below. 

Foreign born. The foreign born are persons residing in 

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

Specifically, they were born outside the United States (or one 

of its outlying areas such as Guam or Puerto Rico), and 

neither parent was a U.S. citizen. The foreign-born 

population includes legally-admitted immigrants, refugees, 

temporary residents such as students and temporary workers, 

and undocumented immigrants. The survey data, however, do 

not separately identify the number of persons in these 

categories. 

Native born. The native born are persons born in the 

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

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

was a U.S. citizen. 

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

presented for non-Hispanic Whites, Blacks, and Asians and 

for persons of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity. These four groups 

are mutually exclusive but not exhaustive. Other race groups 

(including persons who selected more than one race category) 

are included in the overall totals but are not shown separately 

because the number of survey respondents is too small to 

develop statistically reliable estimates. The presentation of 

data on race and ethnicity in this release differs from that 

which appears in most analyses of CPS labor force data 

because persons of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity are separated 

from the race groups. Because persons of Hispanic or Latino 

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

race groups as well as shown separately in the Hispanic or 

Latino ethnicity group. The reason for the difference in the 

data presentation in this release is because about half of the 

foreign born are of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity and they have 

somewhat different labor force characteristics than the nonHispanic foreign born. 

Employed. Employed persons are all those who, during 

the survey reference week, (a) did any work at all as paid 

employees; (b) worked in their own business, profession, or 

on their own farm; or (c) worked 15 hours or more as unpaid 

workers in a family member's business. Persons who were 

temporarily absent from their jobs because of illness, bad 

weather, vacation, labor dispute, or another reason also are 

counted as employed. 
Unemployed. The unemployed are those who had no 

employment during the reference week, were available for 

work at that time, and had made specific efforts to find 

employment sometime during the 4-week period ending with 

the reference week. Persons who were waiting to be recalled 

to a job from which they had been laid off need not be looking 

for work to be classified as unemployed. 

Civilian labor force. The civilian labor force comprises 

all persons classified as employed or unemployed. 

Unemployment rate. The unemployment rate is the 

number unemployed as a percent of the civilian labor force. 

Labor force participation rate. The labor force 

participation rate is the labor force as a percent of the 

population. 

Usual weekly earnings. Data represent earnings before 

taxes and other deductions and include any overtime pay, 

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

case of multiple jobholders). Earnings reported on a basis 

other than weekly are converted to a weekly equivalent. 

Full-time wage and salary workers. These are workers 

who usually work 35 hours or more per week at their sole or 

principal job and receive wages, salaries, and other types of 

compensation. The group includes employees in both the 

private and public sectors but, for purposes of the earnings

series, excludes all self-employed persons, regardless of 

whether or not their businesses are incorporated. 

Median earnings. The median earnings is the amount 

which divides a given earnings distribution into two equal 

groups, one having earnings above the median and the other 

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

2020-2021 annual averages

[Numbers in thousands]

Characteristic

2020 2021

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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260,329 160,742 61.7 147,795 12,947 8.1 261,445 161,204 61.7 152,581 8,623 5.3

Men. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125,922 85,204 67.7 78,560 6,644 7.8 126,487 85,505 67.6 80,829 4,676 5.5

Women. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134,407 75,538 56.2 69,234 6,304 8.3 134,958 75,699 56.1 71,752 3,948 5.2

FOREIGN BORN

Total, 16 years and over. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42,361 27,316 64.5 24,809 2,507 9.2 43,226 27,987 64.7 26,431 1,556 5.6

Men. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20,420 15,652 76.6 14,401 1,250 8.0 20,922 16,069 76.8 15,245 823 5.1

Women. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21,941 11,664 53.2 10,407 1,257 10.8 22,304 11,918 53.4 11,186 733 6.1

Age

16 to 24 years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,149 1,604 50.9 1,373 231 14.4 3,174 1,683 53.0 1,521 161 9.6

25 to 34 years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,208 5,470 75.9 4,966 504 9.2 6,987 5,397 77.2 5,099 298 5.5

35 to 44 years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9,103 7,150 78.5 6,599 551 7.7 9,419 7,472 79.3 7,118 354 4.7

45 to 54 years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8,793 6,993 79.5 6,367 626 8.9 8,949 7,125 79.6 6,762 363 5.1

55 to 64 years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,831 4,637 67.9 4,191 446 9.6 7,020 4,798 68.3 4,505 292 6.1

65 years and over. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,278 1,461 20.1 1,312 149 10.2 7,678 1,512 19.7 1,425 87 5.8

Race and Hispanic

or Latino ethnicity1

White non-Hispanic or Latino. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,377 4,420 59.9 4,087 333 7.5 7,555 4,545 60.2 4,310 234 5.2

Black non-Hispanic or Latino. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,979 2,757 69.3 2,463 294 10.7 4,000 2,777 69.4 2,579 198 7.1

Asian non-Hispanic or Latino. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10,966 6,848 62.4 6,252 595 8.7 10,915 6,994 64.1 6,651 344 4.9

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19,569 12,978 66.3 11,723 1,255 9.7 20,170 13,308 66.0 12,545 763 5.7

Educational attainment

Total, 25 years and over. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39,212 25,712 65.6 23,436 2,276 8.9 40,052 26,304 65.7 24,909 1,395 5.3

Less than a high school diploma. . . . . . . . . . 8,762 4,886 55.8 4,328 558 11.4 8,972 5,037 56.1 4,708 330 6.5

High school graduates, no college2

. . . . . . . 10,023 6,302 62.9 5,617 685 10.9 10,497 6,530 62.2 6,115 414 6.3

Some college or associate degree. . . . . . . . 6,192 4,153 67.1 3,767 386 9.3 6,129 4,071 66.4 3,849 222 5.4

Bachelor’s degree and higher3

. . . . . . . . . . . . 14,235 10,371 72.9 9,723 648 6.2 14,455 10,666 73.8 10,237 429 4.0

NATIVE BORN

Total, 16 years and over. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217,968 133,427 61.2 122,986 10,441 7.8 218,219 133,217 61.0 126,150 7,067 5.3

Men. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105,502 69,552 65.9 64,159 5,393 7.8 105,565 69,436 65.8 65,584 3,852 5.5

Women. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112,466 63,874 56.8 58,827 5,047 7.9 112,654 63,781 56.6 60,566 3,215 5.0

Age

16 to 24 years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34,336 18,603 54.2 15,819 2,784 15.0 34,088 19,005 55.8 17,153 1,851 9.7

25 to 34 years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37,636 31,036 82.5 28,460 2,576 8.3 37,764 31,273 82.8 29,479 1,794 5.7

35 to 44 years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32,227 26,833 83.3 25,208 1,625 6.1 32,423 26,848 82.8 25,616 1,232 4.6

45 to 54 years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31,078 25,148 80.9 23,731 1,416 5.6 30,566 24,752 81.0 23,792 960 3.9

55 to 64 years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35,360 22,656 64.1 21,262 1,393 6.1 34,865 22,252 63.8 21,407 845 3.8

65 years and over. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47,330 9,152 19.3 8,506 646 7.1 48,513 9,088 18.7 8,703 385 4.2

Race and Hispanic

or Latino ethnicity1

White non-Hispanic or Latino. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154,711 94,284 60.9 88,161 6,123 6.5 154,513 93,561 60.6 89,674 3,886 4.2

Black non-Hispanic or Latino. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27,296 16,089 58.9 14,237 1,851 11.5 27,576 16,390 59.4 14,939 1,451 8.9

Asian non-Hispanic or Latino. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,021 3,153 62.8 2,889 264 8.4 5,047 3,159 62.6 2,993 166 5.2

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24,614 15,992 65.0 14,229 1,763 11.0 24,733 16,115 65.2 14,884 1,232 7.6

Educational attainment

Total, 25 years and over. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183,632 114,824 62.5 107,167 7,656 6.7 184,131 114,213 62.0 108,997 5,216 4.6

Less than a high school diploma. . . . . . . . . . 11,138 4,043 36.3 3,561 483 11.9 11,031 3,970 36.0 3,556 414 10.4

High school graduates, no college2

. . . . . . . 52,098 28,440 54.6 25,989 2,450 8.6 52,736 28,465 54.0 26,706 1,759 6.2

Some college or associate degree. . . . . . . . 51,135 32,248 63.1 29,803 2,446 7.6 50,526 31,617 62.6 30,006 1,611 5.1

Bachelor’s degree and higher3

. . . . . . . . . . . . 69,260 50,092 72.3 47,815 2,277 4.5 69,838 50,162 71.8 48,729 1,432 2.9

1 Data for race/ethnicity groups do not sum to totals because data are not presented for all races.

2

Includes persons with a high school diploma or equivalent.

3

Includes persons with bachelor’s, master’s, professional, and doctoral degrees.

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

and age of youngest child and sex, 2020-2021 annual averages

[Numbers in thousands]

Characteristic

2020 2021

Total Men Women Total Men Women

FOREIGN BORN

With own children under 18

Civilian noninstitutional population................................... 15,253 7,212 8,041 14,986 7,039 7,948

Civilian labor force.................................................. 11,506 6,697 4,809 11,349 6,574 4,775

Participation rate.................................................. 75.4 92.9 59.8 75.7 93.4 60.1

Employed.......................................................... 10,535 6,227 4,308 10,800 6,306 4,494

Employment-population ratio................................. 69.1 86.4 53.6 72.1 89.6 56.5

Unemployed....................................................... 971 470 501 549 268 281

Unemployment rate............................................ 8.4 7.0 10.4 4.8 4.1 5.9

With own children 6 to 17, none younger

Civilian noninstitutional population................................... 8,824 4,073 4,751 8,850 4,101 4,749

Civilian labor force.................................................. 6,865 3,755 3,110 6,940 3,809 3,131

Participation rate.................................................. 77.8 92.2 65.4 78.4 92.9 65.9

Employed.......................................................... 6,296 3,501 2,795 6,621 3,660 2,961

Employment-population ratio................................. 71.4 86.0 58.8 74.8 89.3 62.3

Unemployed....................................................... 568 254 314 318 149 169

Unemployment rate............................................ 8.3 6.8 10.1 4.6 3.9 5.4

With own children under 6

Civilian noninstitutional population................................... 6,429 3,139 3,290 6,136 2,938 3,198

Civilian labor force.................................................. 4,641 2,942 1,699 4,409 2,765 1,644

Participation rate.................................................. 72.2 93.7 51.6 71.9 94.1 51.4

Employed.......................................................... 4,239 2,727 1,512 4,179 2,646 1,533

Employment-population ratio................................. 65.9 86.9 46.0 68.1 90.1 47.9

Unemployed....................................................... 402 215 187 230 119 111

Unemployment rate............................................ 8.7 7.3 11.0 5.2 4.3 6.8

With own children under 3

Civilian noninstitutional population................................... 3,508 1,725 1,783 3,216 1,559 1,656

Civilian labor force.................................................. 2,482 1,610 872 2,260 1,459 802

Participation rate.................................................. 70.8 93.3 48.9 70.3 93.6 48.4

Employed.......................................................... 2,266 1,491 775 2,137 1,394 742

Employment-population ratio................................. 64.6 86.4 43.4 66.4 89.4 44.8

Unemployed....................................................... 216 119 97 124 65 59

Unemployment rate............................................ 8.7 7.4 11.2 5.5 4.4 7.4

With no own children under 18

Civilian noninstitutional population................................... 27,108 13,208 13,900 28,240 13,883 14,357

Civilian labor force.................................................. 15,810 8,955 6,855 16,638 9,494 7,143

Participation rate.................................................. 58.3 67.8 49.3 58.9 68.4 49.8

Employed.......................................................... 14,274 8,174 6,100 15,631 8,939 6,692

Employment-population ratio................................. 52.7 61.9 43.9 55.3 64.4 46.6

Unemployed....................................................... 1,536 781 756 1,007 555 452

Unemployment rate............................................ 9.7 8.7 11.0 6.1 5.8 6.3

NATIVE BORN

With own children under 18

Civilian noninstitutional population................................... 47,988 21,357 26,631 47,272 20,951 26,321

Civilian labor force.................................................. 39,557 19,664 19,893 38,959 19,327 19,632

Participation rate.................................................. 82.4 92.1 74.7 82.4 92.2 74.6

Employed.......................................................... 37,207 18,665 18,542 37,291 18,606 18,685

Employment-population ratio................................. 77.5 87.4 69.6 78.9 88.8 71.0

Unemployed....................................................... 2,350 999 1,351 1,668 721 947

Unemployment rate............................................ 5.9 5.1 6.8 4.3 3.7 4.8

With own children 6 to 17, none younger

Civilian noninstitutional population................................... 26,842 11,894 14,948 26,277 11,543 14,733

Civilian labor force.................................................. 22,572 10,833 11,739 22,079 10,500 11,579

Participation rate.................................................. 84.1 91.1 78.5 84.0 91.0 78.6

Employed.......................................................... 21,325 10,324 11,001 21,201 10,131 11,071

Employment-population ratio................................. 79.4 86.8 73.6 80.7 87.8 75.1
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, 2020-2021 annual averages — Continued

[Numbers in thousands]

Characteristic

2020 2021

Total Men Women Total Men Women

Unemployed....................................................... 1,247 509 737 878 370 508

Unemployment rate............................................ 5.5 4.7 6.3 4.0 3.5 4.4

With own children under 6

Civilian noninstitutional population................................... 21,146 9,463 11,683 20,995 9,408 11,587

Civilian labor force.................................................. 16,985 8,831 8,154 16,879 8,827 8,053

Participation rate.................................................. 80.3 93.3 69.8 80.4 93.8 69.5

Employed.......................................................... 15,882 8,341 7,541 16,090 8,475 7,614

Employment-population ratio................................. 75.1 88.1 64.5 76.6 90.1 65.7

Unemployed....................................................... 1,103 490 613 790 351 438

Unemployment rate............................................ 6.5 5.5 7.5 4.7 4.0 5.4

With own children under 3

Civilian noninstitutional population................................... 12,256 5,559 6,697 11,949 5,381 6,568

Civilian labor force.................................................. 9,697 5,198 4,499 9,437 5,052 4,385

Participation rate.................................................. 79.1 93.5 67.2 79.0 93.9 66.8

Employed.......................................................... 9,082 4,914 4,168 8,996 4,856 4,141

Employment-population ratio................................. 74.1 88.4 62.2 75.3 90.2 63.0

Unemployed....................................................... 615 284 331 441 197 244

Unemployment rate............................................ 6.3 5.5 7.3 4.7 3.9 5.6

With no own children under 18

Civilian noninstitutional population................................... 169,979 84,145 85,834 170,947 84,614 86,333

Civilian labor force.................................................. 93,870 49,888 43,981 94,258 50,109 44,149

Participation rate.................................................. 55.2 59.3 51.2 55.1 59.2 51.1

Employed.......................................................... 85,779 45,494 40,285 88,859 46,978 41,881

Employment-population ratio................................. 50.5 54.1 46.9 52.0 55.5 48.5

Unemployed....................................................... 8,091 4,394 3,696 5,399 3,131 2,268

Unemployment rate............................................ 8.6 8.8 8.4 5.7 6.2 5.1

NOTE: Own children include sons, daughters, step-children, and adopted children. Not included are nieces, nephews, grandchildren, and other related

and unrelated children. Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.
Table 3. Employment status of the foreign-born and native-born populations 25 years and over by educational

attainment, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 2020-2021 annual averages

[Numbers in thousands]

Characteristic

2020 2021

Less than

a high

school

diploma

High

school

graduates,

no

college1

Some

college or

associate

degree

Bachelor’s

degree

and

higher2

Less than

a high

school

diploma

High

school

graduates,

no

college1

Some

college or

associate

degree

Bachelor’s

degree

and

higher2

FOREIGN BORN

White non-Hispanic or Latino

Civilian noninstitutional population..................... 498 1,567 1,249 3,610 494 1,663 1,321 3,589

Civilian labor force..................................... 161 782 718 2,548 174 795 763 2,571

Participation rate.................................... 32.3 49.9 57.5 70.6 35.2 47.8 57.8 71.6

Employed............................................. 144 710 652 2,398 162 747 724 2,464

Employment-population ratio.................... 28.9 45.3 52.2 66.4 32.8 44.9 54.8 68.7

Unemployed.......................................... 17 73 66 150 12 48 39 106

Unemployment rate.............................. 10.3 9.3 9.2 5.9 6.6 6.0 5.2 4.1

Black non-Hispanic or Latino

Civilian noninstitutional population..................... 374 1,016 866 1,313 376 1,034 825 1,415

Civilian labor force..................................... 190 671 656 1,062 185 684 596 1,135

Participation rate.................................... 50.9 66.1 75.8 80.9 49.2 66.2 72.3 80.2

Employed............................................. 160 585 588 984 169 625 558 1,073

Employment-population ratio.................... 42.8 57.6 67.9 75.0 44.9 60.5 67.7 75.8

Unemployed.......................................... 30 87 68 78 16 59 38 62

Unemployment rate.............................. 16.0 12.9 10.4 7.4 8.7 8.6 6.3 5.5

Asian non-Hispanic or Latino

Civilian noninstitutional population..................... 900 1,877 1,234 6,186 849 1,916 1,239 6,190

Civilian labor force..................................... 353 995 766 4,422 330 1,008 787 4,554

Participation rate.................................... 39.3 53.0 62.1 71.5 38.9 52.6 63.6 73.6

Employed............................................. 297 844 687 4,167 307 923 745 4,391

Employment-population ratio.................... 33.0 45.0 55.6 67.4 36.1 48.1 60.1 70.9

Unemployed.......................................... 57 151 79 255 24 85 43 163

Unemployment rate.............................. 16.1 15.2 10.4 5.8 7.2 8.4 5.4 3.6

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Civilian noninstitutional population..................... 6,952 5,472 2,717 2,956 7,200 5,762 2,624 3,025

Civilian labor force..................................... 4,156 3,794 1,929 2,220 4,327 3,971 1,845 2,238

Participation rate.................................... 59.8 69.3 71.0 75.1 60.1 68.9 70.3 74.0

Employed............................................. 3,705 3,425 1,764 2,066 4,049 3,752 1,749 2,148

Employment-population ratio.................... 53.3 62.6 64.9 69.9 56.2 65.1 66.6 71.0

Unemployed.......................................... 451 369 165 154 278 219 96 91

Unemployment rate.............................. 10.9 9.7 8.5 6.9 6.4 5.5 5.2 4.0

NATIVE BORN

White non-Hispanic or Latino

Civilian noninstitutional population..................... 6,386 37,005 36,937 55,058 6,350 37,125 36,296 55,629

Civilian labor force..................................... 2,216 19,488 22,495 39,028 2,207 19,132 21,891 39,006

Participation rate.................................... 34.7 52.7 60.9 70.9 34.7 51.5 60.3 70.1

Employed............................................. 2,004 18,085 20,992 37,378 2,030 18,200 20,969 38,009

Employment-population ratio.................... 31.4 48.9 56.8 67.9 32.0 49.0 57.8 68.3

Unemployed.......................................... 212 1,403 1,503 1,650 176 932 922 997

Unemployment rate.............................. 9.6 7.2 6.7 4.2 8.0 4.9 4.2 2.6

Black non-Hispanic or Latino

Civilian noninstitutional population..................... 2,235 7,609 6,751 6,045 2,093 7,923 6,795 6,072

Civilian labor force..................................... 687 4,130 4,382 4,560 598 4,395 4,448 4,579

Participation rate.................................... 30.7 54.3 64.9 75.4 28.6 55.5 65.5 75.4

Employed............................................. 565 3,588 3,944 4,313 488 3,946 4,103 4,391

Employment-population ratio.................... 25.3 47.2 58.4 71.3 23.3 49.8 60.4 72.3

Unemployed.......................................... 123 542 438 247 110 450 345 187

Unemployment rate.............................. 17.8 13.1 10.0 5.4 18.4 10.2 7.7 4.1

Asian non-Hispanic or Latino

Civilian noninstitutional population..................... 128 541 629 2,320 142 580 642 2,335

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, 2020-2021 annual averages — Continued

[Numbers in thousands]

Characteristic

2020 2021

Less than

a high

school

diploma

High

school

graduates,

no

college1

Some

college or

associate

degree

Bachelor’s

degree

and

higher2

Less than

a high

school

diploma

High

school

graduates,

no

college1

Some

college or

associate

degree

Bachelor’s

degree

and

higher2

Civilian labor force..................................... 66 319 408 1,823 52 329 425 1,833

Participation rate.................................... 51.6 58.9 64.8 78.6 36.8 56.7 66.2 78.5

Employed............................................. 58 285 365 1,731 48 302 398 1,777

Employment-population ratio.................... 45.3 52.7 58.1 74.6 33.6 52.1 62.0 76.1

Unemployed.......................................... 8 33 42 92 5 27 27 55

Unemployment rate.............................. 12.4 10.5 10.3 5.0 8.9 8.1 6.3 3.0

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Civilian noninstitutional population..................... 2,014 5,545 5,274 4,446 2,079 5,701 5,227 4,407

Civilian labor force..................................... 951 3,683 3,928 3,588 977 3,751 3,809 3,642

Participation rate.................................... 47.2 66.4 74.5 80.7 47.0 65.8 72.9 82.6

Employed............................................. 831 3,299 3,571 3,361 871 3,470 3,560 3,504

Employment-population ratio.................... 41.2 59.5 67.7 75.6 41.9 60.9 68.1 79.5

Unemployed.......................................... 120 384 358 227 106 281 249 138

Unemployment rate.............................. 12.6 10.4 9.1 6.3 10.9 7.5 6.5 3.8

1

Includes persons with a high school diploma or equivalent.

2

Includes persons with bachelor’s, master’s, professional, and doctoral degrees.

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

annually with the release of January data.
Table 4. Employed foreign-born and native-born persons 16 years and over by occupation and sex, 2021

annual averages

[Percent distribution]

Occupation

Foreign born Native born

Total Men Women Total Men Women

Total employed (in thousands)....................................... 26,431 15,245 11,186 126,150 65,584 60,566

Occupation as a percent of total employed

Total employed......................................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Management, professional, and related occupations........... 35.2 33.1 38.1 43.9 39.7 48.5

Management, business, and financial operations

occupations..................................................... 13.8 13.9 13.6 19.2 20.0 18.3

Management occupations.................................... 9.4 10.6 7.8 13.1 14.6 11.4

Business and financial operations occupations............ 4.3 3.3 5.8 6.1 5.4 7.0

Professional and related occupations.......................... 21.4 19.2 24.5 24.7 19.7 30.2

Computer and mathematical occupations.................. 5.7 7.0 3.8 3.3 4.8 1.8

Architecture and engineering occupations.................. 2.5 3.4 1.2 2.0 3.3 0.7

Life, physical, and social science occupations............. 1.3 1.2 1.4 1.0 1.0 1.0

Community and social service occupations................ 1.0 0.7 1.4 2.0 1.2 2.8

Legal occupations............................................. 0.5 0.3 0.8 1.3 1.2 1.5

Education, training, and library occupations................ 3.8 2.2 5.9 6.3 3.1 9.8

Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media

occupations.................................................. 1.4 1.1 1.7 2.2 2.1 2.3

Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations....... 5.4 3.2 8.3 6.5 3.0 10.3

Service occupations................................................ 21.2 14.7 30.0 14.9 12.3 17.7

Healthcare support occupations................................ 4.1 1.1 8.3 3.0 0.9 5.3

Protective service occupations................................. 0.7 1.0 0.3 2.2 3.2 1.1

Food preparation and serving related occupations.......... 6.0 5.3 7.0 4.6 3.9 5.4

Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance

occupations..................................................... 7.6 6.3 9.3 2.8 3.4 2.1

Personal care and service occupations....................... 2.7 1.0 5.1 2.3 1.0 3.8

Sales and office occupations...................................... 14.2 10.7 18.9 20.9 15.2 27.2

Sales and related occupations.................................. 7.1 6.3 8.2 9.9 9.5 10.3

Office and administrative support occupations............... 7.0 4.3 10.7 11.1 5.7 16.9

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance

occupations........................................................ 14.2 23.1 2.0 8.1 14.7 0.9

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations.................... 1.5 2.0 0.9 0.5 0.8 0.3

Construction and extraction occupations...................... 9.8 16.2 0.9 4.3 8.0 0.3

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations........... 2.9 4.8 0.2 3.2 5.9 0.3

Production, transportation, and material moving

occupations........................................................ 15.3 18.5 10.9 12.1 18.0 5.8

Production occupations.......................................... 6.8 7.2 6.3 4.9 7.0 2.5

Transportation and material moving occupations............ 8.5 11.3 4.6 7.2 10.9 3.2

NOTE: Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data. Effective with January 2020 data, occupations reflect

the introduction of the 2018 Census occupational classification system, derived from the 2018 Standard Occupational Classification (SOC). No

historical data have been revised. Data for 2020 are not strictly comparable with earlier years.
Table 5. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers for the foreign born and native

born by selected characteristics, 2020-2021 annual averages

[Numbers in thousands]

Characteristic

2020 2021

Foreign born Native born

Earnings

of

foreign

born as

percent

of

native

born

Foreign born Native born

Earnings

of

foreign

born as

percent

of

native

born

Number

Median

weekly

earnings

Number

Median

weekly

earnings

Number

Median

weekly

earnings

Number

Median

weekly

earnings

Total, 16 years and over.................. 18,674 $885 91,713 $1,000 88.5 19,975 $898 94,341 $1,017 88.3

Men........................................ 11,301 941 49,610 1,115 84.4 11,934 957 50,994 1,131 84.6

Women.................................... 7,373 798 42,103 903 88.4 8,041 804 43,347 927 86.7

AGE

16 to 24 years.............................. 816 596 8,548 607 98.2 998 621 9,394 624 99.5

25 to 34 years.............................. 4,004 885 23,657 907 97.6 4,126 889 24,570 938 94.8

35 to 44 years.............................. 5,117 963 20,524 1,130 85.2 5,538 957 20,911 1,159 82.6

45 to 54 years.............................. 4,833 926 18,981 1,165 79.5 5,184 936 19,134 1,205 77.7

55 to 64 years.............................. 3,107 869 15,910 1,137 76.4 3,284 921 16,008 1,169 78.8

65 years and over.......................... 797 772 4,093 1,034 74.7 845 806 4,325 1,020 79.0

RACE AND HISPANIC OR

LATINO ETHNICITY1

White non-Hispanic or Latino............. 2,840 1,230 64,924 1,075 114.4 3,027 1,276 66,221 1,106 115.4

Black non-Hispanic or Latino............. 1,882 837 11,299 794 105.4 2,003 859 11,809 799 107.5

Asian non-Hispanic or Latino............. 4,858 1,347 2,268 1,277 105.5 5,168 1,371 2,304 1,272 107.8

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity................ 8,867 704 10,691 812 86.7 9,531 713 11,310 846 84.3

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT

Total, 25 years and over.................. 17,858 909 83,166 1,057 86.0 18,977 921 84,947 1,091 84.4

Less than a high school diploma. . . . .. 3,210 601 2,489 655 91.8 3,538 610 2,495 669 91.2

High school graduates, no college2

. .. 4,183 702 19,970 801 87.6 4,495 735 20,365 826 89.0

Some college or associate degree. . .. 2,715 829 22,698 910 91.1 2,842 846 22,982 934 90.6

Bachelor’s degree and higher3

......... 7,750 1,492 38,009 1,409 105.9 8,102 1,521 39,105 1,440 105.6

1 Data for race/ethnicity groups do not sum to totals because data are not presented for all races.

2

Includes persons with a high school diploma or equivalent.

3

Includes persons with bachelor’s, master’s, professional, and doctoral degrees.

NOTE: Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.
Table 6. Employment status of the foreign-born and native-born populations 16 years and over by census

region and division, 2020-2021 annual averages

[Numbers in thousands]

Census region and

division

2020 2021

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................... 9,087 5,800 63.8 5,177 622 10.7 8,878 5,680 64.0 5,288 392 6.9

New England............ 2,019 1,352 66.9 1,212 139 10.3 1,996 1,345 67.4 1,263 83 6.2

Middle Atlantic.......... 7,068 4,448 62.9 3,965 483 10.9 6,882 4,335 63.0 4,025 309 7.1

South....................... 14,686 9,727 66.2 8,943 783 8.1 15,471 10,230 66.1 9,753 477 4.7

South Atlantic........... 8,649 5,732 66.3 5,246 486 8.5 9,010 5,944 66.0 5,684 260 4.4

East South Central. . . .. 725 477 65.8 450 27 5.6 892 598 67.0 574 24 4.0

West South Central. . .. 5,312 3,518 66.2 3,247 271 7.7 5,570 3,689 66.2 3,496 193 5.2

Midwest..................... 4,702 3,166 67.3 2,913 253 8.0 4,852 3,324 68.5 3,184 140 4.2

East North Central. . . .. 3,456 2,270 65.7 2,073 197 8.7 3,654 2,453 67.1 2,347 106 4.3

West North Central..... 1,247 896 71.9 840 56 6.2 1,198 871 72.7 838 34 3.9

West........................ 13,886 8,623 62.1 7,775 848 9.8 14,025 8,752 62.4 8,205 547 6.2

Mountain................. 2,709 1,770 65.3 1,612 157 8.9 2,781 1,788 64.3 1,693 95 5.3

Pacific.................... 11,177 6,854 61.3 6,163 691 10.1 11,244 6,964 61.9 6,512 452 6.5

NATIVE BORN

Northeast................... 36,080 22,252 61.7 20,298 1,954 8.8 36,101 22,034 61.0 20,664 1,370 6.2

New England............ 10,156 6,502 64.0 5,997 505 7.8 10,167 6,453 63.5 6,106 347 5.4

Middle Atlantic.......... 25,924 15,749 60.8 14,301 1,448 9.2 25,934 15,581 60.1 14,558 1,023 6.6

South....................... 84,419 50,053 59.3 46,535 3,518 7.0 84,604 50,224 59.4 47,824 2,400 4.8

South Atlantic........... 44,082 25,978 58.9 24,211 1,767 6.8 44,216 26,171 59.2 24,992 1,179 4.5

East South Central. . . .. 14,384 8,314 57.8 7,719 595 7.2 14,306 8,190 57.2 7,836 354 4.3

West South Central. . .. 25,954 15,762 60.7 14,605 1,156 7.3 26,082 15,863 60.8 14,996 867 5.5

Midwest..................... 49,249 31,298 63.6 28,964 2,334 7.5 49,100 30,896 62.9 29,457 1,439 4.7

East North Central. . . .. 33,738 20,996 62.2 19,237 1,759 8.4 33,488 20,624 61.6 19,565 1,059 5.1

West North Central..... 15,511 10,302 66.4 9,727 575 5.6 15,612 10,272 65.8 9,892 379 3.7

West........................ 48,219 29,824 61.9 27,190 2,634 8.8 48,414 30,064 62.1 28,205 1,858 6.2

Mountain................. 16,983 10,745 63.3 9,944 802 7.5 17,295 10,936 63.2 10,387 549 5.0

Pacific.................... 31,237 19,079 61.1 17,246 1,833 9.6 31,120 19,128 61.5 17,819 1,309 6.8

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

Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont); Middle Atlantic (New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania); South Atlantic (Delaware, District of Columbia,

Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia); East South Central (Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, and

Tennessee); West South Central (Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas); East North Central (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin);

West North Central (Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota); Mountain (Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana,

Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming); Pacific (Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington). Updated population controls are introduced

annually with the release of January data.