For release 10:00 a.m. (EDT) Thursday, May 21, 2015 USDL-15-0971 

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 — 2014 

The unemployment rate for foreign-born persons in the United States was 5.6 percent in 2014, down 

from 6.9 percent in 2013, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The jobless rate of nativeborn persons fell to 6.3 percent from 7.5 percent in the prior year. 

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 2014 data: 

 In 2014, there were 25.7 million foreign-born persons in the U.S. labor force, comprising 16.5 

percent of the total. (See table 1.) 

 Hispanics accounted for 48.3 percent of the foreign-born labor force in 2014 and Asians 

accounted for 24.1 percent. (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 workers were more likely than native-born workers to be employed in service 

occupations and less likely 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 $664 

in 2014, compared with $820 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.) 
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Demographic Characteristics 

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

force. In 2014, men accounted for 58.1 percent of the foreign-born labor force, compared with 52.2 

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 (74.3 percent) was higher than for the native-born labor force (62.7 percent). Labor 

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

In 2014, nearly half (48.3 percent) of the foreign-born labor force was Hispanic, and almost one-quarter 

(24.1 percent) was Asian, compared with 9.9 percent and 1.8 percent, respectively, of the native-born 

labor force. About 17.5 percent of the foreign-born labor force was white and 9.0 percent was black, 

compared with 73.9 percent and 11.9 percent, respectively, of the native-born labor force. 

In 2014, 23.8 percent of the foreign-born labor force age 25 and over had not completed high school, 

compared with 4.6 percent of the native-born labor force. The foreign born were less likely than the 

native born to have some college or an associate degree—17.5 percent versus 29.9 percent. The 

proportions for foreign-born and native-born persons that had a bachelor’s degree or higher were more 

similar, at 34.2 percent and 38.2 percent, respectively. 

Labor Force 

The share of the U.S. civilian labor force that was foreign born was 16.5 percent in 2014, about the same 

as in 2013, but up from 13.3 percent in 2000. (See table 1.) 

In 2014, the labor force participation rate of the foreign born was 66.0 percent, compared with 62.3 

percent for the native born. The participation rate for the foreign born was little different from the prior 

year, while that for the native born continued to trend down. 

The participation rate of foreign-born men was 78.7 percent in 2014, higher than the rate of 67.4 percent 

for native-born men. In contrast, 53.9 percent of foreign-born women were labor force participants, 

lower than the rate of 57.5 percent for native-born women. 

Among the major race and ethnicity groups in 2014, labor force participation rates for foreign-born 

Asians declined by 1.3 percentage points to 63.8 percent, while the rates for foreign-born whites (59.5 

percent), blacks (71.1 percent), and Hispanics (68.9 percent) were little different from the prior year. In 

comparison, the participation rate for native-born whites (62.6 percent) declined in 2014, while the rates 

for blacks (59.7 percent), Asians (62.2 percent), and Hispanics (63.6 percent) showed little change. 

In 2014, foreign-born mothers with children under 18 years old were less likely to be labor force 

participants than were native-born mothers—59.1 percent versus 73.1 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. The labor force participation rate of foreign-born 

mothers with children under age 6 was 50.1 percent in 2014, much lower than that for native-born 

mothers with children under age 6, at 68.2 percent. Among women with children under age 3, the 

participation rate for the foreign born (45.4 percent) was 19.7 percentage points below that for nativeborn mothers (65.1 percent). The labor force participation rates of foreign-born and native-born fathers 

with children under age 18 were more similar, at 93.8 percent and 92.4 percent, respectively. (See table 

2.) 
- 3 - 

By region, the foreign born made up a larger share of the labor force in the West (23.8 percent) and in 

the Northeast (19.2 percent) than for the nation as a whole (16.5 percent) in 2014. In contrast, the 

foreign born made up a smaller share of the labor force than for the nation as a whole in the South (15.3 

percent) and Midwest (8.5 percent). (See table 6.) 

Unemployment 

From 2013 to 2014, the unemployment rate of the foreign born declined from 6.9 percent to 5.6 percent, 

and the jobless rate for the native born fell from 7.5 percent to 6.3 percent. The over-the-year decrease in 

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

men and women. The unemployment rate for foreign-born men fell from 6.4 percent to 5.0 percent, and 

the rate for foreign-born women was down from 7.5 percent to 6.5 percent. Among the native born, the 

rate for men fell from 7.9 percent to 6.5 percent, while the rate for women was down from 7.0 percent to 

6.0 percent. (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 (8.6 percent) in 2014. The 

unemployment rates were 5.9 percent for Hispanics, 4.7 percent for whites, and 4.6 percent for Asians. 

Among the native born, blacks also had the highest jobless rate (11.8 percent) in 2014, followed by 

Hispanics (8.8 percent). The unemployment rates were 5.6 percent for Asians and 4.9 percent for whites. 

Occupation 

In 2014, foreign-born workers were more likely than native-born workers to be employed in service 

occupations (24.1 percent versus 16.4 percent); in production, transportation, and material moving 

occupations (15.6 percent versus 11.2 percent); and in natural resources, construction, and maintenance 

occupations (13.7 percent versus 8.4 percent). (See table 4.) 

Native-born workers were more likely than foreign-born workers to be employed in management, 

professional, and related occupations (39.8 percent versus 30.7 percent) and in sales and office 

occupations (24.2 percent versus 16.0 percent). 

Foreign-born men were more likely than native-born men to work in natural resources, construction, and 

maintenance occupations and in service occupations. Compared with native-born women, foreign-born 

women were more likely to be in service occupations and in production, transportation, and material 

moving occupations. Among women, the disparity was especially great in service occupations; 32.4 

percent of foreign-born women worked in service occupations in 2014, compared with 19.5 percent of 

native-born women. Native-born women were more likely than foreign-born women to be in sales and 

office occupations, 31.5 percent versus 22.2 percent. 

Earnings 

In 2014, the median usual weekly earnings of foreign-born, full-time wage and salary workers ($664) 

were 81.0 percent of the earnings of their native-born counterparts ($820). Among men, median weekly 

earnings for the foreign-born men ($695) were 76.2 percent of the earnings of their native-born 

counterparts ($912). Median earnings for foreign-born women ($613) were 83.5 percent of the earnings 

of their native-born counterparts ($734). Differences in earnings reflect a variety of factors, including 
- 4 - 

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

occupation, industry, and geographic region. (See table 5.) 

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

earned 79.0 percent as much as their native-born counterparts in 2014. For white, black, and Asian 

workers, earnings for the foreign born and the native born were relatively close within each group. 

The earnings of both foreign-born and native-born workers increase with education. In 2014, foreignborn workers age 25 and over with less than a high school education earned $463 per week, while those 

with a bachelor’s degree and higher earned about 2.6 times as much—$1,222 per week. Among the 

native born, those with a bachelor’s degree and higher earned about 2.3 times as much as those with less 

than a high school education—$1,188 versus $517 per week. 

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

between the earnings of foreign-born and native-born workers closes at higher levels of education. For 

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

84.3 percent as much in 2014 as their native-born counterparts. Among those with a bachelor’s degree 

and higher, the earnings of foreign-born workers were essentially the same as the earnings of nativeborn 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 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. 

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 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. That 

is, they were born outside the United States or one of its 

outlying areas such as Puerto Rico or Guam, to parents 

neither of whom was a U.S. citizen. The foreign-born 

population includes legally-admitted immigrants, refugees, 

temporary residents such as students and temporary 

workers, and undocumented immigrants. The survey data, 

however, do not separately identify the number of persons 

in these categories. 

Native born. The native born are persons born in the 

United States or one of its outlying areas such as Puerto 

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

parent who was a U.S. citizen. 

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

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

for persons of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity. These four 

groups are mutually exclusive but not exhaustive. Other 

race groups (including persons who selected more than one 

race category) are included in the overall totals but are not 

shown separately because the number of survey 

respondents is too small to develop statistically reliable 

estimates. The presentation of data on race and ethnicity in 

this release differs from that which appears in most 

analyses of CPS labor force data because persons of 

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity are separated from the race 

groups. Because persons of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity can 

be of any race, they are usually included in the race groups 

as well as shown separately in the Hispanic or Latino 

ethnicity group. The reason for the difference in the data 

presentation in this release is because about half of the 

foreign born are of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity and they 

have somewhat different labor force characteristics than the 

non-Hispanic foreign born. 

Employed. Employed persons are all those who, 

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

paid employees; (b) worked in their own business, 

profession, or on their own farm; or (c) worked 15 hours or 

more as unpaid workers in a family member's business. 

Persons who were temporarily absent from their jobs 

because of illness, bad weather, vacation, labor dispute, or 

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

employment during the reference week, were available for 

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

employment sometime during the 4-week period ending 

with the reference week. Persons who were waiting to be 

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

be looking for work to be classified as unemployed. 

Civilian labor force. The civilian labor force 

comprises all persons classified as employed or 

unemployed. 

Unemployment rate. The unemployment rate is the 

number unemployed as a percent of the civilian labor force. 

Labor force participation rate. The labor force 

participation rate is the labor force as a percent of the 

population. 

Usual weekly earnings. Data represent earnings before 

taxes and other deductions and include any overtime pay, 

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

case of multiple jobholders). Earnings reported on a basis 

other than weekly are converted to a weekly equivalent. 

Full-time wage and salary workers. These are workers 

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

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

of compensation. The group includes employees in both the 

private and public sectors but, for purposes of the earnings 

series, excludes all self-employed persons, regardless of 

whether or not their businesses are incorporated. 

Median earnings. The median earnings is the amount 

which divides a given earnings distribution into two equal 

groups, one having earnings above the median and the other 

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

2013-2014 annual averages

[Numbers in thousands]

Characteristic

2013 2014

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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245,679 155,389 63.2 143,929 11,460 7.4 247,947 155,922 62.9 146,305 9,617 6.2

Men. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118,555 82,667 69.7 76,353 6,314 7.6 119,748 82,882 69.2 77,692 5,190 6.3

Women. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127,124 72,722 57.2 67,577 5,146 7.1 128,199 73,039 57.0 68,613 4,426 6.1

FOREIGN BORN

Total, 16 years and over. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38,162 25,328 66.4 23,582 1,746 6.9 38,997 25,735 66.0 24,282 1,453 5.6

Men. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18,543 14,615 78.8 13,677 938 6.4 18,997 14,957 78.7 14,204 753 5.0

Women. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19,620 10,713 54.6 9,905 809 7.5 20,000 10,779 53.9 10,078 700 6.5

Age

16 to 24 years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,719 1,951 52.4 1,702 249 12.7 3,543 1,852 52.3 1,645 207 11.2

25 to 34 years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,615 5,754 75.6 5,368 386 6.7 7,554 5,647 74.8 5,324 323 5.7

35 to 44 years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8,687 6,937 79.9 6,541 395 5.7 8,897 7,032 79.0 6,697 336 4.8

45 to 54 years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,691 6,193 80.5 5,789 404 6.5 7,949 6,441 81.0 6,109 332 5.2

55 to 64 years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,256 3,529 67.2 3,276 254 7.2 5,534 3,715 67.1 3,515 200 5.4

65 years and over. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,195 964 18.6 905 59 6.1 5,520 1,047 19.0 992 55 5.2

Race and Hispanic

or Latino ethnicity1

White non-Hispanic or Latino. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,473 4,485 60.0 4,189 297 6.6 7,564 4,500 59.5 4,290 211 4.7

Black non-Hispanic or Latino. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,175 2,280 71.8 2,041 239 10.5 3,243 2,305 71.1 2,106 199 8.6

Asian non-Hispanic or Latino. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9,440 6,143 65.1 5,857 286 4.7 9,729 6,211 63.8 5,924 287 4.6

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17,658 12,115 68.6 11,210 906 7.5 18,053 12,431 68.9 11,692 739 5.9

Educational attainment

Total, 25 years and over. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34,443 23,378 67.9 21,880 1,498 6.4 35,455 23,883 67.4 22,637 1,246 5.2

Less than a high school diploma. . . . . . . . . . 9,520 5,688 59.7 5,229 459 8.1 9,649 5,684 58.9 5,321 363 6.4

High school graduates, no college2

. . . . . . . 8,763 5,786 66.0 5,375 411 7.1 8,924 5,856 65.6 5,547 309 5.3

Some college or associate degree. . . . . . . . 5,654 4,004 70.8 3,743 262 6.5 5,816 4,168 71.7 3,932 236 5.7

Bachelor’s degree and higher3

. . . . . . . . . . . . 10,507 7,899 75.2 7,533 366 4.6 11,065 8,176 73.9 7,838 338 4.1

NATIVE BORN

Total, 16 years and over. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207,517 130,061 62.7 120,348 9,713 7.5 208,949 130,187 62.3 122,023 8,164 6.3

Men. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100,013 68,052 68.0 62,675 5,376 7.9 100,751 67,926 67.4 63,488 4,437 6.5

Women. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107,504 62,009 57.7 57,672 4,337 7.0 108,199 62,261 57.5 58,535 3,726 6.0

Age

16 to 24 years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35,120 19,430 55.3 16,355 3,075 15.8 35,170 19,443 55.3 16,797 2,646 13.6

25 to 34 years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33,933 27,992 82.5 25,874 2,118 7.6 34,577 28,551 82.6 26,651 1,901 6.7

35 to 44 years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30,926 25,626 82.9 24,109 1,517 5.9 30,668 25,473 83.1 24,270 1,203 4.7

45 to 54 years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35,555 28,274 79.5 26,733 1,541 5.4 34,866 27,621 79.2 26,446 1,175 4.3

55 to 64 years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33,766 21,587 63.9 20,501 1,086 5.0 34,230 21,787 63.6 20,880 907 4.2

65 years and over. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38,217 7,152 18.7 6,776 376 5.3 39,439 7,311 18.5 6,979 332 4.5

Race and Hispanic

or Latino ethnicity1

White non-Hispanic or Latino. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153,335 96,826 63.1 91,058 5,768 6.0 153,630 96,161 62.6 91,456 4,705 4.9

Black non-Hispanic or Latino. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25,508 15,186 59.5 13,135 2,051 13.5 25,844 15,437 59.7 13,608 1,829 11.8

Asian non-Hispanic or Latino. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,538 2,207 62.4 2,065 142 6.5 3,738 2,325 62.2 2,195 130 5.6

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19,860 12,656 63.7 11,305 1,351 10.7 20,347 12,939 63.6 11,800 1,139 8.8

Educational attainment

Total, 25 years and over. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172,397 110,631 64.2 103,993 6,638 6.0 173,780 110,744 63.7 105,226 5,518 5.0

Less than a high school diploma. . . . . . . . . . 14,905 5,317 35.7 4,569 748 14.1 14,493 5,144 35.5 4,531 613 11.9

High school graduates, no college2

. . . . . . . 53,186 30,573 57.5 28,244 2,329 7.6 53,136 30,177 56.8 28,319 1,858 6.2

Some college or associate degree. . . . . . . . 49,384 33,289 67.4 31,182 2,107 6.3 49,878 33,153 66.5 31,367 1,786 5.4

Bachelor’s degree and higher3

. . . . . . . . . . . . 54,923 41,452 75.5 39,998 1,454 3.5 56,272 42,270 75.1 41,010 1,261 3.0

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, 2013-2014 annual averages

[Numbers in thousands]

Characteristic

2013 2014

Total Men Women Total Men Women

FOREIGN BORN

With own children under 18

Civilian noninstitutional population................................... 14,838 6,886 7,952 15,109 7,055 8,054

Civilian labor force.................................................. 11,189 6,442 4,747 11,382 6,619 4,763

Participation rate.................................................. 75.4 93.6 59.7 75.3 93.8 59.1

Employed.......................................................... 10,494 6,114 4,380 10,786 6,355 4,431

Employment-population ratio................................. 70.7 88.8 55.1 71.4 90.1 55.0

Unemployed....................................................... 695 328 367 596 265 332

Unemployment rate............................................ 6.2 5.1 7.7 5.2 4.0 7.0

With own children 6 to 17, none younger

Civilian noninstitutional population................................... 8,003 3,622 4,381 8,197 3,719 4,478

Civilian labor force.................................................. 6,265 3,347 2,918 6,420 3,447 2,972

Participation rate.................................................. 78.3 92.4 66.6 78.3 92.7 66.4

Employed.......................................................... 5,870 3,167 2,703 6,082 3,297 2,785

Employment-population ratio................................. 73.3 87.4 61.7 74.2 88.6 62.2

Unemployed....................................................... 395 180 215 338 151 187

Unemployment rate............................................ 6.3 5.4 7.4 5.3 4.4 6.3

With own children under 6

Civilian noninstitutional population................................... 6,835 3,264 3,572 6,912 3,336 3,577

Civilian labor force.................................................. 4,924 3,094 1,829 4,963 3,172 1,791

Participation rate.................................................. 72.0 94.8 51.2 71.8 95.1 50.1

Employed.......................................................... 4,624 2,947 1,677 4,704 3,058 1,646

Employment-population ratio................................. 67.7 90.3 47.0 68.1 91.7 46.0

Unemployed....................................................... 299 147 152 259 114 145

Unemployment rate............................................ 6.1 4.8 8.3 5.2 3.6 8.1

With own children under 3

Civilian noninstitutional population................................... 3,736 1,809 1,927 3,742 1,816 1,926

Civilian labor force.................................................. 2,614 1,715 899 2,607 1,733 874

Participation rate.................................................. 70.0 94.8 46.7 69.7 95.4 45.4

Employed.......................................................... 2,464 1,638 826 2,468 1,665 802

Employment-population ratio................................. 66.0 90.6 42.9 65.9 91.7 41.7

Unemployed....................................................... 150 77 74 140 68 72

Unemployment rate............................................ 5.7 4.5 8.2 5.4 3.9 8.2

With no own children under 18

Civilian noninstitutional population................................... 23,324 11,657 11,667 23,888 11,942 11,946

Civilian labor force.................................................. 14,139 8,173 5,966 14,353 8,337 6,016

Participation rate.................................................. 60.6 70.1 51.1 60.1 69.8 50.4

Employed.......................................................... 13,087 7,563 5,524 13,496 7,849 5,647

Employment-population ratio................................. 56.1 64.9 47.4 56.5 65.7 47.3

Unemployed....................................................... 1,052 610 442 857 488 368

Unemployment rate............................................ 7.4 7.5 7.4 6.0 5.9 6.1

NATIVE BORN

With own children under 18

Civilian noninstitutional population................................... 50,546 22,061 28,486 50,534 21,986 28,548

Civilian labor force.................................................. 41,145 20,427 20,719 41,198 20,320 20,878

Participation rate.................................................. 81.4 92.6 72.7 81.5 92.4 73.1

Employed.......................................................... 38,651 19,426 19,226 39,162 19,544 19,618

Employment-population ratio................................. 76.5 88.1 67.5 77.5 88.9 68.7

Unemployed....................................................... 2,494 1,001 1,493 2,036 776 1,260

Unemployment rate............................................ 6.1 4.9 7.2 4.9 3.8 6.0

With own children 6 to 17, none younger

Civilian noninstitutional population................................... 28,216 12,384 15,831 28,289 12,395 15,895

Civilian labor force.................................................. 23,550 11,366 12,183 23,569 11,321 12,248

Participation rate.................................................. 83.5 91.8 77.0 83.3 91.3 77.1

Employed.......................................................... 22,346 10,880 11,466 22,607 10,947 11,660

Employment-population ratio................................. 79.2 87.9 72.4 79.9 88.3 73.4
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, 2013-2014 annual averages — Continued

[Numbers in thousands]

Characteristic

2013 2014

Total Men Women Total Men Women

Unemployed....................................................... 1,204 486 718 962 374 588

Unemployment rate............................................ 5.1 4.3 5.9 4.1 3.3 4.8

With own children under 6

Civilian noninstitutional population................................... 22,331 9,676 12,655 22,244 9,591 12,653

Civilian labor force.................................................. 17,596 9,060 8,535 17,628 8,999 8,629

Participation rate.................................................. 78.8 93.6 67.4 79.2 93.8 68.2

Employed.......................................................... 16,306 8,546 7,760 16,555 8,597 7,958

Employment-population ratio................................. 73.0 88.3 61.3 74.4 89.6 62.9

Unemployed....................................................... 1,290 515 775 1,074 402 672

Unemployment rate............................................ 7.3 5.7 9.1 6.1 4.5 7.8

With own children under 3

Civilian noninstitutional population................................... 12,928 5,644 7,284 12,986 5,688 7,298

Civilian labor force.................................................. 10,018 5,291 4,727 10,102 5,352 4,750

Participation rate.................................................. 77.5 93.7 64.9 77.8 94.1 65.1

Employed.......................................................... 9,282 4,995 4,287 9,472 5,105 4,367

Employment-population ratio................................. 71.8 88.5 58.9 72.9 89.8 59.8

Unemployed....................................................... 736 296 440 631 247 384

Unemployment rate............................................ 7.3 5.6 9.3 6.2 4.6 8.1

With no own children under 18

Civilian noninstitutional population................................... 156,971 77,952 79,019 158,415 78,765 79,651

Civilian labor force.................................................. 88,916 47,625 41,290 88,989 47,606 41,383

Participation rate.................................................. 56.6 61.1 52.3 56.2 60.4 52.0

Employed.......................................................... 81,696 43,250 38,446 82,861 43,944 38,917

Employment-population ratio................................. 52.0 55.5 48.7 52.3 55.8 48.9

Unemployed....................................................... 7,219 4,375 2,844 6,128 3,662 2,466

Unemployment rate............................................ 8.1 9.2 6.9 6.9 7.7 6.0

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, 2013-2014 annual averages

[Numbers in thousands]

Characteristic

2013 2014

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..................... 770 1,708 1,412 3,004 736 1,671 1,413 3,184

Civilian labor force..................................... 256 897 880 2,172 258 856 890 2,234

Participation rate.................................... 33.2 52.5 62.4 72.3 35.0 51.2 63.0 70.2

Employed............................................. 235 838 826 2,045 245 822 844 2,146

Employment-population ratio.................... 30.6 49.1 58.5 68.1 33.2 49.2 59.7 67.4

Unemployed.......................................... 20 59 54 127 13 34 46 88

Unemployment rate.............................. 8.0 6.6 6.1 5.8 5.0 4.0 5.2 3.9

Black non-Hispanic or Latino

Civilian noninstitutional population..................... 413 809 681 889 410 810 749 899

Civilian labor force..................................... 237 585 531 740 216 576 597 733

Participation rate.................................... 57.6 72.3 77.9 83.2 52.8 71.2 79.7 81.6

Employed............................................. 205 519 474 696 193 528 546 689

Employment-population ratio.................... 49.7 64.2 69.6 78.3 46.9 65.2 72.8 76.7

Unemployed.......................................... 32 66 57 43 24 48 52 44

Unemployment rate.............................. 13.6 11.3 10.7 5.8 11.1 8.4 8.6 6.1

Asian non-Hispanic or Latino

Civilian noninstitutional population..................... 988 1,669 1,325 4,600 1,041 1,758 1,296 4,825

Civilian labor force..................................... 403 1,036 925 3,433 407 1,043 877 3,568

Participation rate.................................... 40.8 62.1 69.8 74.6 39.1 59.3 67.7 74.0

Employed............................................. 377 978 873 3,316 379 1,001 835 3,435

Employment-population ratio.................... 38.2 58.6 65.9 72.1 36.4 56.9 64.4 71.2

Unemployed.......................................... 26 58 51 118 28 42 42 133

Unemployment rate.............................. 6.4 5.6 5.6 3.4 6.9 4.0 4.8 3.7

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Civilian noninstitutional population..................... 7,299 4,486 2,152 1,859 7,392 4,593 2,272 2,040

Civilian labor force..................................... 4,765 3,198 1,601 1,429 4,765 3,314 1,740 1,544

Participation rate.................................... 65.3 71.3 74.4 76.9 64.5 72.2 76.6 75.7

Employed............................................. 4,385 2,977 1,506 1,353 4,470 3,134 1,649 1,473

Employment-population ratio.................... 60.1 66.4 70.0 72.8 60.5 68.2 72.6 72.2

Unemployed.......................................... 379 221 95 76 295 180 91 70

Unemployment rate.............................. 8.0 6.9 5.9 5.3 6.2 5.4 5.2 4.5

NATIVE BORN

White non-Hispanic or Latino

Civilian noninstitutional population..................... 9,283 39,947 37,317 45,779 8,941 39,783 37,386 46,674

Civilian labor force..................................... 3,129 22,460 24,635 34,201 3,012 22,023 24,287 34,576

Participation rate.................................... 33.7 56.2 66.0 74.7 33.7 55.4 65.0 74.1

Employed............................................. 2,781 21,032 23,305 33,116 2,733 20,932 23,188 33,647

Employment-population ratio.................... 30.0 52.7 62.5 72.3 30.6 52.6 62.0 72.1

Unemployed.......................................... 347 1,428 1,330 1,085 278 1,090 1,099 929

Unemployment rate.............................. 11.1 6.4 5.4 3.2 9.2 5.0 4.5 2.7

Black non-Hispanic or Latino

Civilian noninstitutional population..................... 2,765 7,151 6,184 4,208 2,715 7,163 6,399 4,404

Civilian labor force..................................... 919 4,130 4,324 3,263 906 4,134 4,397 3,432

Participation rate.................................... 33.2 57.8 69.9 77.5 33.4 57.7 68.7 77.9

Employed............................................. 702 3,600 3,900 3,080 733 3,669 3,998 3,258

Employment-population ratio.................... 25.4 50.3 63.1 73.2 27.0 51.2 62.5 74.0

Unemployed.......................................... 217 530 424 182 173 465 398 174

Unemployment rate.............................. 23.7 12.8 9.8 5.6 19.1 11.3 9.1 5.1

Asian non-Hispanic or Latino

Civilian noninstitutional population..................... 132 437 534 1,329 141 449 566 1,416

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, 2013-2014 annual averages — Continued

[Numbers in thousands]

Characteristic

2013 2014

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..................................... 64 253 381 1,050 61 253 392 1,135

Participation rate.................................... 48.6 57.8 71.3 79.0 43.0 56.4 69.3 80.2

Employed............................................. 59 243 360 1,009 56 236 373 1,097

Employment-population ratio.................... 44.9 55.6 67.3 75.9 39.5 52.7 65.9 77.5

Unemployed.......................................... 5 10 22 40 5 17 19 39

Unemployment rate.............................. 7.6 3.8 5.7 3.8 8.1 6.6 4.9 3.4

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Civilian noninstitutional population..................... 2,309 4,468 4,029 2,693 2,291 4,505 4,190 2,811

Civilian labor force..................................... 1,060 3,050 3,046 2,214 1,027 3,034 3,172 2,349

Participation rate.................................... 45.9 68.3 75.6 82.2 44.8 67.4 75.7 83.6

Employed............................................. 912 2,777 2,818 2,107 895 2,820 2,977 2,268

Employment-population ratio.................... 39.5 62.2 69.9 78.2 39.1 62.6 71.0 80.7

Unemployed.......................................... 148 272 228 107 132 215 194 81

Unemployment rate.............................. 13.9 8.9 7.5 4.8 12.9 7.1 6.1 3.5

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, 2014

annual averages

[Percent distribution]

Occupation

Foreign born Native born

Total Men Women Total Men Women

Total employed (in thousands)....................................... 24,282 14,204 10,078 122,023 63,488 58,535

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........... 30.7 28.5 33.7 39.8 36.3 43.6

Management, business, and financial operations

occupations..................................................... 11.5 11.5 11.6 16.7 18.0 15.3

Management occupations.................................... 8.0 8.8 6.9 11.7 13.7 9.5

Business and financial operations occupations............ 3.5 2.7 4.7 5.0 4.3 5.8

Professional and related occupations.......................... 19.1 17.0 22.2 23.1 18.4 28.3

Computer and mathematical occupations.................. 4.3 5.6 2.5 2.7 3.8 1.4

Architecture and engineering occupations.................. 2.2 3.0 0.9 1.9 3.1 0.6

Life, physical, and social science occupations............. 1.1 1.1 1.0 0.9 0.9 0.9

Community and social service occupations................ 1.0 0.7 1.4 1.8 1.2 2.5

Legal occupations............................................. 0.5 0.4 0.8 1.4 1.3 1.4

Education, training, and library occupations................ 3.4 1.9 5.5 6.4 3.1 10.0

Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media

occupations.................................................. 1.4 1.3 1.4 2.1 2.1 2.1

Healthcare practitioner and technical occupations. . . . . . .. 5.3 3.0 8.6 5.9 2.8 9.3

Service occupations................................................ 24.1 18.1 32.4 16.4 13.6 19.5

Healthcare support occupations................................ 2.7 0.7 5.4 2.3 0.5 4.2

Protective service occupations................................. 1.0 1.4 0.5 2.4 3.6 1.1

Food preparation and serving related occupations.......... 7.3 6.9 7.7 5.2 4.2 6.3

Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance

occupations..................................................... 8.7 7.5 10.2 3.0 3.8 2.2

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

Sales and office occupations...................................... 16.0 11.7 22.2 24.2 17.5 31.5

Sales and related occupations.................................. 8.4 7.2 10.1 11.2 10.9 11.4

Office and administrative support occupations............... 7.7 4.5 12.1 13.0 6.6 20.1

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance

occupations........................................................ 13.7 22.2 1.7 8.4 15.4 0.7

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations.................... 1.7 2.2 1.0 0.5 0.8 0.2

Construction and extraction occupations...................... 9.0 15.2 0.3 4.5 8.3 0.3

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations........... 2.9 4.8 0.3 3.4 6.3 0.2

Production, transportation, and material moving

occupations........................................................ 15.6 19.5 10.0 11.2 17.2 4.7

Production occupations.......................................... 8.0 8.5 7.3 5.3 7.7 2.8

Transportation and material moving occupations............ 7.6 11.0 2.8 5.9 9.5 1.9

NOTE: Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.
Table 5. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers for the foreign born and native

born by selected characteristics, 2013-2014 annual averages

[Numbers in thousands]

Characteristic

2013 2014

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.................. 17,551 $643 86,712 $805 79.9 18,094 $664 88,433 $820 81.0

Men........................................ 10,741 671 47,254 899 74.6 11,143 695 48,307 912 76.2

Women.................................... 6,810 610 39,458 719 84.8 6,951 613 40,126 734 83.5

AGE

16 to 24 years.............................. 1,001 415 8,246 459 90.4 1,020 423 8,563 482 87.8

25 to 34 years.............................. 4,257 593 20,824 730 81.2 4,214 609 21,508 744 81.9

35 to 44 years.............................. 5,065 705 19,238 911 77.4 5,176 715 19,414 919 77.8

45 to 54 years.............................. 4,341 699 20,759 916 76.3 4,600 708 20,759 939 75.4

55 to 64 years.............................. 2,376 706 14,691 932 75.8 2,505 734 15,103 940 78.1

65 years and over.......................... 510 665 2,954 831 80.0 580 689 3,086 856 80.5

RACE AND HISPANIC OR

LATINO ETHNICITY1

White non-Hispanic or Latino............. 2,867 952 64,767 864 110.2 2,906 931 65,572 880 105.8

Black non-Hispanic or Latino............. 1,547 649 10,139 634 102.4 1,638 661 10,498 640 103.3

Asian non-Hispanic or Latino............. 4,383 951 1,524 936 101.6 4,549 969 1,591 924 104.9

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity................ 8,529 509 8,330 651 78.2 8,792 523 8,683 662 79.0

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT

Total, 25 years and over.................. 16,550 670 78,465 860 77.9 17,074 687 79,869 871 78.9

Less than a high school diploma. . . . .. 3,931 428 3,025 511 83.8 3,952 463 2,974 517 89.6

High school graduates, no college2

. .. 4,047 565 20,997 674 83.8 4,105 581 21,425 689 84.3

Some college or associate degree. . .. 2,719 691 23,315 754 91.6 2,866 685 23,542 771 88.8

Bachelor’s degree and higher3

......... 5,853 1,235 31,129 1,187 104.0 6,151 1,222 31,929 1,188 102.9

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 6. Employment status of the foreign-born and native-born populations 16 years and over by census

region and division, 2013-2014 annual averages

[Numbers in thousands]

Census region and

division

2013 2014

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................... 8,255 5,410 65.5 5,004 405 7.5 8,455 5,431 64.2 5,087 343 6.3

New England............ 1,609 1,098 68.2 1,019 79 7.2 1,739 1,155 66.4 1,086 69 6.0

Middle Atlantic.......... 6,646 4,312 64.9 3,985 326 7.6 6,716 4,276 63.7 4,002 274 6.4

South....................... 12,428 8,431 67.8 7,907 523 6.2 12,812 8,707 68.0 8,276 431 4.9

South Atlantic........... 7,273 4,919 67.6 4,600 319 6.5 7,551 5,122 67.8 4,848 274 5.3

East South Central. . . .. 661 453 68.6 419 34 7.6 653 426 65.3 404 22 5.2

West South Central. . .. 4,495 3,059 68.1 2,889 170 5.6 4,608 3,159 68.6 3,024 135 4.3

Midwest..................... 4,281 2,894 67.6 2,698 196 6.8 4,350 2,924 67.2 2,762 162 5.5

East North Central. . . .. 3,183 2,117 66.5 1,965 152 7.2 3,260 2,142 65.7 2,022 120 5.6

West North Central..... 1,099 777 70.7 733 44 5.6 1,090 781 71.7 740 41 5.3

West........................ 13,197 8,593 65.1 7,971 622 7.2 13,380 8,674 64.8 8,156 517 6.0

Mountain................. 2,319 1,498 64.6 1,399 98 6.6 2,503 1,638 65.4 1,560 78 4.7

Pacific.................... 10,878 7,096 65.2 6,572 524 7.4 10,877 7,036 64.7 6,596 440 6.3

NATIVE BORN

Northeast................... 36,410 22,957 63.1 21,230 1,727 7.5 36,441 22,816 62.6 21,427 1,389 6.1

New England............ 10,154 6,598 65.0 6,136 461 7.0 10,103 6,630 65.6 6,242 388 5.9

Middle Atlantic.......... 26,255 16,359 62.3 15,094 1,265 7.7 26,338 16,186 61.5 15,185 1,001 6.2

South....................... 78,717 48,191 61.2 44,729 3,462 7.2 79,382 48,144 60.6 45,166 2,979 6.2

South Atlantic........... 41,003 25,076 61.2 23,238 1,838 7.3 41,285 25,048 60.7 23,441 1,607 6.4

East South Central. . . .. 13,840 8,124 58.7 7,483 641 7.9 13,941 7,996 57.4 7,442 554 6.9

West South Central. . .. 23,875 14,992 62.8 14,009 983 6.6 24,156 15,101 62.5 14,283 818 5.4

Midwest..................... 48,333 31,404 65.0 29,140 2,264 7.2 48,584 31,531 64.9 29,682 1,849 5.9

East North Central. . . .. 33,291 21,151 63.5 19,417 1,734 8.2 33,404 21,184 63.4 19,815 1,369 6.5

West North Central..... 15,041 10,253 68.2 9,723 530 5.2 15,180 10,347 68.2 9,867 480 4.6

West........................ 44,057 27,509 62.4 25,248 2,261 8.2 44,543 27,695 62.2 25,748 1,947 7.0

Mountain................. 15,070 9,577 63.5 8,895 682 7.1 15,145 9,589 63.3 9,011 578 6.0

Pacific.................... 28,987 17,932 61.9 16,353 1,579 8.8 29,397 18,106 61.6 16,737 1,369 7.6

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.