1

Technical information: (202) 691-6378

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

Media contact: 691-5902

USDL 05-834

For release: 10:00 A.M. EDT

Thursday, May 12, 2005

LABOR FORCE CHARACTERISTICS OF FOREIGN-BORN WORKERS IN 2004

The unemployment rate for the foreign born fell to 5.5 percent in 2004, down from 6.6 percent in the

prior year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. The jobless

rate of the native born also fell to 5.5 percent in 2004, declining from 5.9 percent in the previous year.

This news release compares the labor force characteristics of the foreign born with those of their nativeborn counterparts. The data on nativity are collected as part of the Current Population Survey (CPS), a

monthly sample survey of approximately 60,000 households. The foreign born are persons who reside in the

United States but who were born outside the country or one of its outlying areas to parents who were not

U.S. citizens. For further information about the survey, see the Technical Note.

Labor Force and Unemployment

In 2004, there were 21.4 million foreign-born persons in the United States labor force, comprising 14.5

percent of the total. (See table 1.) From 2002 to 2004, the number of foreign-born labor force participants

grew by about 1.2 million on net and accounted for a little less than half of total labor force growth over the

same period.

A little over two-thirds of foreign-born persons 16 years and over were in the labor force in 2004, about

the same proportion as in the previous 2 years. Over the year, the labor force participation rate for the

native born edged down from 66.1 to 65.7 percent.

Foreign-born men were more likely to be labor force participants (81.1 percent) than their native-born

counterparts (72.0 percent). In contrast, foreign-born women were less likely to be labor force participants

than native-born women—53.8 versus 60.0 percent. Over the year, the labor force participation rates of

both men and women were about unchanged for the foreign born, while they edged down for their nativeborn counterparts.

Among the major race/ethnic groups, labor force participation of foreign-born non-Hispanic blacks edged

down over the year. Among the native born, labor force participation declined for non-Hispanic Asians, but

edged up for Hispanics or Latinos. (See tables 1 and 3.)

The labor force participation rate for foreign-born women with children under 18 was 58.4 percent in

2004, compared with 73.0 percent for native-born mothers. Participation rates for both groups were down

from the prior year—by 1.2 and 0.6 percentage points, respectively. About 94 percent of both foreign-born

and native-born fathers with children under 18 were in the labor force in 2004. (See table 2.)
2

The over-the-year decline in the unemployment rate of foreign-born workers—from 6.6 percent in 2003

to 5.5 percent in 2004—reflected declines in the rates for both men and women. The unemployment rate for

foreign-born men fell from 6.2 to 5.0 percent, and the rate for foreign-born women declined from 7.1 to 6.3

percent. Among the native born, the unemployment rate for men declined from 6.3 percent in 2003 to 5.8

percent in 2004, while the rate for women was little changed. (See table 1.)

Occupation

The largest group of foreign-born workers was employed in management, professional, and related

occupations (26.5 percent) in 2004. This was also the case for native-born workers, with 36.3 percent of

them employed in this occupational category. An additional 22.8 percent of foreign-born workers were

employed in service occupations and 18.4 percent were in sales and office occupations, as were 15.2 and

26.7 percent, respectively, of the native-born workers. (See table 4.)

Reflecting the downward trend in manufacturing employment as a whole, the proportions of both foreignborn and native-born workers employed in production, transportation, and material moving occupations

declined from 2000 to 2004. In 2000, 20.4 percent of foreign-born and 13.8 percent of native-born

workers were employed in these occupations. In 2004, the proportions were 17.5 percent for the foreign

born and 12.1 percent for the native born.

Earnings

In 2004, the median usual weekly earnings of foreign-born full-time wage and salary workers ($502),

were 75.6 percent of those of their native-born counterparts ($664). The earnings of foreign-born men

($518) were 69.1 percent of those of native-born men ($749), while foreign-born women had earnings

($473) that were 81.0 percent of those of native-born women ($585). While earnings for both the foreignborn and native-born groups rose over the year, the increase was relatively smaller for the foreign born

(2.7 percent) than for their native-born counterparts (3.3 percent). The foreign-to-native-born earnings gap

is narrower at higher education levels. For example, the median usual weekly earnings of foreign-born fulltime wage and salary workers with a bachelor’s degree or higher ($943) were 94.9 percent of those of their

native-born counterparts ($994) in 2004. (See table 5.)
Technical Note

The estimates in this release are based on annual average

data from the Current Population Survey (CPS). The CPS, which

is conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labor

Statistics (BLS), is a monthly survey of about 60,000 households

that provides information on the labor force status, demographics, and other characteristics of the nation’s civilian

noninstitutional population age 16 and over. In response to the

increased demand for statistical information about the foreign

born, questions on nativity, citizenship, year of entry into the

United States, and the parental nativity of respondents were

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

primary sources of data on the foreign born were the decennial

census, two CPS supplements (conducted in April 1983 and

November 1989), and, to some extent, information collected by

the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (formerly known

as the Immigration and Naturalization Service).

The foreign- and native-born data for 2004 are not strictly

comparable with data for 2003 and earlier years because of the

introduction in January 2004 of revised population controls

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

on the foreign- and native-born estimates is unknown.

However, the effect of the new controls on the monthly CPS

estimates was to decrease the December 2003 employment level

by 409,000 and the unemployment level by 27,000. The updated

controls had little or no effect on unemployment rates and other

ratios. For additional information, see “Adjustments to

Household Survey Population Estimates in January 2004” in the

February 2004 issue of Employment and Earnings, available on

the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/cps/cps04adj.pdf.

Information in this release will be made available to sensory

impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-691-5200,

TDD message referral phone number: 1-800-877-8339.

Reliability of the estimates

Statistics based on the CPS are subject to both sampling and

nonsampling error. When a sample, rather than the entire

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

estimates may differ from the “true” population values they

represent. The exact difference, or sampling error, varies

depending upon the particular sample selected, and this

variability is measured by the standard error of the estimate.

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

an estimate based on a sample will differ by no more than 1.6

standard errors from the “true” population value because of

sampling error. BLS analyses are generally conducted at the 90-

percent level of confidence.

The CPS data also are affected by nonsampling error.

Nonsampling error can occur for many reasons, including the

failure to sample a segment of the population, inability to obtain

information for all respondents in the sample, inability or

unwillingness of respondents to provide correct information,

and errors made in the collection or processing of the data.

For a full discussion of the reliability of data from the CPS

and information on estimating standard errors, see the

“Explanatory Notes and Estimates of Error” section of

Employment and Earnings.

Concepts and definitions

Foreign born. The foreign born are persons residing in the

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

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

such as Puerto Rico or Guam, to parents neither of whom was

a U.S. citizen. The foreign-born population includes legallyadmitted immigrants, refugees, temporary residents such

as students and temporary workers, and undocumented

immigrants.

Native born. The native born are persons born in the United

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

or who were born abroad of at least one parent who was a U.S.

citizen.

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

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

persons of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity. These four groups are

mutually exclusive but not exhaustive. Other race groups

(including persons who selected more than one race category)

are included in the overall totals but are not shown separately

because the number of survey respondents is too small to

develop statistically reliable estimates. The presentation of the

data on race and ethnicity in this release differs from that which

appears in most analyses of CPS labor force data in that persons

of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity are separated from the race

groups. Because persons of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity can

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

well as shown separately in the Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

group. The reason for the difference in the data presentation in

this release is because about half of the foreign born are of

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity and they have somewhat different

labor force characteristics than the non-Hispanic foreign born.

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

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

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

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

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

did not work but had jobs or businesses from which they were

temporarily absent due to illness, bad weather, vacation,

childcare problems, labor disputes, or personal reasons,

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

not they were seeking other jobs.

Unemployed. The unemployed are persons who had no

employment during the reference week, were available for work

at that time, except for temporary illness, and had made specific
efforts to find employment sometime during the 4-week period

ending with the reference week. Persons who were waiting to

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

be looking for work to be classified as unemployed.

Civilian labor force. The civilian labor force comprises all

persons classified as employed or unemployed.

Unemployment rate. The unemployment rate is the number

unemployed as a percent of the civilian labor force.

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

Usual weekly earnings. Data represent earnings before

taxes and other deductions and include any overtime pay,

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

case of multiple jobholders). Earnings reported on a basis other

than weekly are converted to a weekly equivalent.

Median earnings. The median is the amount which divides

a given earnings distribution into two equal groups, one having

earnings above the median and the other having earnings below

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

2003-04 annual averages

(Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic

2003 2004

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 .................... 221,168 146,510 66.2 137,736 8,774 6.0 223,357 147,401 66.0 139,252 8,149 5.5

Men ..................................................... 106,435 78,238 73.5 73,332 4,906 6.3 107,710 78,980 73.3 74,524 4,456 5.6

Women ............................................... 114,733 68,272 59.5 64,404 3,868 5.7 115,647 68,421 59.2 64,728 3,694 5.4

FOREIGN BORN

 Total 16 years and over .................... 31,331 21,117 67.4 19,731 1,385 6.6 31,763 21,433 67.5 20,255 1,178 5.5

Men ..................................................... 15,669 12,634 80.6 11,850 784 6.2 15,913 12,905 81.1 12,263 642 5.0

Women ............................................... 15,662 8,482 54.2 7,881 601 7.1 15,849 8,528 53.8 7,992 536 6.3

Age

16 to 24 years ..................................... 4,135 2,456 59.4 2,203 252 10.3 4,191 2,497 59.6 2,278 219 8.8

25 to 34 years ..................................... 7,784 5,925 76.1 5,551 375 6.3 7,821 5,988 76.6 5,670 318 5.3

35 to 44 years ..................................... 7,450 6,026 80.9 5,673 353 5.9 7,481 6,085 81.3 5,787 298 4.9

45 to 54 years ..................................... 5,245 4,200 80.1 3,935 264 6.3 5,342 4,305 80.6 4,096 210 4.9

55 to 64 years ..................................... 3,195 2,016 63.1 1,903 113 5.6 3,294 2,050 62.2 1,945 105 5.1

65 years and over ............................... 3,521 494 14.0 465 28 5.8 3,634 507 14.0 479 28 5.5

Race and Hispanic 

or Latino ethnicity 1

White non-Hispanic or Latino ............ 7,128 4,267 59.9 4,048 219 5.1 7,141 4,282 60.0 4,088 194 4.5

Black non-Hispanic or Latino ............. 2,391 1,782 74.5 1,631 152 8.5 2,360 1,731 73.4 1,595 136 7.9

Asian non-Hispanic or Latino ............. 6,867 4,613 67.2 4,324 289 6.3 7,062 4,738 67.1 4,530 208 4.4

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity ................. 14,627 10,226 69.9 9,513 713 7.0 14,878 10,439 70.2 9,808 631 6.0

Educational attainment

 Total, 25 years and over .................. 27,196 18,661 68.6 17,528 1,133 6.1 27,572 18,936 68.7 17,977 959 5.1

Less than a high school diploma ........ 8,823 5,376 60.9 4,949 427 7.9 8,796 5,351 60.8 4,974 377 7.0

High school graduates, no college 2 ... 6,778 4,596 67.8 4,335 261 5.7 6,929 4,707 67.9 4,493 214 4.5

Some college or associate degree ..... 4,147 2,991 72.1 2,811 180 6.0 4,259 3,104 72.9 2,944 161 5.2

Bachelor’s degree and higher 3 .......... 7,447 5,698 76.5 5,433 265 4.7 7,587 5,773 76.1 5,566 207 3.6

NATIVE BORN

 Total 16 years and over .................... 189,837 125,393 66.1 118,005 7,389 5.9 191,594 125,968 65.7 118,997 6,971 5.5

Men ..................................................... 90,766 65,603 72.3 61,481 4,122 6.3 91,797 66,075 72.0 62,261 3,813 5.8

Women ............................................... 99,072 59,790 60.4 56,523 3,267 5.5 99,797 59,893 60.0 56,736 3,158 5.3

Age

16 to 24 years ..................................... 31,762 19,642 61.8 17,148 2,494 12.7 32,228 19,771 61.3 17,352 2,419 12.2

25 to 34 years ..................................... 31,237 26,418 84.6 24,832 1,585 6.0 31,118 26,219 84.3 24,753 1,466 5.6

35 to 44 years ..................................... 36,296 30,669 84.5 29,207 1,462 4.8 35,745 30,072 84.1 28,793 1,280 4.3

45 to 54 years ..................................... 35,277 29,071 82.4 27,979 1,092 3.8 35,904 29,452 82.0 28,374 1,079 3.7

55 to 64 years ..................................... 24,533 15,296 62.3 14,696 600 3.9 25,625 15,963 62.3 15,386 577 3.6

65 years and over ............................... 30,733 4,298 14.0 4,143 155 3.6 30,975 4,490 14.5 4,339 151 3.4

Race and Hispanic 

or Latino ethnicity 1

White non-Hispanic or Latino ............ 148,569 98,833 66.5 94,057 4,776 4.8 149,414 98,920 66.2 94,480 4,440 4.5

Black non-Hispanic or Latino ............. 22,484 14,215 63.2 12,644 1,571 11.1 22,876 14,355 62.8 12,817 1,537 10.7

Asian non-Hispanic or Latino ............. 2,228 1,414 63.5 1,342 73 5.1 2,358 1,455 61.7 1,391 64 4.4

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity ................. 12,924 8,587 66.4 7,859 727 8.5 13,231 8,833 66.8 8,122 711 8.0

Educational attainment

 Total, 25 years and over .................. 158,075 105,751 66.9 100,857 4,894 4.6 159,366 106,197 66.6 101,645 4,552 4.3

Less than a high school diploma ........ 19,333 7,271 37.6 6,588 682 9.4 18,873 7,118 37.7 6,434 684 9.6

High school graduates, no college 2 ... 52,701 33,330 63.2 31,522 1,808 5.4 52,930 33,128 62.6 31,451 1,676 5.1

Some college or associate degree ..... 42,594 31,058 72.9 29,609 1,449 4.7 43,297 31,334 72.4 30,033 1,301 4.2

Bachelor’s degree and higher 3 .......... 43,447 34,093 78.5 33,138 955 2.8 44,266 34,617 78.2 33,727 891 2.6

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: Due to the introduction of revised population controls in January 2004, estimated levels for 2004 are not strictly comparable with those for 2003. See the Technical

Note for further information.
Table 2. Employment status of the foreign-born and native-born populations 16 years and over by

presence and age of youngest child and sex, 2003-04 annual averages

(Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic

2003 2004

Total Men Women Total Men Women

FOREIGN BORN

With own children under 18

Civilian noninstitutional population ....................... 12,520 5,985 6,534 12,740 6,060 6,680

 Civilian labor force .............................................. 9,488 5,593 3,895 9,614 5,710 3,904

 Participation rate ............................................. 75.8 93.4 59.6 75.5 94.2 58.4

 Employed .......................................................... 8,896 5,284 3,611 9,125 5,474 3,652

 Employment-population ratio .......................... 71.1 88.3 55.3 71.6 90.3 54.7

 Unemployed ..................................................... 592 309 283 489 236 253

 Unemployment rate ........................................ 6.2 5.5 7.3 5.1 4.1 6.5

With own children 6 to 17, none younger

Civilian noninstitutional population ....................... 6,253 2,893 3,360 6,268 2,907 3,361

 Civilian labor force .............................................. 4,975 2,663 2,313 5,024 2,715 2,309

 Participation rate ............................................. 79.6 92.0 68.8 80.1 93.4 68.7

 Employed .......................................................... 4,688 2,516 2,172 4,785 2,605 2,180

 Employment-population ratio .......................... 75.0 87.0 64.7 76.3 89.6 64.9

 Unemployed ..................................................... 287 147 140 238 110 129

 Unemployment rate ........................................ 5.8 5.5 6.1 4.7 4.0 5.6

With own children under 6

Civilian noninstitutional population ....................... 6,267 3,092 3,174 6,472 3,153 3,319

 Civilian labor force .............................................. 4,513 2,930 1,582 4,590 2,995 1,595

 Participation rate ............................................. 72.0 94.8 49.8 70.9 95.0 48.1

 Employed .......................................................... 4,208 2,769 1,439 4,340 2,869 1,471

 Employment-population ratio .......................... 67.1 89.5 45.3 67.1 91.0 44.3

 Unemployed ..................................................... 305 162 143 250 126 124

 Unemployment rate ........................................ 6.8 5.5 9.0 5.5 4.2 7.8

With own children under 3

Civilian noninstitutional population ....................... 3,740 1,878 1,862 3,789 1,865 1,924

 Civilian labor force .............................................. 2,618 1,786 832 2,596 1,778 819

 Participation rate ............................................. 70.0 95.1 44.7 68.5 95.3 42.6

 Employed .......................................................... 2,450 1,693 757 2,457 1,705 751

 Employment-population ratio .......................... 65.5 90.2 40.6 64.8 91.4 39.1

 Unemployed ..................................................... 168 93 75 139 72 67

 Unemployment rate ........................................ 6.4 5.2 9.0 5.4 4.1 8.2

With no own children under 18

Civilian noninstitutional population ....................... 18,811 9,684 9,127 19,023 9,853 9,170

 Civilian labor force .............................................. 11,629 7,041 4,588 11,819 7,195 4,624

 Participation rate ............................................. 61.8 72.7 50.3 62.1 73.0 50.4

 Employed .......................................................... 10,836 6,566 4,270 11,130 6,789 4,340

 Employment-population ratio .......................... 57.6 67.8 46.8 58.5 68.9 47.3

 Unemployed ..................................................... 793 475 318 690 406 283

 Unemployment rate ........................................ 6.8 6.8 6.9 5.8 5.6 6.1

NATIVE BORN

With own children under 18

Civilian noninstitutional population ....................... 53,492 23,593 29,899 53,136 23,424 29,712

 Civilian labor force .............................................. 44,271 22,261 22,010 43,757 22,053 21,703

 Participation rate ............................................. 82.8 94.4 73.6 82.3 94.1 73.0

 Employed .......................................................... 42,196 21,421 20,774 41,882 21,342 20,540

 Employment-population ratio .......................... 78.9 90.8 69.5 78.8 91.1 69.1

 Unemployed ..................................................... 2,075 839 1,236 1,875 711 1,163

 Unemployment rate ........................................ 4.7 3.8 5.6 4.3 3.2 5.4

With own children 6 to 17, none younger

Civilian noninstitutional population ....................... 30,167 13,334 16,833 30,101 13,279 16,821

 Civilian labor force .............................................. 25,839 12,444 13,394 25,642 12,358 13,284

 Participation rate ............................................. 85.7 93.3 79.6 85.2 93.1 79.0

 Employed .......................................................... 24,784 12,004 12,780 24,700 11,993 12,707

 Employment-population ratio .......................... 82.2 90.0 75.9 82.1 90.3 75.5

 Unemployed ..................................................... 1,054 440 614 942 365 577

 Unemployment rate ........................................ 4.1 3.5 4.6 3.7 3.0 4.3

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

presence and age of youngest child and sex, 2003-04 annual averages — Continued

(Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic

2003 2004

Total Men Women Total Men Women

NATIVE BORN—Continued

With own children under 6

Civilian noninstitutional population ....................... 23,324 10,259 13,065 23,036 10,145 12,891

 Civilian labor force .............................................. 18,432 9,816 8,616 18,115 9,696 8,419

 Participation rate ............................................. 79.0 95.7 65.9 78.6 95.6 65.3

 Employed .......................................................... 17,411 9,417 7,994 17,182 9,349 7,833

 Employment-population ratio .......................... 74.6 91.8 61.2 74.6 92.2 60.8

 Unemployed ..................................................... 1,021 399 621 933 347 586

 Unemployment rate ........................................ 5.5 4.1 7.2 5.1 3.6 7.0

With own children under 3

Civilian noninstitutional population ....................... 13,625 6,037 7,588 13,363 5,941 7,422

 Civilian labor force .............................................. 10,518 5,787 4,731 10,252 5,693 4,559

 Participation rate ............................................. 77.2 95.9 62.3 76.7 95.8 61.4

 Employed .......................................................... 9,900 5,541 4,359 9,696 5,483 4,212

 Employment-population ratio .......................... 72.7 91.8 57.4 72.6 92.3 56.8

 Unemployed ..................................................... 617 245 372 556 210 346

 Unemployment rate ........................................ 5.9 4.2 7.9 5.4 3.7 7.6

With no own children under 18

Civilian noninstitutional population ....................... 136,346 67,173 69,173 138,458 68,373 70,085

 Civilian labor force .............................................. 81,123 43,343 37,780 82,212 44,021 38,190

 Participation rate ............................................. 59.5 64.5 54.6 59.4 64.4 54.5

 Employed .......................................................... 75,809 40,060 35,749 77,115 40,919 36,196

 Employment-population ratio .......................... 55.6 59.6 51.7 55.7 59.8 51.6

 Unemployed ..................................................... 5,314 3,283 2,031 5,096 3,102 1,994

 Unemployment rate ........................................ 6.6 7.6 5.4 6.2 7.0 5.2

 NOTE: Due to the introduction of revised population controls in January 2004, estimated levels for 2004 are not strictly

comparable with those for 2003. See the Technical Note for further information.
Table 3. Employment status of the foreign-born and native-born populations 25 years and over by educational attainment,

race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 2003-04 annual averages

(Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic

2003 2004

Less than

a high

school

diploma

High school

graduates,

no college 1

Some

college or

associate

degree

Bachelor’s

degree and

higher 2

Less than

a high

school

diploma

High school

graduates,

no college 1

Some

college or

associate

degree

Bachelor’s

degree and

higher 2

FOREIGN BORN

White non-Hispanic or Latino 

Civilian noninstitutional population ....................... 910 1,857 1,238 2,506 899 1,833 1,281 2,474

 Civilian labor force .............................................. 291 1,029 772 1,825 298 981 811 1,814

 Participation rate ............................................. 32.0 55.4 62.4 72.8 33.2 53.5 63.3 73.3

 Employed .......................................................... 274 978 730 1,749 279 948 768 1,747

 Employment-population ratio .......................... 30.1 52.6 59.0 69.8 31.1 51.7 60.0 70.6

 Unemployed ..................................................... 17 51 42 76 19 33 43 67

 Unemployment rate ........................................ 6.0 5.0 5.5 4.2 6.4 3.4 5.3 3.7

Black non-Hispanic or Latino 

Civilian noninstitutional population ....................... 366 629 477 564 371 650 451 569

 Civilian labor force .............................................. 223 494 393 490 220 495 364 487

 Participation rate ............................................. 60.9 78.5 82.2 86.9 59.4 76.1 80.7 85.6

 Employed .......................................................... 195 458 361 458 198 463 332 463

 Employment-population ratio .......................... 53.3 72.9 75.7 81.2 53.4 71.1 73.7 81.3

 Unemployed ..................................................... 28 35 31 32 22 32 31 25

 Unemployment rate ........................................ 12.5 7.1 7.9 6.6 10.1 6.5 8.6 5.0

Asian non-Hispanic or Latino 

Civilian noninstitutional population ....................... 867 1,304 932 3,033 874 1,291 986 3,163

 Civilian labor force .............................................. 405 863 675 2,321 390 862 727 2,394

 Participation rate ............................................. 46.7 66.2 72.4 76.5 44.6 66.8 73.8 75.7

 Employed .......................................................... 366 811 628 2,211 366 819 688 2,321

 Employment-population ratio .......................... 42.2 62.2 67.3 72.9 41.9 63.4 69.8 73.4

 Unemployed ..................................................... 39 51 47 110 24 43 40 72

 Unemployment rate ........................................ 9.7 6.0 7.0 4.7 6.1 5.0 5.4 3.0

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Civilian noninstitutional population ....................... 6,645 2,916 1,428 1,247 6,618 3,088 1,474 1,280

 Civilian labor force .............................................. 4,436 2,160 1,093 983 4,422 2,315 1,147 997

 Participation rate ............................................. 66.8 74.1 76.6 78.9 66.8 75.0 77.9 77.9

 Employed .......................................................... 4,095 2,040 1,036 940 4,111 2,209 1,102 957

 Employment-population ratio .......................... 61.6 70.0 72.6 75.4 62.1 71.5 74.8 74.8

 Unemployed ..................................................... 341 120 58 44 311 105 46 40

 Unemployment rate ........................................ 7.7 5.6 5.3 4.4 7.0 4.6 4.0 4.0

NATIVE BORN

White non-Hispanic or Latino 

Civilian noninstitutional population ....................... 13,010 42,044 33,809 37,843 12,622 42,042 34,302 38,440

 Civilian labor force .............................................. 4,713 26,005 24,276 29,493 4,546 25,719 24,536 29,797

 Participation rate ............................................. 36.2 61.9 71.8 77.9 36.0 61.2 71.5 77.5

 Employed .......................................................... 4,348 24,811 23,312 28,708 4,193 24,615 23,681 29,079

 Employment-population ratio .......................... 33.4 59.0 69.0 75.9 33.2 58.5 69.0 75.6

 Unemployed ..................................................... 365 1,194 965 786 353 1,103 854 718

 Unemployment rate ........................................ 7.7 4.6 4.0 2.7 7.8 4.3 3.5 2.4

Black non-Hispanic or Latino 

Civilian noninstitutional population ....................... 3,448 6,410 5,001 3,022 3,391 6,600 5,068 3,097

 Civilian labor force .............................................. 1,267 4,292 3,820 2,458 1,228 4,400 3,768 2,554

 Participation rate ............................................. 36.8 67.0 76.4 81.3 36.2 66.7 74.4 82.5

 Employed .......................................................... 1,088 3,878 3,521 2,364 1,025 4,004 3,483 2,451

 Employment-population ratio .......................... 31.6 60.5 70.4 78.2 30.2 60.7 68.7 79.1

 Unemployed ..................................................... 179 414 298 95 203 396 285 104

 Unemployment rate ........................................ 14.1 9.6 7.8 3.9 16.5 9.0 7.6 4.1

Asian non-Hispanic or Latino 

Civilian noninstitutional population ....................... 132 294 358 755 142 320 381 807

 Civilian labor force .............................................. 50 174 251 611 55 174 259 640

 Participation rate ............................................. 38.0 59.0 70.2 81.0 38.4 54.6 68.0 79.2

 Employed .......................................................... 46 167 243 593 52 170 252 624

 Employment-population ratio .......................... 34.7 56.8 68.0 78.6 36.8 53.2 65.9 77.3

 Unemployed ..................................................... 4 7 8 18 2 4 8 16

 Unemployment rate ........................................ 8.8 3.8 3.1 3.0 4.2 2.4 3.0 2.5

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, 2003-04 annual averages — Continued

(Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic

2003 2004

Less than

a high

school

diploma

High school

graduates,

no college 1

Some

college or

associate

degree

Bachelor’s

degree and

higher 2

Less than

a high

school

diploma

High school

graduates,

no college 1

Some

college or

associate

degree

Bachelor’s

degree and

higher 2

NATIVE BORN—Continued

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Civilian noninstitutional population ....................... 2,324 3,078 2,487 1,350 2,297 3,084 2,590 1,406

 Civilian labor force .............................................. 1,088 2,270 2,008 1,142 1,131 2,251 2,075 1,207

 Participation rate ............................................. 46.8 73.7 80.7 84.6 49.2 73.0 80.1 85.9

 Employed .......................................................... 977 2,129 1,890 1,099 1,024 2,120 1,966 1,170

 Employment-population ratio .......................... 42.1 69.1 76.0 81.4 44.6 68.8 75.9 83.3

 Unemployed ..................................................... 110 141 118 43 106 131 109 37

 Unemployment rate ........................................ 10.2 6.2 5.9 3.8 9.4 5.8 5.2 3.1

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. Due to the introduction of revised population

controls in January 2004, estimated levels for 2004 are not strictly comparable with those for 2003. See the Technical Note for further information.
Table 4. Employed foreign-born and native-born persons 16 years and over by occupation and sex, 

2004 annual averages

(Percent distribution)

Occupation

Foreign born Native born

Total Men Women Total Men Women

 Total employed (thousands) ........................................................... 20,255 12,263 7,992 118,997 62,261 56,736

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

Management, professional, and related occupations ......................... 26.5 24.4 29.8 36.3 34.0 38.8

 Management, business, and financial operations occupations ........ 9.8 9.8 9.8 15.3 16.9 13.6

 Management occupations .............................................................. 7.1 7.9 5.9 11.0 13.2 8.6

 Business and financial operations occupations .............................. 2.7 1.9 3.9 4.3 3.7 5.0

 Professional and related occupations ............................................... 16.7 14.6 20.0 20.9 17.1 25.2

 Computer and mathematical occupations ...................................... 3.0 3.8 1.9 2.1 2.9 1.2

 Architecture and engineering occupations ..................................... 2.1 2.9 .8 2.0 3.3 .6

 Life, physical, and social science occupations ............................... 1.1 1.0 1.2 1.0 1.0 .9

 Community and social services occupations .................................. .9 .7 1.4 1.7 1.2 2.1

 Legal occupations ........................................................................... .5 .3 .8 1.2 1.2 1.2

 Education, training, and library occupations ................................... 3.2 2.0 5.1 6.1 3.0 9.5

 Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations .......... 1.5 1.3 1.8 2.0 2.0 2.0

 Healthcare practitioner and technical occupations ......................... 4.4 2.6 7.1 4.9 2.4 7.7

Service occupations ........................................................................... 22.8 18.3 29.8 15.2 12.2 18.5

 Healthcare support occupations ....................................................... 2.3 .5 5.1 2.1 .4 3.9

 Protective service occupations ......................................................... 1.0 1.3 .4 2.2 3.3 1.0

 Food preparation and serving related occupations .......................... 7.5 7.5 7.5 4.8 3.7 6.1

 Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations ......... 8.4 7.5 9.8 2.9 3.5 2.3

 Personal care and service occupations ............................................ 3.6 1.4 6.9 3.2 1.3 5.2

Sales and office occupations .............................................................. 18.4 13.3 26.3 26.7 18.0 36.2

 Sales and related occupations ......................................................... 9.2 8.1 11.0 11.9 11.4 12.3

 Office and administrative support occupations ................................. 9.2 5.2 15.4 14.8 6.5 23.9

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations ........ 14.7 23.3 1.6 9.7 17.8 .9

 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations ....................................... 1.8 2.4 .9 .5 .8 .2

 Construction and extraction occupations .......................................... 9.7 15.8 .3 5.5 10.2 .3

 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ........................... 3.2 5.1 .4 3.7 6.8 .4

Production, transportation, and material moving occupations ............ 17.5 20.7 12.5 12.1 18.1 5.5

 Production occupations .................................................................... 10.6 11.3 9.6 6.1 8.4 3.7

 Transportation and material moving occupations ............................. 6.8 9.4 2.8 6.0 9.8 1.8

 NOTE: Due to the introduction of revised population controls in January 2004, estimated levels for 2004 are not strictly comparable with those

for 2003. See the Technical Note for further information.
Table 5. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers for the foreign born and native born by selected

characteristics, 2003-04 annual averages

(Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic

2003 2004

Foreign born Native born Earnings

of foreign

born as

percent of

native

born 1

Foreign born Native born Earnings

of foreign

born as

percent of

native

born 1

Number

Median

weekly

earnings

Number

Median

weekly

earnings

Number

Median

weekly

earnings

Number

Median

weekly

earnings

 Total, 16 years and over ........................... 15,227 $489 85,076 $643 76.0 15,580 $502 85,644 $664 75.6

Men ............................................................. 9,666 503 46,560 732 68.7 9,902 518 47,099 749 69.1

Women ....................................................... 5,560 459 38,516 567 80.8 5,678 473 38,545 585 81.0

Age

16 to 24 years ............................................. 1,512 345 9,278 393 87.7 1,551 341 9,325 397 85.8

25 to 34 years ............................................. 4,642 466 20,134 615 75.8 4,631 491 20,126 624 78.7

35 to 44 years ............................................. 4,493 522 22,602 716 72.8 4,538 540 22,323 741 72.9

45 to 54 years ............................................. 2,984 567 21,461 742 76.4 3,187 565 21,799 764 73.9

55 to 64 years ............................................. 1,355 600 10,084 725 82.8 1,409 607 10,523 740 82.0

65 years and over ....................................... 241 500 1,516 518 96.6 264 552 1,548 562 98.2

Race and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity 2

White non-Hispanic or Latino .................... 2,863 681 66,371 683 99.7 2,852 731 66,563 702 104.1

Black non-Hispanic or Latino ..................... 1,266 515 10,258 515 99.8 1,268 533 10,374 529 100.8

Asian non-Hispanic or Latino ..................... 3,250 689 991 732 94.0 3,383 699 1,009 738 94.8

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity ......................... 7,690 398 5,944 523 76.1 7,899 402 6,163 539 74.5

Educational attainment

 Total, 25 years and over .......................... 13,715 511 75,798 688 74.2 14,029 524 76,319 710 73.7

Less than a high school diploma ................ 4,034 369 4,559 430 86.0 4,094 373 4,439 433 86.2

High school graduates, no college 3 ........... 3,359 467 23,724 569 82.1 3,486 478 23,655 586 81.5

Some college .............................................. 2,135 576 22,475 647 89.0 2,216 595 22,630 668 89.0

Bachelor’s degree and higher 4 .................. 4,186 909 25,040 971 93.6 4,234 943 25,595 994 94.9

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

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

 NOTE: Due to the introduction of revised population controls in January 2004, estimated levels for 2004 are not strictly comparable with those for 2003. 

See the Technical Note for further information.
Table 6. Employment status of the foreign-born and native-born populations 16 years and over by census regions and divisions, 

2003-04 annual averages

(Numbers in thousands)

Census regions and

divisions

2003 2004

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 .................. 6,936 4,577 66.0 4,275 301 6.6 7,030 4,666 66.4 4,409 258 5.5

 New England .......... 1,334 920 68.9 856 63 6.9 1,371 933 68.0 884 49 5.2

 Middle Atlantic ........ 5,601 3,657 65.3 3,419 238 6.5 5,659 3,734 66.0 3,525 209 5.6

South ........................ 9,158 6,305 68.8 5,932 373 5.9 9,402 6,485 69.0 6,177 308 4.8

 South Atlantic ......... 5,442 3,753 69.0 3,545 208 5.5 5,682 3,930 69.2 3,741 190 4.8

 East South

Central ................ 389 275 70.7 262 12 4.5 433 313 72.3 307 6 2.0

 West South

Central ................ 3,327 2,277 68.5 2,125 153 6.7 3,286 2,241 68.2 2,129 113 5.0

Midwest .................... 3,504 2,404 68.6 2,235 169 7.0 3,460 2,364 68.3 2,226 138 5.8

 East North Central .. 2,683 1,814 67.6 1,688 126 6.9 2,636 1,759 66.7 1,658 101 5.7

 West North

Central ................ 820 589 71.8 546 43 7.3 824 605 73.4 568 37 6.2

West ......................... 11,733 7,831 66.7 7,290 542 6.9 11,870 7,918 66.7 7,444 474 6.0

 Mountain ................. 1,835 1,287 70.2 1,210 77 6.0 1,897 1,308 69.0 1,244 64 4.9

 Pacific ..................... 9,899 6,544 66.1 6,079 465 7.1 9,974 6,610 66.3 6,200 410 6.2

NATIVE BORN

Northeast .................. 35,685 23,066 64.6 21,754 1,312 5.7 35,520 22,956 64.6 21,738 1,218 5.3

 New England .......... 9,809 6,670 68.0 6,321 348 5.2 9,800 6,603 67.4 6,288 315 4.8

 Middle Atlantic ........ 25,876 16,396 63.4 15,433 964 5.9 25,721 16,353 63.6 15,450 903 5.5

South ........................ 69,398 44,841 64.6 42,265 2,576 5.7 70,414 45,150 64.1 42,747 2,403 5.3

 South Atlantic ......... 35,584 23,041 64.8 21,850 1,191 5.2 36,308 23,330 64.3 22,206 1,125 4.8

 East South

Central ................ 12,890 8,077 62.7 7,591 487 6.0 12,914 8,032 62.2 7,581 451 5.6

 West South

Central ................ 20,924 13,723 65.6 12,824 899 6.5 21,192 13,787 65.1 12,960 827 6.0

Midwest .................... 46,720 32,088 68.7 30,221 1,867 5.8 46,829 32,028 68.4 30,196 1,831 5.7

 East North Central .. 32,487 21,877 67.3 20,504 1,374 6.3 32,559 21,837 67.1 20,502 1,335 6.1

 West North

Central ................ 14,233 10,210 71.7 9,717 493 4.8 14,270 10,190 71.4 9,695 496 4.9

West ......................... 38,034 25,398 66.8 23,765 1,634 6.4 38,830 25,835 66.5 24,316 1,519 5.9

 Mountain ................. 12,477 8,471 67.9 7,996 475 5.6 12,838 8,724 68.0 8,277 448 5.1

 Pacific ..................... 25,557 16,928 66.2 15,769 1,159 6.8 25,992 17,111 65.8 16,040 1,071 6.3

 NOTE: The states (plus the District of Columbia) that comprise the census divisions are:

New England (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont); 

Middle Atlantic (New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania); 

South Atlantic (Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia);

East South Central (Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee);

West South Central Division (Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas); 

East North Central (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin); 

West North Central (Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota); 

Mountain (Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming);

Pacific (Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington).

 Due to the introduction of revised population controls in January 2004, estimated levels for 2004 are not strictly comparable with those for 2003. See the Technical Note for

further information.