1

Technical information: (202) 691-6378

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

Media contact: 691-5902

USDL 07-0603

For release: 10:00 A.M. EDT

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

FOREIGN-BORN WORKERS: LABOR FORCE CHARACTERISTICS IN 2006

Foreign-born workers’ share of the U.S. workforce continued to grow, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of

the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. In 2006, foreign-born workers made up 15.3 percent of the

U.S. civilian labor force age 16 and over, up from 14.8 percent in 2005. The unemployment rate for the

foreign born fell for the third year in a row, to 4.0 percent in 2006. The jobless rate of the native born also

continued to decline, decreasing from 5.2 to 4.7 percent over the 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. The foreign born include legally-admitted immigrants, refugees, temporary residents such

as students and temporary workers, and undocumented immigrants. The survey data, however, do not

separately identify the numbers of persons in these categories. For further information about the survey,

see the Technical Note.

Demographic Characteristics

The demographic characteristics of the foreign-born labor force differ significantly in many respects from

those of the native born. For example, men made up a larger proportion of the foreign-born labor force (60

percent) in 2006 than they did of the native-born labor force (53 percent). Also, a higher proportion of the

foreign-born than the native-born labor force was made up of 25- to 54-year olds (76 and 67 percent,

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

In 2006, Hispanics comprised about 50 percent of the foreign-born labor force compared with about

7 percent of the native-born labor force. About 22 percent of the foreign-born workforce was Asian

compared with about 1 percent of the native-born workforce. One in 5 persons in the foreign-born labor

force was non-Hispanic whites, compared with nearly 4 of 5 in the native-born labor force. (Data in this

release for persons who are white, black, or Asian do not include those of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity.

Data on persons of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity are presented separately.)

About 28 percent of the foreign-born labor force 25 years old and over had not completed high school

in 2006, compared with about 6 percent of the native-born labor force. About equal proportions of the

foreign-born labor force and the native-born labor force had a bachelor’s or higher degree (31 and 33 percent, respectively).
2

By region, the foreign born comprised 24.0 percent of the total labor force in the West, 17.9 percent in

the Northeast, and 13.5 percent in the South. By comparison, only 7.3 percent of the total labor force in the

Midwest was foreign born. (See table 6.)

Labor Force and Unemployment

Foreign-born workers’ share of the U.S. civilian labor force reached 15.3 percent in 2006; this was up

0.5 percent from the prior year. About 23 million, or 68.6 percent, of the foreign born were in the labor

force in 2006; that rate was nearly a percentage point higher than in 2005. The labor force participation rate

of the native born was 65.8 percent in 2006 and was unchanged from the prior year. Over the year, the

number of foreign-born labor force participants rose by 1.1 million; growth among this group accounted for

more than half of the total labor force increase in 2006. Since 2000, the foreign born have accounted for

47.3 percent of the net increase in the total labor force. (See table 1.)

Foreign-born men were more likely to be labor force participants (81.7 percent) than their native-born

counterparts (72.0 percent). In contrast, 55.3 percent of foreign-born women were labor force participants,

compared with 60.0 percent of native-born women.

Foreign-born mothers with children under 18 were less likely to be labor force participants than nativeborn mothers—59.7 versus 73.5 percent. Among women with children under age 3, the participation rate

for the foreign born was 45.9 percent, while that for the native born was 63.9 percent; both rates were up

over the year. Foreign- and native-born fathers were about equally likely to be labor force participants

 (96 percent). (See table 2.)

The unemployment rate of the foreign born declined from 4.6 percent in 2005 to 4.0 percent in 2006.

Among the native born, the unemployment rate declined from 5.2 to 4.7 percent. The unemployment rate of

the foreign born was lower than that of the native born for the second time since the annual data series was

first tabulated in 1996. Over the year, the unemployment rate for foreign-born men declined from 4.1 to 3.5

percent, and the rate for foreign-born women declined from 5.4 to 4.7 percent. (See table 1.)

Occupation

A smaller proportion of foreign-born than native-born workers was employed in management,

professional, and related occupations, 26.4 versus 36.4 percent. Foreign-born workers were more likely

than their native-born counterparts to be employed in service occupations (22.5 versus 15.4 percent); these

included food preparation and serving related occupations and building and grounds cleaning and maintenance

occupations. Foreign-born workers also were more likely than native-born workers to be employed in

natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations (16.5 versus 10.0 percent), and in production,

transportation, and material moving occupations (16.7 versus 11.9 percent). (See table 4.)

Earnings

In 2006, the median usual weekly earnings of foreign-born full-time wage and salary workers were $532,

compared with $698 for the native born. Among men, median earnings were $563 per week for the foreign

born, compared with $782 for the native born; the median for foreign-born women was $502, compared

with $611 for the native born. As with the native born, the earnings of foreign-born workers increased with

education. Foreign-born workers 25 years of age and over with less than a high school education earned

$396 per week in 2006, while those with bachelor’s degrees and higher earned about 2.6 times as much—

$1,024 a week. (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 2006 are not strictly

comparable with data for 2005 and earlier years because of the

introduction in January 2006 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 2006 employment

level by 123,000 and the unemployment level by 8,000. 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 2006” available on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/

cps/cps06adj.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. The survey data, however, do not separately

identify the number of persons in these categories.

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

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

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

citizen.

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

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

persons of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity. These four groups are

mutually exclusive but not exhaustive. Other race groups

(including persons who selected more than one race category)

are included in the overall totals but are not shown separately

because the number of survey respondents is too small to

develop statistically reliable estimates. The presentation of the

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

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

of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity are separated from the race

groups. Because persons of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity can

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

well as shown separately in the Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

group. The reason for the difference in the data presentation

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

of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity and they have somewhat

different labor force characteristics than the 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, 

2005-06 annual averages

(Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic

2005 2006

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 .................... 226,082 149,320 66.0 141,730 7,591 5.1 228,815 151,428 66.2 144,427 7,001 4.6

Men ..................................................... 109,151 80,033 73.3 75,973 4,059 5.1 110,605 81,255 73.5 77,502 3,753 4.6

Women ............................................... 116,931 69,288 59.3 65,757 3,531 5.1 118,210 70,173 59.4 66,925 3,247 4.6

FOREIGN BORN

 Total 16 years and over .................... 32,558 22,042 67.7 21,022 1,020 4.6 33,733 23,148 68.6 22,225 923 4.0

Men ..................................................... 16,321 13,263 81.3 12,720 544 4.1 16,989 13,885 81.7 13,395 491 3.5

Women ............................................... 16,236 8,779 54.1 8,302 477 5.4 16,743 9,263 55.3 8,831 432 4.7

Age

16 to 24 years ..................................... 4,168 2,469 59.2 2,277 192 7.8 4,156 2,501 60.2 2,318 183 7.3

25 to 34 years ..................................... 7,902 6,094 77.1 5,824 270 4.4 7,997 6,267 78.4 6,027 240 3.8

35 to 44 years ..................................... 7,620 6,162 80.9 5,930 232 3.8 8,022 6,552 81.7 6,325 227 3.5

45 to 54 years ..................................... 5,578 4,473 80.2 4,285 188 4.2 5,896 4,740 80.4 4,575 165 3.5

55 to 64 years ..................................... 3,499 2,278 65.1 2,163 115 5.1 3,707 2,428 65.5 2,340 87 3.6

65 years and over ............................... 3,791 566 14.9 542 24 4.2 3,955 660 16.7 640 20 3.1

Race and Hispanic 

or Latino ethnicity 1

White non-Hispanic or Latino ............ 7,239 4,351 60.1 4,187 165 3.8 7,329 4,503 61.4 4,344 159 3.5

Black non-Hispanic or Latino ............. 2,360 1,746 74.0 1,631 115 6.6 2,450 1,807 73.7 1,708 99 5.5

Asian non-Hispanic or Latino ............. 7,289 4,922 67.5 4,728 194 3.9 7,481 5,060 67.6 4,917 142 2.8

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity ................. 15,360 10,794 70.3 10,252 541 5.0 16,156 11,549 71.5 11,034 514 4.5

Educational attainment

 Total, 25 years and over .................. 28,389 19,573 68.9 18,745 828 4.2 29,576 20,647 69.8 19,908 739 3.6

Less than a high school diploma ........ 9,053 5,545 61.2 5,227 318 5.7 9,361 5,865 62.7 5,566 299 5.1

High school graduates, no college 2 ... 7,106 4,804 67.6 4,599 205 4.3 7,358 5,032 68.4 4,855 177 3.5

Some college or associate degree ..... 4,354 3,181 73.1 3,064 118 3.7 4,511 3,346 74.2 3,232 114 3.4

Bachelor’s degree and higher 3 .......... 7,876 6,043 76.7 5,856 188 3.1 8,347 6,405 76.7 6,255 149 2.3

NATIVE BORN

 Total 16 years and over .................... 193,525 127,278 65.8 120,708 6,570 5.2 195,082 128,280 65.8 122,202 6,078 4.7

Men ..................................................... 92,830 66,769 71.9 63,254 3,516 5.3 93,615 67,370 72.0 64,107 3,263 4.8

Women ............................................... 100,695 60,509 60.1 57,454 3,055 5.0 101,467 60,910 60.0 58,095 2,815 4.6

Age

16 to 24 years ..................................... 32,505 19,821 61.0 17,493 2,328 11.7 32,787 19,893 60.7 17,723 2,170 10.9

25 to 34 years ..................................... 31,162 26,247 84.2 24,856 1,391 5.3 31,233 26,305 84.2 25,024 1,282 4.9

35 to 44 years ..................................... 35,385 29,868 84.4 28,699 1,168 3.9 34,731 29,296 84.3 28,244 1,051 3.6

45 to 54 years ..................................... 36,529 29,930 81.9 28,922 1,008 3.4 37,005 30,405 82.2 29,477 928 3.1

55 to 64 years ..................................... 26,666 16,701 62.6 16,186 515 3.1 27,668 17,557 63.5 17,049 508 2.9

65 years and over ............................... 31,278 4,712 15.1 4,552 160 3.4 31,658 4,824 15.2 4,685 139 2.9

Race and Hispanic 

or Latino ethnicity 1

White non-Hispanic or Latino ............ 150,155 99,539 66.3 95,430 4,109 4.1 150,979 100,126 66.3 96,262 3,864 3.9

Black non-Hispanic or Latino ............. 23,283 14,694 63.1 13,155 1,538 10.5 23,668 14,905 63.0 13,500 1,405 9.4

Asian non-Hispanic or Latino ............. 2,444 1,496 61.2 1,434 62 4.2 2,522 1,552 61.5 1,493 59 3.8

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity ................. 13,773 9,030 65.6 8,380 650 7.2 13,947 9,145 65.6 8,578 567 6.2

Educational attainment

 Total, 25 years and over .................. 161,019 107,457 66.7 103,215 4,242 3.9 162,295 108,387 66.8 104,479 3,908 3.6

Less than a high school diploma ........ 18,818 7,135 37.9 6,485 649 9.1 18,181 6,893 37.9 6,326 567 8.2

High school graduates, no college 2 ... 53,302 33,392 62.6 31,799 1,593 4.8 53,390 33,322 62.4 31,847 1,475 4.4

Some college or associate degree ..... 43,915 31,793 72.4 30,561 1,232 3.9 44,500 32,064 72.1 30,911 1,152 3.6

Bachelor’s degree and higher 3 .......... 44,984 35,137 78.1 34,369 768 2.2 46,224 36,108 78.1 35,394 714 2.0

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: Due to the introduction of revised population controls in January 2006,

estimated levels for 2006 are not strictly comparable with those for 2005. 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, 2005-06 annual averages

(Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic

2005 2006

Total Men Women Total Men Women

FOREIGN BORN

With own children under 18

Civilian noninstitutional population ....................... 12,781 6,084 6,697 13,239 6,283 6,956

 Civilian labor force .............................................. 9,653 5,737 3,916 10,068 5,912 4,155

 Participation rate ............................................. 75.5 94.3 58.5 76.0 94.1 59.7

 Employed .......................................................... 9,247 5,547 3,700 9,674 5,731 3,943

 Employment-population ratio .......................... 72.3 91.2 55.2 73.1 91.2 56.7

 Unemployed ..................................................... 406 190 216 394 182 212

 Unemployment rate ........................................ 4.2 3.3 5.5 3.9 3.1 5.1

With own children 6 to 17, none younger

Civilian noninstitutional population ....................... 6,353 2,950 3,403 6,604 3,050 3,554

 Civilian labor force .............................................. 5,053 2,750 2,303 5,256 2,828 2,428

 Participation rate ............................................. 79.5 93.2 67.7 79.6 92.7 68.3

 Employed .......................................................... 4,852 2,658 2,194 5,052 2,737 2,315

 Employment-population ratio .......................... 76.4 90.1 64.5 76.5 89.7 65.1

 Unemployed ..................................................... 201 93 108 204 91 113

 Unemployment rate ........................................ 4.0 3.4 4.7 3.9 3.2 4.6

With own children under 6

Civilian noninstitutional population ....................... 6,428 3,134 3,294 6,635 3,233 3,402

 Civilian labor force .............................................. 4,600 2,987 1,613 4,812 3,084 1,727

 Participation rate ............................................. 71.6 95.3 49.0 72.5 95.4 50.8

 Employed .......................................................... 4,395 2,889 1,505 4,622 2,994 1,628

 Employment-population ratio .......................... 68.4 92.2 45.7 69.7 92.6 47.8

 Unemployed ..................................................... 206 98 108 190 90 100

 Unemployment rate ........................................ 4.5 3.3 6.7 3.9 2.9 5.8

With own children under 3

Civilian noninstitutional population ....................... 3,732 1,841 1,891 3,805 1,845 1,961

 Civilian labor force .............................................. 2,595 1,760 835 2,658 1,758 900

 Participation rate ............................................. 69.5 95.6 44.2 69.8 95.3 45.9

 Employed .......................................................... 2,489 1,711 778 2,552 1,706 846

 Employment-population ratio .......................... 66.7 93.0 41.1 67.1 92.5 43.1

 Unemployed ..................................................... 106 49 57 105 51 54

 Unemployment rate ........................................ 4.1 2.8 6.8 4.0 2.9 6.0

With no own children under 18

Civilian noninstitutional population ....................... 19,777 10,237 9,539 20,493 10,706 9,787

 Civilian labor force .............................................. 12,389 7,526 4,863 13,080 7,973 5,107

 Participation rate ............................................. 62.6 73.5 51.0 63.8 74.5 52.2

 Employed .......................................................... 11,775 7,173 4,603 12,552 7,664 4,888

 Employment-population ratio .......................... 59.5 70.1 48.2 61.2 71.6 49.9

 Unemployed ..................................................... 614 354 260 529 309 220

 Unemployment rate ........................................ 5.0 4.7 5.4 4.0 3.9 4.3

NATIVE BORN

With own children under 18

Civilian noninstitutional population ....................... 52,845 23,226 29,619 52,551 23,118 29,433

 Civilian labor force .............................................. 43,521 21,852 21,669 43,400 21,774 21,626

 Participation rate ............................................. 82.4 94.1 73.2 82.6 94.2 73.5

 Employed .......................................................... 41,727 21,202 20,524 41,768 21,176 20,592

 Employment-population ratio .......................... 79.0 91.3 69.3 79.5 91.6 70.0

 Unemployed ..................................................... 1,794 650 1,145 1,632 598 1,034

 Unemployment rate ........................................ 4.1 3.0 5.3 3.8 2.7 4.8

With own children 6 to 17, none younger

Civilian noninstitutional population ....................... 30,095 13,252 16,843 29,775 13,114 16,662

 Civilian labor force .............................................. 25,526 12,329 13,197 25,296 12,219 13,077

 Participation rate ............................................. 84.8 93.0 78.4 85.0 93.2 78.5

 Employed .......................................................... 24,600 11,977 12,623 24,471 11,912 12,559

 Employment-population ratio .......................... 81.7 90.4 74.9 82.2 90.8 75.4

 Unemployed ..................................................... 926 351 574 825 307 518

 Unemployment rate ........................................ 3.6 2.9 4.4 3.3 2.5 4.0

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, 2005-06 annual averages—Continued

(Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic

2005 2006

Total Men Women Total Men Women

NATIVE BORN—Continued

With own children under 6

Civilian noninstitutional population ....................... 22,749 9,974 12,776 22,776 10,004 12,772

 Civilian labor force .............................................. 17,995 9,524 8,472 18,104 9,555 8,549

 Participation rate ............................................. 79.1 95.5 66.3 79.5 95.5 66.9

 Employed .......................................................... 17,127 9,225 7,901 17,297 9,264 8,033

 Employment-population ratio .......................... 75.3 92.5 61.8 75.9 92.6 62.9

 Unemployed ..................................................... 869 298 570 807 291 516

 Unemployment rate ........................................ 4.8 3.1 6.7 4.5 3.0 6.0

With own children under 3

Civilian noninstitutional population ....................... 13,384 5,910 7,474 13,433 5,963 7,470

 Civilian labor force .............................................. 10,285 5,650 4,635 10,481 5,706 4,775

 Participation rate ............................................. 76.8 95.6 62.0 78.0 95.7 63.9

 Employed .......................................................... 9,769 5,470 4,299 9,992 5,523 4,469

 Employment-population ratio .......................... 73.0 92.6 57.5 74.4 92.6 59.8

 Unemployed ..................................................... 516 180 336 489 183 306

 Unemployment rate ........................................ 5.0 3.2 7.3 4.7 3.2 6.4

With no own children under 18

Civilian noninstitutional population ....................... 140,680 69,605 71,076 142,531 70,497 72,034

 Civilian labor force .............................................. 83,757 44,917 38,840 84,880 45,596 39,284

 Participation rate ............................................. 59.5 64.5 54.6 59.6 64.7 54.5

 Employed .......................................................... 78,981 42,051 36,930 80,434 42,931 37,503

 Employment-population ratio .......................... 56.1 60.4 52.0 56.4 60.9 52.1

 Unemployed ..................................................... 4,776 2,866 1,910 4,446 2,665 1,781

 Unemployment rate ........................................ 5.7 6.4 4.9 5.2 5.8 4.5

 NOTE: Due to the introduction of revised population controls in January 2006, estimated levels for 2006 are not strictly

comparable with those for 2005. 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, 2005-06 annual averages

(Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic

2005 2006

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 ....................... 928 1,869 1,258 2,525 940 1,803 1,296 2,647

 Civilian labor force .............................................. 345 988 797 1,862 349 971 848 1,969

 Participation rate ............................................. 37.1 52.8 63.4 73.8 37.1 53.8 65.4 74.4

 Employed .......................................................... 325 955 766 1,805 331 937 819 1,920

 Employment-population ratio .......................... 35.0 51.1 60.9 71.5 35.2 52.0 63.1 72.6

 Unemployed ..................................................... 19 33 31 57 18 33 30 48

 Unemployment rate ........................................ 5.6 3.4 3.9 3.1 5.3 3.4 3.5 2.5

Black non-Hispanic or Latino 

Civilian noninstitutional population ....................... 361 641 499 558 357 648 507 608

 Civilian labor force .............................................. 219 490 407 468 226 477 416 510

 Participation rate ............................................. 60.7 76.5 81.5 83.9 63.2 73.7 81.9 83.9

 Employed .......................................................... 203 458 382 452 207 453 398 495

 Employment-population ratio .......................... 56.1 71.5 76.6 80.9 57.8 69.9 78.4 81.4

 Unemployed ..................................................... 17 32 25 17 19 25 18 15

 Unemployment rate ........................................ 7.5 6.5 6.1 3.6 8.6 5.2 4.3 3.0

Asian non-Hispanic or Latino 

Civilian noninstitutional population ....................... 857 1,332 998 3,385 858 1,340 1,016 3,575

 Civilian labor force .............................................. 402 845 725 2,606 391 862 742 2,743

 Participation rate ............................................. 46.9 63.5 72.7 77.0 45.6 64.3 73.0 76.7

 Employed .......................................................... 378 804 702 2,524 376 834 721 2,684

 Employment-population ratio .......................... 44.1 60.4 70.3 74.6 43.8 62.3 71.0 75.1

 Unemployed ..................................................... 24 41 23 82 15 27 21 58

 Unemployment rate ........................................ 5.9 4.9 3.2 3.2 3.9 3.2 2.8 2.1

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Civilian noninstitutional population ....................... 6,870 3,207 1,534 1,309 7,167 3,506 1,615 1,424

 Civilian labor force .............................................. 4,558 2,437 1,202 1,026 4,875 2,677 1,279 1,111

 Participation rate ............................................. 66.4 76.0 78.3 78.4 68.0 76.4 79.2 78.0

 Employed .......................................................... 4,301 2,340 1,164 997 4,631 2,587 1,234 1,085

 Employment-population ratio .......................... 62.6 72.9 75.9 76.2 64.6 73.8 76.4 76.1

 Unemployed ..................................................... 257 98 38 29 243 90 46 27

 Unemployment rate ........................................ 5.6 4.0 3.1 2.9 5.0 3.4 3.6 2.4

NATIVE BORN

White non-Hispanic or Latino 

Civilian noninstitutional population ....................... 12,313 42,100 34,792 38,847 11,847 42,087 35,100 39,751

 Civilian labor force .............................................. 4,479 25,768 24,879 30,102 4,369 25,714 24,931 30,787

 Participation rate ............................................. 36.4 61.2 71.5 77.5 36.9 61.1 71.0 77.4

 Employed .......................................................... 4,157 24,740 24,058 29,490 4,079 24,773 24,157 30,200

 Employment-population ratio .......................... 33.8 58.8 69.1 75.9 34.4 58.9 68.8 76.0

 Unemployed ..................................................... 322 1,027 821 612 289 941 774 586

 Unemployment rate ........................................ 7.2 4.0 3.3 2.0 6.6 3.7 3.1 1.9

Black non-Hispanic or Latino 

Civilian noninstitutional population ....................... 3,464 6,778 5,039 3,211 3,396 6,801 5,215 3,379

 Civilian labor force .............................................. 1,277 4,538 3,780 2,617 1,236 4,488 3,885 2,762

 Participation rate ............................................. 36.9 66.9 75.0 81.5 36.4 66.0 74.5 81.7

 Employed .......................................................... 1,077 4,135 3,518 2,528 1,065 4,115 3,634 2,687

 Employment-population ratio .......................... 31.1 61.0 69.8 78.7 31.4 60.5 69.7 79.5

 Unemployed ..................................................... 200 403 263 89 171 373 251 75

 Unemployment rate ........................................ 15.7 8.9 6.9 3.4 13.8 8.3 6.5 2.7

Asian non-Hispanic or Latino 

Civilian noninstitutional population ....................... 158 303 380 859 152 339 391 880

 Civilian labor force .............................................. 57 162 257 680 55 188 276 710

 Participation rate ............................................. 36.3 53.5 67.8 79.2 36.4 55.4 70.6 80.7

 Employed .......................................................... 56 158 249 664 53 183 265 696

 Employment-population ratio .......................... 35.3 52.0 65.5 77.3 35.1 54.0 67.7 79.2

 Unemployed ..................................................... 2 5 9 17 2 5 11 13

 Unemployment rate ........................................ 2.8 2.8 3.4 2.4 3.4 2.6 4.1 1.9

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

race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 2005-06 annual averages—Continued

(Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic

2005 2006

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 ....................... 2,455 3,182 2,735 1,504 2,352 3,232 2,781 1,626

 Civilian labor force .............................................. 1,163 2,313 2,164 1,272 1,073 2,331 2,222 1,373

 Participation rate ............................................. 47.4 72.7 79.1 84.5 45.6 72.1 79.9 84.4

 Employed .......................................................... 1,066 2,195 2,064 1,235 989 2,214 2,143 1,344

 Employment-population ratio .......................... 43.4 69.0 75.5 82.1 42.0 68.5 77.1 82.6

 Unemployed ..................................................... 97 118 100 36 85 117 79 29

 Unemployment rate ........................................ 8.4 5.1 4.6 2.9 7.9 5.0 3.6 2.1

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 2006, estimated levels for 2006 are not

strictly comparable with those for 2005. See the Technical Note for further

information.
Table 4. Employed foreign-born and native-born persons 16 years and over by occupation and sex, 

2006 annual averages

(Percent distribution)

Occupation

Foreign born Native born

Total Men Women Total Men Women

 Total employed (thousands) ........................................................... 22,225 13,395 8,831 122,202 64,107 58,095

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

Management, professional, and related occupations ......................... 26.4 24.3 29.6 36.4 33.8 39.4

 Management, business, and financial operations occupations ........ 10.0 10.1 9.9 15.5 17.1 13.8

 Management occupations .............................................................. 7.2 8.0 5.9 11.2 13.4 8.7

 Business and financial operations occupations .............................. 2.9 2.1 4.0 4.4 3.8 5.1

 Professional and related occupations ............................................... 16.4 14.2 19.7 20.9 16.7 25.6

 Computer and mathematical occupations ...................................... 3.1 3.9 2.0 2.1 2.9 1.2

 Architecture and engineering occupations ..................................... 2.0 2.7 1.1 1.9 3.2 .5

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

 Community and social services occupations .................................. .8 .6 1.1 1.6 1.2 2.1

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

 Education, training, and library occupations ................................... 3.1 1.8 5.0 6.1 2.9 9.6

 Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations .......... 1.2 1.1 1.5 2.0 2.0 2.1

 Healthcare practitioner and technical occupations ......................... 4.6 2.7 7.3 4.9 2.4 7.8

Service occupations ........................................................................... 22.5 17.2 30.4 15.4 12.2 18.9

 Healthcare support occupations ....................................................... 2.5 .6 5.5 2.1 .4 4.0

 Protective service occupations ......................................................... .8 1.0 .4 2.3 3.4 1.1

 Food preparation and serving related occupations .......................... 7.7 7.4 8.1 4.8 3.6 6.2

 Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations ......... 7.9 7.0 9.3 3.0 3.6 2.3

 Personal care and service occupations ............................................ 3.6 1.3 7.1 3.2 1.3 5.4

Sales and office occupations .............................................................. 17.9 12.9 25.6 26.3 18.0 35.5

 Sales and related occupations ......................................................... 9.2 7.9 11.3 11.9 11.6 12.3

 Office and administrative support occupations ................................. 8.7 5.0 14.2 14.4 6.4 23.1

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations ........ 16.5 26.1 1.9 10.0 18.1 1.0

 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations ....................................... 1.6 2.1 1.0 .5 .7 .2

 Construction and extraction occupations .......................................... 11.8 19.0 .7 5.6 10.4 .4

 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ........................... 3.1 4.9 .2 3.8 6.9 .4

Production, transportation, and material moving occupations ............ 16.7 19.5 12.5 11.9 17.9 5.3

 Production occupations .................................................................... 9.7 9.7 9.6 5.9 8.2 3.4

 Transportation and material moving occupations ............................. 7.0 9.8 2.9 6.0 9.7 1.8

 NOTE: Due to the introduction of revised population controls in January 2006, estimated levels for 2006 are not strictly comparable with those

for 2005. 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, 2005-06 annual averages

(Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic

2005 2006

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 ........................... 16,340 $511 87,220 $677 75.6 17,267 $532 88,839 $698 76.2

Men ............................................................. 10,396 523 48,011 760 68.9 10,931 563 48,816 782 72.0

Women ....................................................... 5,945 487 39,210 596 81.7 6,336 502 40,022 611 82.1

Age

16 to 24 years ............................................. 1,578 353 9,529 404 87.3 1,608 379 9,753 414 91.5

25 to 34 years ............................................. 4,831 495 20,181 633 78.3 5,008 508 20,407 647 78.4

35 to 44 years ............................................. 4,700 587 22,403 755 77.8 5,035 597 22,159 776 76.9

45 to 54 years ............................................. 3,352 563 22,299 772 73.0 3,567 612 22,814 801 76.4

55 to 64 years ............................................. 1,582 607 11,192 757 80.2 1,703 608 11,919 787 77.3

65 years and over ....................................... 297 494 1,616 578 85.4 345 554 1,787 588 94.3

Race and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity 2

White non-Hispanic or Latino .................... 2,978 733 67,458 720 101.8 3,051 765 68,410 740 103.3

Black non-Hispanic or Latino ..................... 1,326 521 10,671 521 100.0 1,349 563 10,939 557 101.1

Asian non-Hispanic or Latino ..................... 3,541 747 1,041 777 96.1 3,685 790 1,066 789 100.1

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity ......................... 8,331 412 6,343 555 74.2 9,010 430 6,683 572 75.1

Educational attainment

 Total, 25 years and over .......................... 14,762 543 77,691 724 74.9 15,659 575 79,085 743 77.4

Less than a high school diploma ................ 4,305 385 4,557 442 87.0 4,542 396 4,487 462 85.8

High school graduates, no college 3 ........... 3,589 496 23,926 594 83.4 3,813 507 24,210 607 83.5

Some college .............................................. 2,316 592 23,155 679 87.2 2,446 613 23,580 701 87.4

Bachelor’s degree and higher 4 .................. 4,553 960 26,053 1023 93.8 4,857 1024 26,808 1042 98.2

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

2006, estimated levels for 2006 are not strictly comparable with those for

2005. 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, 

2005-06 annual averages

(Numbers in thousands)

Census region and

division

2005 2006

Civilian

noninstitutional

population

Civilian labor force

Civilian

noninstitutional

population

Civilian labor force

Total Participation rate Employed

Unemployed

Total Participation rate Employed

Unemployed

Number Unemployment rate Number Unemployment rate

FOREIGN BORN

Northeast .................. 7,236 4,817 66.6 4,588 229 4.8 7,494 4,992 66.6 4,775 217 4.3

 New England .......... 1,450 996 68.6 946 50 5.0 1,481 1,017 68.7 968 49 4.8

 Middle Atlantic ........ 5,785 3,822 66.1 3,642 180 4.7 6,012 3,974 66.1 3,807 168 4.2

South ........................ 9,675 6,715 69.4 6,444 272 4.0 10,289 7,304 71.0 7,061 243 3.3

 South Atlantic ......... 5,879 4,073 69.3 3,920 152 3.7 6,263 4,462 71.2 4,322 140 3.1

 East South Central 505 354 70.2 335 19 5.4 531 388 73.1 373 15 3.8

 West South Central 3,291 2,288 69.5 2,188 100 4.4 3,495 2,454 70.2 2,366 88 3.6

Midwest .................... 3,517 2,398 68.2 2,274 124 5.2 3,659 2,542 69.5 2,434 107 4.2

 East North Central .. 2,671 1,802 67.5 1,706 96 5.3 2,797 1,914 68.4 1,832 82 4.3

 West North Central 846 596 70.5 568 28 4.7 862 628 72.9 602 26 4.1

West ......................... 12,131 8,111 66.9 7,716 395 4.9 12,291 8,310 67.6 7,955 356 4.3

 Mountain ................. 1,972 1,344 68.1 1,289 55 4.1 2,115 1,479 70.0 1,424 56 3.8

 Pacific ..................... 10,158 6,767 66.6 6,427 340 5.0 10,176 6,831 67.1 6,531 300 4.4

NATIVE BORN

Northeast .................. 35,409 22,903 64.7 21,796 1,108 4.8 35,260 22,895 64.9 21,829 1,066 4.7

 New England .......... 9,763 6,572 67.3 6,261 311 4.7 9,749 6,608 67.8 6,306 302 4.6

 Middle Atlantic ........ 25,646 16,332 63.7 15,535 797 4.9 25,512 16,288 63.8 15,524 764 4.7

South ........................ 71,597 46,084 64.4 43,740 2,344 5.1 72,469 46,624 64.3 44,473 2,151 4.6

 South Atlantic ......... 36,968 23,909 64.7 22,797 1,112 4.7 37,577 24,360 64.8 23,332 1,028 4.2

 East South Central 13,021 8,024 61.6 7,574 450 5.6 13,155 8,188 62.2 7,757 431 5.3

 West South Central 21,608 14,151 65.5 13,369 783 5.5 21,737 14,077 64.8 13,384 692 4.9

Midwest .................... 47,205 32,193 68.2 30,440 1,753 5.4 47,428 32,401 68.3 30,778 1,623 5.0

 East North Central .. 32,777 21,944 66.9 20,661 1,283 5.8 32,840 22,063 67.2 20,863 1,200 5.4

 West North Central 14,428 10,249 71.0 9,780 470 4.6 14,588 10,339 70.9 9,916 423 4.1

West ......................... 39,313 26,097 66.4 24,732 1,365 5.2 39,925 26,358 66.0 25,121 1,238 4.7

 Mountain ................. 13,167 8,919 67.7 8,500 418 4.7 13,523 9,199 68.0 8,832 367 4.0

 Pacific ..................... 26,146 17,178 65.7 16,231 947 5.5 26,402 17,159 65.0 16,288 871 5.1

 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 2006, estimated levels for 2006

are not strictly comparable with those for 2005. See the Technical Note for further

information.