1

Technical information: (202) 691-6378

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

Media contact: (202) 691-5902

USDL 08-0409

For release: 10:00 A.M. (EDT)

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

FOREIGN-BORN WORKERS: LABOR FORCE CHARACTERISTICS IN 2007

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

of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. In 2007, 24.0 million persons, or 15.7 percent of the

U.S. civilian labor force age 16 and over, were foreign born. Their share of the labor force was up from

15.3 percent in 2006. The unemployment rate for the foreign born increased by 0.3 percentage point over

the year to 4.3 percent in 2007. From 2003 to 2006, it had declined by 2.6 percentage points. The jobless

rate of the native born, at 4.7 percent in 2007, was unchanged from the prior 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 from those of the native-born labor

force. In 2007, men made up a larger proportion of the foreign-born labor force (60.3 percent) than they

did of the native-born (52.4 percent) labor force. Also, a higher proportion of the foreign-born than the

native-born labor force was made up of 25- to 54-year olds (76.4 and 66.6 percent, respectively); labor

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

In 2007, Hispanics comprised 50.0 percent of the foreign-born labor force compared with 7.4 percent

of the native-born labor force. Asians made up 21.9 percent of the foreign-born labor force compared with

1.3 percent of the native-born labor force. (Data in this release for persons who are white, black, or Asian

do not include those of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity. Data on persons of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity are

presented separately.)

In terms of educational attainment, 27.4 percent of the foreign-born labor force 25 years old and over

had not completed high school in 2007, compared with 6.0 percent of the native-born labor force. Similar

proportions of foreign-born and native-born persons in the labor force had a bachelor’s or higher degree

(31.1 and 34.2 percent, respectively). Foreign-born workers were less likely than native-born workers to

be high school graduates (with no college) or to have some college or an associate degree.

News

Bureau of Labor Statistics Washington, D.C. 20212

United States

Department 

of Labor
2

Labor Force and Unemployment

In 2007, about 24 million, or 68.5 percent, of the foreign born were in the labor force; that rate was

little changed from a year earlier. In contrast, the labor force participation rate of native-born workers edged

down by 0.2 percentage point to 65.6 percent in 2007. Over the year, the number of foreign-born labor

force participants rose by 846,000; this represented about half of the total labor force increase in 2007.

(See table 1.) From 2000 to 2007, the foreign born accounted for 47.7 percent of the net increase in the

civilian labor force.

Foreign-born men were more likely to be labor force participants (81.9 percent) than their native-born

counterparts (71.6 percent) in 2007. In contrast, 54.9 percent of foreign-born women were labor force

participants compared with 60.1 percent of native-born women.

Foreign-born mothers with children under 18 years old were less likely to be labor force participants than

native-born mothers—60.1 versus 73.7 percent. Among women with children under age 3, the participation

rate for the foreign born was 44.3 percent, while that for the native born was 63.4 percent; both rates edged

down over the year. The vast majority of both foreign- and native-born fathers with children under 18 were

labor force participants—about 94 percent of each group. (See table 2.)

The unemployment rate of the foreign born increased from 4.0 percent in 2006 to 4.3 percent in 2007.

Over the year, the jobless rate of the native born held steady at 4.7 percent. The unemployment rate of the

foreign born was lower than that of the native born for the third year in a row. Over the year, the unemployment rate for foreign-born men rose from 3.5 to 4.1 percent, while the rate for foreign-born women was little

changed at 4.6 percent. (See table 1.)

By region, the foreign born made up a larger share of the total labor force in the West (24.6 percent)

and in the Northeast (18.3 percent) than for the nation as a whole (15.7 percent). In contrast, the shares

of the labor force made up of foreign-born workers in the South (13.8 percent) and Midwest (7.5 percent)

regions were less than for the nation. (See table 6.)

Occupation

Foreign-born workers in 2007 were more likely than their native-born counterparts to be employed in

service occupations (22.8 versus 15.4 percent); in natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations (16.4 versus 9.7 percent), and in production, transportation, and material moving occupations (16.2

versus 11.7 percent). In contrast, native-born workers were more likely than foreign-born workers to be

employed in management, professional, and related occupations—37.0 versus 27.2 percent. (See table 4.)

In 2007, about 1 in 4 foreign-born men were employed in natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations, while nearly 1 in 3 women were in service occupations. As compared with the foreign

born, a larger share of native-born women and men were employed in management, professional, and related

occupations.

Earnings

In 2007, the median usual weekly earnings of foreign-born full-time wage and salary workers were $554,

compared with $722 for the native born. Among men, median earnings were $585 per week for the foreign

born, compared with $809 for the native born; the median for foreign-born women was $509, compared

with $627 for the native born. (See table 5.)
3

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 $405 per week in 2007,

while those with bachelor’s degrees and higher earned about 2.6 times as much—$1,057 a week.

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

of education. Among those with less than a high school diploma, full-time workers who were foreign born

earned 84.6 percent as much as their native-born counterparts. Among those with a bachelor’s degree and

higher, foreign-born workers earned almost the same (98.3 percent) as native-born workers.
Technical Note

The estimates in this release are based on annual average

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

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

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

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

noninstitutional population age 16 and over. In response to the

increased demand for statistical information about the foreign

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

United States, and the parental nativity of respondents were

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

primary sources of data on the foreign born were the decennial

census, two CPS supplements (conducted in April 1983 and

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

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

as the Immigration and Naturalization Service).

The foreign- and native-born data for 2007 are not strictly

comparable with data for 2006 and earlier years because of the

introduction in January 2007 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 increase the December 2006 employment

level by 153,000 and the unemployment level by 10,000. 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 2007” available on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/

cps/cps07adj.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

Household Data section of the “Explanatory Notes and

Estimates of Error” at http://www.bls.gov/cps/eetech_

methods.pdf.

Concepts and definitions

Foreign born. The foreign born are persons residing in the

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

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

such as Puerto Rico or Guam, to parents neither 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, 2006-07 annual averages

(Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic

2006 2007

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 ................. 228,815 151,428 66.2 144,427 7,001 4.6 231,867 153,124 66.0 146,047 7,078 4.6

Men ..................................................... 110,605 81,255 73.5 77,502 3,753 4.6 112,173 82,136 73.2 78,254 3,882 4.7

Women ............................................... 118,210 70,173 59.4 66,925 3,247 4.6 119,694 70,988 59.3 67,792 3,196 4.5

FOREIGN BORN

Total, 16 years and over ................. 33,733 23,148 68.6 22,225 923 4.0 35,017 23,994 68.5 22,967 1,027 4.3

Men ..................................................... 16,989 13,885 81.7 13,395 491 3.5 17,670 14,470 81.9 13,883 588 4.1

Women ............................................... 16,743 9,263 55.3 8,831 432 4.7 17,347 9,524 54.9 9,085 439 4.6

Age

16 to 24 years ..................................... 4,156 2,501 60.2 2,318 183 7.3 4,205 2,454 58.4 2,266 188 7.7

25 to 34 years ..................................... 7,997 6,267 78.4 6,027 240 3.8 8,243 6,421 77.9 6,147 274 4.3

35 to 44 years ..................................... 8,022 6,552 81.7 6,325 227 3.5 8,322 6,782 81.5 6,546 236 3.5

45 to 54 years ..................................... 5,896 4,740 80.4 4,575 165 3.5 6,278 5,126 81.7 4,930 196 3.8

55 to 64 years ..................................... 3,707 2,428 65.5 2,340 87 3.6 3,850 2,531 65.7 2,424 107 4.2

65 years and over ............................... 3,955 660 16.7 640 20 3.1 4,119 680 16.5 655 25 3.7

Race and Hispanic

or Latino ethnicity 1

White non-Hispanic or Latino ............ 7,329 4,503 61.4 4,344 159 3.5 7,492 4,599 61.4 4,428 171 3.7

Black non-Hispanic or Latino ............. 2,450 1,807 73.7 1,708 99 5.5 2,610 1,901 72.8 1,795 106 5.6

Asian non-Hispanic or Latino ............. 7,481 5,060 67.6 4,917 142 2.8 7,762 5,264 67.8 5,106 158 3.0

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity ................. 16,156 11,549 71.5 11,034 514 4.5 16,817 11,987 71.3 11,405 582 4.9

Educational attainment

Total, 25 years and over ................. 29,576 20,647 69.8 19,908 739 3.6 30,812 21,540 69.9 20,701 839 3.9

Less than a high school diploma ........ 9,361 5,865 62.7 5,566 299 5.1 9,456 5,893 62.3 5,585 308 5.2

High school graduates, no college 2 ... 7,358 5,032 68.4 4,855 177 3.5 7,863 5,400 68.7 5,188 212 3.9

Some college or associate degree ..... 4,511 3,346 74.2 3,232 114 3.4 4,780 3,538 74.0 3,387 151 4.3

Bachelor’s degree and higher 3 .......... 8,347 6,405 76.7 6,255 149 2.3 8,713 6,709 77.0 6,541 168 2.5

See footnotes at end of table.
Table 1. Employment status of the foreign-born and native-born populations by selected characteristics, 2006-07 annual

averages—Continued

(Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic

2006 2007

Civilian

noninstitutional

population

Civilian labor force

Civilian

noninstitutional

population

Civilian labor force

Total Participation rate Employed

Unemployed

Total Participation rate Employed

Unemployed

Number

Unemployment

rate

Number

Unemployment

rate

NATIVE BORN

Total, 16 years and over ................. 195,082 128,280 65.8 122,202 6,078 4.7 196,850 129,130 65.6 123,079 6,051 4.7

Men ..................................................... 93,615 67,370 72.0 64,107 3,263 4.8 94,503 67,666 71.6 64,372 3,294 4.9

Women ............................................... 101,467 60,910 60.0 58,095 2,815 4.6 102,347 61,464 60.1 58,707 2,757 4.5

Age

16 to 24 years ..................................... 32,787 19,893 60.7 17,723 2,170 10.9 33,204 19,763 59.5 17,608 2,155 10.9

25 to 34 years ..................................... 31,233 26,305 84.2 25,024 1,282 4.9 31,509 26,708 84.8 25,439 1,270 4.8

35 to 44 years ..................................... 34,731 29,296 84.3 28,244 1,051 3.6 34,079 28,745 84.3 27,756 989 3.4

45 to 54 years ..................................... 37,005 30,405 82.2 29,477 928 3.1 37,266 30,571 82.0 29,633 938 3.1

55 to 64 years ..................................... 27,668 17,557 63.5 17,049 508 2.9 28,683 18,219 63.5 17,684 535 2.9

65 years and over ............................... 31,658 4,824 15.2 4,685 139 2.9 32,109 5,124 16.0 4,959 165 3.2

Race and Hispanic

or Latino ethnicity 1

White non-Hispanic or Latino ............ 150,979 100,126 66.3 96,262 3,864 3.9 151,596 100,279 66.1 96,411 3,868 3.9

Black non-Hispanic or Latino ............. 23,668 14,905 63.0 13,500 1,405 9.4 23,921 14,961 62.5 13,671 1,290 8.6

Asian non-Hispanic or Latino ............. 2,522 1,552 61.5 1,493 59 3.8 2,708 1,683 62.2 1,620 63 3.7

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity ................. 13,947 9,145 65.6 8,578 567 6.2 14,566 9,615 66.0 8,977 638 6.6

Educational attainment

Total, 25 years and over ................. 162,295 108,387 66.8 104,479 3,908 3.6 163,645 109,367 66.8 105,471 3,896 3.6

Less than a high school diploma ........ 18,181 6,893 37.9 6,326 567 8.2 17,177 6,514 37.9 5,936 578 8.9

High school graduates, no college 2 ... 53,390 33,322 62.4 31,847 1,475 4.4 53,510 33,139 61.9 31,670 1,470 4.4

Some college or associate degree ..... 44,500 32,064 72.1 30,911 1,152 3.6 45,051 32,349 71.8 31,225 1,124 3.5

Bachelor’s degree and higher 3 .......... 46,224 36,108 78.1 35,394 714 2.0 47,908 37,365 78.0 36,640 725 1.9

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. 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, 2006-07 annual averages

(Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic

2006 2007

Total Men Women Total Men Women

FOREIGN BORN

With own children under 18

Civilian noninstitutional population ................................. 13,239 6,283 6,956 13,970 6,640 7,329

Civilian labor force ........................................................ 10,068 5,912 4,155 10,667 6,260 4,407

Participation rate ....................................................... 76.0 94.1 59.7 76.4 94.3 60.1

Employed .................................................................... 9,674 5,731 3,943 10,245 6,055 4,190

Employment-population ratio .................................... 73.1 91.2 56.7 73.3 91.2 57.2

Unemployed ............................................................... 394 182 212 422 205 217

Unemployment rate .................................................. 3.9 3.1 5.1 4.0 3.3 4.9

With own children 6 to 17, none younger

Civilian noninstitutional population ................................. 6,604 3,050 3,554 6,974 3,252 3,722

Civilian labor force ........................................................ 5,256 2,828 2,428 5,640 3,029 2,611

Participation rate ....................................................... 79.6 92.7 68.3 80.9 93.1 70.2

Employed .................................................................... 5,052 2,737 2,315 5,431 2,935 2,497

Employment-population ratio .................................... 76.5 89.7 65.1 77.9 90.2 67.1

Unemployed ............................................................... 204 91 113 209 94 115

Unemployment rate .................................................. 3.9 3.2 4.6 3.7 3.1 4.4

With own children under 6

Civilian noninstitutional population ................................. 6,635 3,233 3,402 6,996 3,388 3,608

Civilian labor force ........................................................ 4,812 3,084 1,727 5,027 3,231 1,795

Participation rate ....................................................... 72.5 95.4 50.8 71.9 95.4 49.8

Employed .................................................................... 4,622 2,994 1,628 4,814 3,120 1,693

Employment-population ratio .................................... 69.7 92.6 47.8 68.8 92.1 46.9

Unemployed ............................................................... 190 90 100 213 111 102

Unemployment rate .................................................. 3.9 2.9 5.8 4.2 3.4 5.7

With own children under 3

Civilian noninstitutional population ................................. 3,805 1,845 1,961 4,087 1,982 2,105

Civilian labor force ........................................................ 2,658 1,758 900 2,821 1,888 933

Participation rate ....................................................... 69.8 95.3 45.9 69.0 95.3 44.3

Employed .................................................................... 2,552 1,706 846 2,700 1,825 876

Employment-population ratio .................................... 67.1 92.5 43.1 66.1 92.1 41.6

Unemployed ............................................................... 105 51 54 120 63 57

Unemployment rate .................................................. 4.0 2.9 6.0 4.3 3.4 6.1

With no own children under 18

Civilian noninstitutional population ................................. 20,493 10,706 9,787 21,047 11,030 10,018

Civilian labor force ........................................................ 13,080 7,973 5,107 13,327 8,210 5,117

Participation rate ....................................................... 63.8 74.5 52.2 63.3 74.4 51.1

Employed .................................................................... 12,552 7,664 4,888 12,722 7,828 4,895

Employment-population ratio .................................... 61.2 71.6 49.9 60.4 71.0 48.9

Unemployed ............................................................... 529 309 220 605 383 222

Unemployment rate .................................................. 4.0 3.9 4.3 4.5 4.7 4.3

NATIVE BORN

With own children under 18

Civilian noninstitutional population ................................. 52,551 23,118 29,433 52,683 22,996 29,686

Civilian labor force ........................................................ 43,400 21,774 21,626 43,578 21,699 21,879

Participation rate ....................................................... 82.6 94.2 73.5 82.7 94.4 73.7

Employed .................................................................... 41,768 21,176 20,592 42,005 21,119 20,887

Employment-population ratio .................................... 79.5 91.6 70.0 79.7 91.8 70.4

Unemployed ............................................................... 1,632 598 1,034 1,573 581 992

Unemployment rate .................................................. 3.8 2.7 4.8 3.6 2.7 4.5

With own children 6 to 17, none younger

Civilian noninstitutional population ................................. 29,775 13,114 16,662 29,861 13,085 16,775

Civilian labor force ........................................................ 25,296 12,219 13,077 25,413 12,197 13,216

Participation rate ....................................................... 85.0 93.2 78.5 85.1 93.2 78.8

Employed .................................................................... 24,471 11,912 12,559 24,622 11,889 12,733

Employment-population ratio .................................... 82.2 90.8 75.4 82.5 90.9 75.9

Unemployed ............................................................... 825 307 518 791 308 483

Unemployment rate .................................................. 3.3 2.5 4.0 3.1 2.5 3.7

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, 2006-07 annual averages—Continued

(Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic

2006 2007

Total Men Women Total Men Women

NATIVE BORN—Continued

With own children under 6

Civilian noninstitutional population ................................. 22,776 10,004 12,772 22,822 9,911 12,911

Civilian labor force ........................................................ 18,104 9,555 8,549 18,165 9,502 8,663

Participation rate ....................................................... 79.5 95.5 66.9 79.6 95.9 67.1

Employed .................................................................... 17,297 9,264 8,033 17,383 9,230 8,154

Employment-population ratio .................................... 75.9 92.6 62.9 76.2 93.1 63.2

Unemployed ............................................................... 807 291 516 782 272 509

Unemployment rate .................................................. 4.5 3.0 6.0 4.3 2.9 5.9

With own children under 3

Civilian noninstitutional population ................................. 13,433 5,963 7,470 13,406 5,851 7,554

Civilian labor force ........................................................ 10,481 5,706 4,775 10,412 5,624 4,788

Participation rate ....................................................... 78.0 95.7 63.9 77.7 96.1 63.4

Employed .................................................................... 9,992 5,523 4,469 9,935 5,457 4,478

Employment-population ratio .................................... 74.4 92.6 59.8 74.1 93.3 59.3

Unemployed ............................................................... 489 183 306 477 167 310

Unemployment rate .................................................. 4.7 3.2 6.4 4.6 3.0 6.5

With no own children under 18

Civilian noninstitutional population ................................. 142,531 70,497 72,034 144,167 71,506 72,661

Civilian labor force ........................................................ 84,880 45,596 39,284 85,552 45,967 39,585

Participation rate ....................................................... 59.6 64.7 54.5 59.3 64.3 54.5

Employed .................................................................... 80,434 42,931 37,503 81,074 43,253 37,821

Employment-population ratio .................................... 56.4 60.9 52.1 56.2 60.5 52.1

Unemployed ............................................................... 4,446 2,665 1,781 4,478 2,714 1,764

Unemployment rate .................................................. 5.2 5.8 4.5 5.2 5.9 4.5

 NOTE: Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data. See the Technical Note for further information.
Table 3. Employment status of the foreign-born and native-born populations 25 years and over by educational attainment,

race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 2006-07 annual averages

(Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic

2006 2007

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 ....................... 940 1,803 1,296 2,647 895 1,850 1,338 2,701

Civilian labor force .............................................. 349 971 848 1,969 306 1,035 882 1,991

Participation rate ............................................. 37.1 53.8 65.4 74.4 34.1 55.9 65.9 73.7

Employed .......................................................... 331 937 819 1,920 292 993 850 1,937

Employment-population ratio .......................... 35.2 52.0 63.1 72.6 32.7 53.7 63.5 71.7

Unemployed ..................................................... 18 33 30 48 13 42 32 53

Unemployment rate ........................................ 5.3 3.4 3.5 2.5 4.3 4.1 3.6 2.7

Black non-Hispanic or Latino

Civilian noninstitutional population ....................... 357 648 507 608 318 712 570 654

Civilian labor force .............................................. 226 477 416 510 193 515 474 566

Participation rate ............................................. 63.2 73.7 81.9 83.9 60.7 72.2 83.2 86.6

Employed .......................................................... 207 453 398 495 177 491 445 549

Employment-population ratio .......................... 57.8 69.9 78.4 81.4 55.6 68.9 78.1 84.1

Unemployed ..................................................... 19 25 18 15 16 24 29 17

Unemployment rate ........................................ 8.6 5.2 4.3 3.0 8.4 4.7 6.1 3.0

Asian non-Hispanic or Latino

Civilian noninstitutional population ....................... 858 1,340 1,016 3,575 836 1,428 1,066 3,754

Civilian labor force .............................................. 391 862 742 2,743 370 924 769 2,889

Participation rate ............................................. 45.6 64.3 73.0 76.7 44.3 64.7 72.1 77.0

Employed .......................................................... 376 834 721 2,684 359 892 736 2,828

Employment-population ratio .......................... 43.8 62.3 71.0 75.1 43.0 62.5 69.0 75.3

Unemployed ..................................................... 15 27 21 58 11 32 33 61

Unemployment rate ........................................ 3.9 3.2 2.8 2.1 3.0 3.5 4.3 2.1

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Civilian noninstitutional population ....................... 7,167 3,506 1,615 1,424 7,368 3,801 1,726 1,508

Civilian labor force .............................................. 4,875 2,677 1,279 1,111 5,001 2,877 1,352 1,189

Participation rate ............................................. 68.0 76.4 79.2 78.0 67.9 75.7 78.3 78.9

Employed .......................................................... 4,631 2,587 1,234 1,085 4,736 2,764 1,297 1,155

Employment-population ratio .......................... 64.6 73.8 76.4 76.1 64.3 72.7 75.1 76.6

Unemployed ..................................................... 243 90 46 27 266 112 56 34

Unemployment rate ........................................ 5.0 3.4 3.6 2.4 5.3 3.9 4.1 2.9

NATIVE BORN

White non-Hispanic or Latino

Civilian noninstitutional population ....................... 11,847 42,087 35,100 39,751 11,099 41,790 35,413 41,067

Civilian labor force .............................................. 4,369 25,714 24,931 30,787 4,092 25,333 25,048 31,725

Participation rate ............................................. 36.9 61.1 71.0 77.4 36.9 60.6 70.7 77.3

Employed .......................................................... 4,079 24,773 24,157 30,200 3,783 24,377 24,281 31,150

Employment-population ratio .......................... 34.4 58.9 68.8 76.0 34.1 58.3 68.6 75.9

Unemployed ..................................................... 289 941 774 586 309 955 767 575

Unemployment rate ........................................ 6.6 3.7 3.1 1.9 7.5 3.8 3.1 1.8

Black non-Hispanic or Latino

Civilian noninstitutional population ....................... 3,396 6,801 5,215 3,379 3,215 6,938 5,306 3,496

Civilian labor force .............................................. 1,236 4,488 3,885 2,762 1,154 4,481 3,948 2,872

Participation rate ............................................. 36.4 66.0 74.5 81.7 35.9 64.6 74.4 82.1

Employed .......................................................... 1,065 4,115 3,634 2,687 1,003 4,138 3,731 2,788

Employment-population ratio .......................... 31.4 60.5 69.7 79.5 31.2 59.6 70.3 79.7

Unemployed ..................................................... 171 373 251 75 151 343 216 84

Unemployment rate ........................................ 13.8 8.3 6.5 2.7 13.1 7.7 5.5 2.9

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, 2006-07 annual averages—Continued

(Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic

2006 2007

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

Asian non-Hispanic or Latino

Civilian noninstitutional population ....................... 152 339 391 880 143 397 399 953

Civilian labor force .............................................. 55 188 276 710 58 223 287 757

Participation rate ............................................. 36.4 55.4 70.6 80.7 40.6 56.0 72.0 79.4

Employed .......................................................... 53 183 265 696 56 218 281 734

Employment-population ratio .......................... 35.1 54.0 67.7 79.2 39.4 54.8 70.3 77.0

Unemployed ..................................................... 2 5 11 13 2 5 7 23

Unemployment rate ........................................ 3.4 2.6 4.1 1.9 2.9 2.2 2.3 3.0

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Civilian noninstitutional population ....................... 2,352 3,232 2,781 1,626 2,275 3,390 2,939 1,784

Civilian labor force .............................................. 1,073 2,331 2,222 1,373 1,039 2,468 2,340 1,517

Participation rate ............................................. 45.6 72.1 79.9 84.4 45.7 72.8 79.6 85.1

Employed .......................................................... 989 2,214 2,143 1,344 942 2,345 2,245 1,489

Employment-population ratio .......................... 42.0 68.5 77.1 82.6 41.4 69.2 76.4 83.5

Unemployed ..................................................... 85 117 79 29 97 122 94 29

Unemployment rate ........................................ 7.9 5.0 3.6 2.1 9.4 5.0 4.0 1.9

1 Includes persons with a high school diploma or equivalent. 2 Includes persons with bachelor’s, master’s, professional, and doctoral degrees.

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

annually with the release of January data. See the Technical Note for further information.
Table 4. Employed foreign-born and native-born persons 16 years and over by occupation and sex,

2007 annual averages

(Percent distribution)

Occupation

Foreign Born Native Born

Total Men Women Total Men Women

Total ................................................................................................ 22,967 13,883 9,085 123,079 64,372 58,707

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

Management, professional, and related occupations ......................... 27.2 25.1 30.4 37.0 34.4 39.9

Management, business, and financial operations occupations ........ 10.4 10.4 10.4 15.6 17.0 14.1

Management occupations .............................................................. 7.4 8.1 6.3 11.2 13.3 8.9

Business and financial operations occupations .............................. 3.0 2.3 4.1 4.4 3.7 5.2

Professional and related occupations ............................................... 16.8 14.7 20.0 21.4 17.4 25.9

Computer and mathematical occupations ...................................... 3.4 4.2 2.0 2.2 3.1 1.2

Architecture and engineering occupations ..................................... 2.0 2.8 .9 2.0 3.3 .6

Life, physical, and social science occupations ............................... 1.1 1.1 1.2 .9 1.0 .8

Community and social services occupations .................................. .9 .6 1.3 1.7 1.3 2.1

Legal occupations ........................................................................... .4 .2 .7 1.3 1.2 1.4

Education, training, and library occupations ................................... 3.2 2.0 5.1 6.3 3.1 9.8

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

Healthcare practitioner and technical occupations ......................... 4.4 2.6 7.2 5.1 2.4 8.0

Service occupations ........................................................................... 22.8 17.3 31.1 15.4 12.3 18.7

Healthcare support occupations ..................................................... 2.5 .6 5.4 2.1 .4 3.9

Protective service occupations ....................................................... .8 1.0 .5 2.4 3.5 1.1

Food preparation and serving related occupations ........................ 7.5 7.1 8.1 4.8 3.7 6.1

Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations ....... 8.3 7.4 9.7 2.9 3.5 2.2

Personal care and service occupations .......................................... 3.6 1.2 7.4 3.2 1.3 5.3

Sales and office occupations .............................................................. 17.5 12.4 25.1 26.2 17.9 35.2

Sales and related occupations ....................................................... 9.1 7.8 11.0 11.9 11.4 12.4

Office and administrative support occupations ............................... 8.4 4.7 14.1 14.3 6.5 22.8

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations ........ 16.4 26.0 1.7 9.7 17.8 .9

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations ..................................... 1.6 2.1 .9 .5 .7 .2

Construction and extraction occupations ........................................ 11.8 19.1 .5 5.6 10.3 .4

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ......................... 3.0 4.8 .3 3.7 6.8 .3

Production, transportation, and material moving occupations ............ 16.2 19.2 11.7 11.7 17.6 5.3

Production occupations .................................................................. 9.3 9.6 8.8 5.9 8.1 3.5

Transportation and material moving occupations ........................... 6.9 9.6 2.9 5.8 9.5 1.9

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

characteristics, 2006-07 annual averages

(Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic

2006 2007

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 ......................... 17,267 $532 88,839 $698 76.2 17,876 $554 89,463 $722 76.8

Men ............................................................. 10,931 563 48,816 782 72.0 11,329 585 48,969 809 72.3

Women ....................................................... 6,336 502 40,022 611 82.1 6,547 509 40,494 627 81.2

AGE

16 to 24 years ......................................... 1,608 379 9,753 414 91.5 1,650 391 9,599 435 89.8

25 to 34 years ......................................... 5,008 508 20,407 647 78.4 5,078 520 20,792 669 77.8

35 to 44 years ......................................... 5,035 597 22,159 776 76.9 5,186 604 21,814 807 74.7

45 to 54 years ......................................... 3,567 612 22,814 801 76.4 3,816 615 22,877 817 75.2

55 to 64 years ......................................... 1,703 608 11,919 787 77.3 1,761 632 12,435 828 76.3

65 years and over ................................... 345 554 1,787 588 94.3 386 518 1,946 622 83.3

RACE AND HISPANIC OR 

LATINO ETHNICITY 2

White non-Hispanic or Latino ................ 3,051 765 68,410 740 103.3 3,084 805 68,484 762 105.6

Black non-Hispanic or Latino ................. 1,349 563 10,939 557 101.1 1,442 585 11,160 569 102.8

Asian non-Hispanic or Latino ................. 3,685 790 1,066 789 100.1 3,876 832 1,188 832 100.0

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity ..................... 9,010 430 6,683 572 75.1 9,297 448 6,904 605 74.0

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT

Total, 25 years and over ..................... 15,659 575 79,085 743 77.4 16,225 586 79,864 763 76.7

Less than a high school diploma ............ 4,542 396 4,487 462 85.8 4,582 405 4,164 479 84.6

High school graduates, no college 3 ....... 3,813 507 24,210 607 83.5 3,928 511 24,069 617 82.9

Some college or associate degree ......... 2,446 613 23,580 701 87.4 2,539 617 23,651 714 86.5

Bachelor’s degree and higher 4 .............. 4,857 1,024 26,808 1,042 98.2 5,177 1,057 27,980 1,075 98.3

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

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

 NOTE: Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data. See the Technical Note for further information.
Table 6. Employment status of the foreign-born and native-born populations 16 years and over by census regions and divisions,

2006-07 annual averages

(Numbers in thousands)

Census region and

division

2006 2007

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 ...................... 7,494 4,992 66.6 4,775 217 4.3 7,742 5,113 66.0 4,887 225 4.4

New England ............ 1,481 1,017 68.7 968 49 4.8 1,540 1,062 68.9 1,018 43 4.1

Middle Atlantic .......... 6,012 3,974 66.1 3,807 168 4.2 6,202 4,051 65.3 3,869 182 4.5

South ............................ 10,289 7,304 71.0 7,061 243 3.3 10,711 7,536 70.4 7,265 272 3.6

South Atlantic ........... 6,263 4,462 71.2 4,322 140 3.1 6,434 4,602 71.5 4,431 171 3.7

East South Central ... 531 388 73.1 373 15 3.8 567 424 74.8 412 12 2.9

West South Central .. 3,495 2,454 70.2 2,366 88 3.6 3,709 2,510 67.7 2,422 88 3.5

Midwest ........................ 3,659 2,542 69.5 2,434 107 4.2 3,791 2,626 69.3 2,506 120 4.6

East North Central .... 2,797 1,914 68.4 1,832 82 4.3 2,923 1,996 68.3 1,906 90 4.5

West North Central ... 862 628 72.9 602 26 4.1 868 630 72.6 600 30 4.8

West ............................. 12,291 8,310 67.6 7,955 356 4.3 12,773 8,719 68.3 8,309 410 4.7

Mountain ................... 2,115 1,479 70.0 1,424 56 3.8 2,178 1,513 69.5 1,453 61 4.0

Pacific ....................... 10,176 6,831 67.1 6,531 300 4.4 10,595 7,206 68.0 6,857 349 4.8

NATIVE BORN

Northeast ...................... 35,260 22,895 64.9 21,829 1,066 4.7 35,327 22,881 64.8 21,863 1,018 4.4

New England ............ 9,749 6,608 67.8 6,306 302 4.6 9,770 6,623 67.8 6,322 301 4.5

Middle Atlantic .......... 25,512 16,288 63.8 15,524 764 4.7 25,556 16,257 63.6 15,541 717 4.4

South ............................ 72,469 46,624 64.3 44,473 2,151 4.6 73,484 47,086 64.1 44,994 2,092 4.4

South Atlantic ........... 37,577 24,360 64.8 23,332 1,028 4.2 38,242 24,749 64.7 23,708 1,041 4.2

East South Central ... 13,155 8,188 62.2 7,757 431 5.3 13,223 8,199 62.0 7,792 407 5.0

West South Central .. 21,737 14,077 64.8 13,384 692 4.9 22,019 14,139 64.2 13,494 645 4.6

Midwest ........................ 47,428 32,401 68.3 30,778 1,623 5.0 47,517 32,377 68.1 30,697 1,680 5.2

East North Central .... 32,840 22,063 67.2 20,863 1,200 5.4 32,930 22,073 67.0 20,827 1,245 5.6

West North Central ... 14,588 10,339 70.9 9,916 423 4.1 14,587 10,305 70.6 9,870 435 4.2

West ............................. 39,925 26,358 66.0 25,121 1,238 4.7 40,522 26,786 66.1 25,525 1,261 4.7

Mountain ................... 13,523 9,199 68.0 8,832 367 4.0 13,893 9,417 67.8 9,080 337 3.6

Pacific ....................... 26,402 17,159 65.0 16,288 871 5.1 26,629 17,368 65.2 16,445 923 5.3

 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). Updated

population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data. See the Technical Note for further information.