For release 10:00 a.m. (EDT) Friday, March 19, 2010 USDL-10-0319 

Technical information: (202) 691-6378 • cpsinfo@bls.gov • www.bls.gov/cps 

Media contact: (202) 691-5902 • PressOffice@bls.gov 

FOREIGN-BORN WORKERS: LABOR FORCE CHARACTERISTICS – 2009

The share of the U.S. labor force composed of the foreign born was little changed in 2009, and their 

unemployment rate rose from 5.8 to 9.7 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The 

jobless rate of the native born increased from 5.8 percent in 2008 to 9.2 percent in 2009. 

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.

Some highlights from the 2009 data are: 

• Both the number of foreign-born labor force participants (23.9 million) and their share of the 

U.S. civilian labor force (15.5 percent) were little changed in 2009 for the second year in a row.

• The unemployment rate of the foreign born (9.7 percent) was higher than that of the native born 

(9.2 percent) for the first time since 2003. 

• In 2009, the median usual weekly earnings of foreign-born full-time wage and salary workers 

were 79.1 percent of those of their native-born counterparts. 

• Hispanics accounted for 50.1 percent of the foreign-born labor force, and another 22.3 percent 

was Asian.

• The number of foreign-born white non-Hispanics in the labor force declined, while the number 

of foreign born in the other major race and ethnicity groups showed little change. 

Demographic Characteristics

In 2009, men made up a larger proportion of the foreign-born labor force (59.3 percent) than they did of 

the native-born labor force (52.2 percent). The proportion of the foreign-born labor force made up of 25- 
- 2 - 

to 54-year-olds was higher than for their native-born counterparts (76.7 and 65.6 percent, respectively); 

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

Hispanics comprised 50.1 percent of the foreign-born labor force in 2009, compared with 8.0 percent of 

the native-born labor force. Asians made up 22.3 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 2009, 26.7 percent of the foreign-born labor force 25 years old and over had not completed high 

school, compared with 5.7 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 (31.8 and 34.9 percent, 

respectively). Foreign-born workers were less likely than native-born workers to have some college or 

an associate degree—17.0 versus 29.8 percent. 

Labor Force and Unemployment 

In 2009, 67.9 percent of the foreign born were in the labor force, little changed from 2008. Over the 

year, the labor force participation rate of native-born workers fell by 0.7 percentage point to 64.9 percent. In 2009, both the number of foreign-born labor force participants (23.9 million) and their share 

of the U.S. civilian labor force (15.5 percent) were little changed for the second year in a row, after 

increasing steadily from 1996 to 2007. (See table 1.) 

The labor force participation rate of foreign-born men was 80.5 percent in 2009, compared with 70.4 

percent for native-born men. Among women, 55.4 percent of foreign-born women were labor force 

participants, compared with 59.8 percent of native-born women. 

Among the major race and ethnicity groups, labor force participation rates of foreign-born whites (59.8 

percent), blacks (72.4 percent), and Asians (67.7 percent) were down over the year. The rate for foreignborn Hispanics (70.8 percent) was little changed in 2009. Among the native born, labor force participation rates for all the major race and ethnicity groups fell over the year.

In 2009, foreign-born mothers with children under age 18 were less likely to be labor force participants 

than native-born mothers—61.2 versus 74.0 percent. Among women with children under age 3, the 

participation rate for the foreign born was 45.8 percent, while that for the native born was 64.9 percent. 

The labor force participation rate of both foreign- and native-born fathers with children under age 18 

was about 94 percent. (See table 2.) 

The over-the-year increase in the unemployment rate of foreign-born workers—from 5.8 percent in 

2008 to 9.7 percent in 2009—reflected increases in the rates for both men and women. The unemployment rate for foreign-born men rose from 5.7 to 10.0 percent, and the rate for foreign-born women was 

up from 6.0 to 9.2 percent. Among the native born, the unemployment rate increased from 5.8 to 9.2 

percent over the year. The rate for men rose from 6.2 to 10.3 percent, while the rate for women was up 

from 5.3 to 7.9 percent. (See table 1.) 

By region, the foreign born made up a larger share of the labor force in 2009 in the West (23.8 percent) 

and in the Northeast (17.9 percent) than for the nation as a whole (15.5 percent). In contrast, the foreign 

born made up a smaller share of the labor force than for the nation in the South (13.8 percent) and 

Midwest (7.7 percent). (See table 6.)
- 3 - 

Occupation

In 2009, foreign-born workers were more likely than native-born workers to be employed in service 

occupations (24.7 versus 16.3 percent); in production, transportation, and material moving occupations 

(15.8 versus 10.6 percent); and in natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations (13.5 

versus 8.8 percent). Native-born workers were more likely than foreign-born workers to be employed in 

management, professional, and related occupations—38.9 versus 28.9 percent. (See table 4.) 

Foreign-born men were more likely than native-born men to be employed in natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations; production, transportation, material moving occupations; and in 

service occupations. Compared with native-born women, foreign-born women were more likely to be 

employed in service occupations and in production, transportation, and material moving occupations. 

Earnings 

In 2009, the median usual weekly earnings of foreign-born full-time wage and salary workers were 

$602, compared with $761 for the native born. Among men, median earnings for the foreign born were 

$620 per week, while the native born earned $864 per week. The median usual weekly earnings for 

foreign-born women were $567, compared with $670 for native-born women. (See table 5.) 

As with the native born, the earnings of foreign-born workers increased with education. Foreign-born 

workers age 25 and over with less than a high school education earned $415 per week in 2009, while 

those with bachelor’s degrees and higher earned about 2.7 times as much— $1,129 per week. 

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

education. Among those with less than a high school diploma in 2009, full-time workers who were 

foreign born earned 83.3 percent as much as their native-born counterparts. Among those with a 

bachelor’s degree and higher, foreign-born workers earned almost as much (99.2 percent) as nativeborn workers. 
Technical Note

 The estimates in this release are based on annual average 

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

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

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

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 2009 are not strictly 

comparable with data for 2008 and earlier years because of the 

introduction in January 2009 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 2008 employment 

level by 407,000 and the unemployment level by 42,000. The 

new population controls had a negligible impact on 

unemployment rates and other percentage estimates. More 

detailed information on the population adjustments and their 

effect on national labor force estimates are available at 

www.bls.gov/cps/cps09adj.pdf.

 Information in this release will be made available to sensory 

impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-

5200, Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339.

Reliability of the estimates

 Statistics based on the CPS are subject to both sampling and 

nonsampling error. When a sample, rather than the entire 

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

estimates may differ from the "true" population values they 

represent. The 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, in ability 

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" from Employment and Earnings Online at 

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 legally-admitted immigrants, refugees, temporary 

residents such as students and temporary workers, and 

undocumented immigrants. The survey data, however, do not 

separately identify the number of persons in these categories.

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

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

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

a U.S. citizen.

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

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

persons of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity. These four groups are 

mutually exclusive but not exhaustive. Other race groups 

(including persons who selected more than one race category) 

are included in the overall totals but are not shown separately 

because the number of survey respondents is too small to 

develop statistically reliable estimates. The presentation of the 

data on race and ethnicity in this release differs from that 

which appears in most analyses of CPS labor force data 

because persons of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity are separated 

from the race groups. Because persons of Hispanic or Latino

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

race groups as well as shown separately in the Hispanic or 

Latino ethnicity group. The reason for the difference in the 

data presentation in this release is because about half of the 

foreign born are of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity and they have 

somewhat different labor force characteristics than the nonHispanic foreign born.

 Employed. Employed persons are (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, 2008-09 annual averages

(Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic

2008 2009

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 ................. 233,788 154,287 66.0 145,362 8,924 5.8 235,801 154,142 65.4 139,877 14,265 9.3

Men ..................................................... 113,113 82,520 73.0 77,486 5,033 6.1 114,136 82,123 72.0 73,670 8,453 10.3

Women ............................................... 120,675 71,767 59.5 67,876 3,891 5.4 121,665 72,019 59.2 66,208 5,811 8.1

FOREIGN BORN

Total, 16 years and over ................. 35,317 24,063 68.1 22,660 1,403 5.8 35,216 23,926 67.9 21,608 2,317 9.7

Men ..................................................... 17,688 14,400 81.4 13,578 822 5.7 17,628 14,190 80.5 12,765 1,426 10.0

Women ............................................... 17,629 9,663 54.8 9,082 581 6.0 17,588 9,735 55.4 8,844 891 9.2

Age

16 to 24 years ..................................... 3,845 2,211 57.5 1,979 232 10.5 3,542 1,986 56.1 1,681 304 15.3

25 to 34 years ..................................... 7,992 6,236 78.0 5,866 371 5.9 7,637 5,907 77.3 5,330 577 9.8

35 to 44 years ..................................... 8,327 6,814 81.8 6,473 341 5.0 8,379 6,847 81.7 6,210 637 9.3

45 to 54 years ..................................... 6,602 5,380 81.5 5,083 297 5.5 6,819 5,588 81.9 5,096 491 8.8

55 to 64 years ..................................... 4,126 2,700 65.4 2,580 120 4.5 4,321 2,838 65.7 2,590 249 8.8

65 years and over ............................... 4,424 721 16.3 679 42 5.9 4,517 760 16.8 701 59 7.8

Race and Hispanic

or Latino ethnicity 1

White non-Hispanic or Latino ............ 7,517 4,531 60.3 4,305 226 5.0 7,249 4,334 59.8 4,002 332 7.7

Black non-Hispanic or Latino ............. 2,743 2,007 73.2 1,863 144 7.2 2,812 2,037 72.4 1,807 231 11.3

Asian non-Hispanic or Latino ............. 7,894 5,382 68.2 5,185 197 3.7 7,876 5,332 67.7 4,967 365 6.8

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity ................. 16,816 11,889 70.7 11,067 822 6.9 16,933 11,982 70.8 10,612 1,370 11.4

Educational attainment

Total, 25 years and over ................. 31,472 21,852 69.4 20,681 1,171 5.4 31,674 21,940 69.3 19,927 2,013 9.2

Less than a high school diploma ........ 9,420 5,759 61.1 5,316 443 7.7 9,542 5,862 61.4 5,122 740 12.6

High school graduates, no college 2 ... 8,098 5,514 68.1 5,201 312 5.7 7,992 5,371 67.2 4,875 496 9.2

Some college or associate degree ..... 4,951 3,648 73.7 3,457 190 5.2 5,070 3,735 73.7 3,406 328 8.8

Bachelor’s degree and higher 3 .......... 9,003 6,931 77.0 6,705 226 3.3 9,070 6,972 76.9 6,524 448 6.4

See footnotes at end of table.
Table 1. Employment status of the foreign-born and native-born populations by selected characteristics, 2008-09 annual

averages—Continued

(Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic

2008 2009

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 ................. 198,471 130,224 65.6 122,703 7,521 5.8 200,585 130,216 64.9 118,269 11,947 9.2

Men ..................................................... 95,424 68,119 71.4 63,908 4,211 6.2 96,508 67,933 70.4 60,905 7,028 10.3

Women ............................................... 103,047 62,104 60.3 58,795 3,310 5.3 104,077 62,284 59.8 57,364 4,920 7.9

Age

16 to 24 years ..................................... 33,639 19,821 58.9 17,223 2,599 13.1 34,025 19,375 56.9 15,920 3,455 17.8

25 to 34 years ..................................... 32,001 27,096 84.7 25,517 1,579 5.8 32,643 27,392 83.9 24,684 2,707 9.9

35 to 44 years ..................................... 33,372 28,247 84.6 26,984 1,264 4.5 32,540 27,391 84.2 25,307 2,085 7.6

45 to 54 years ..................................... 37,357 30,623 82.0 29,446 1,177 3.8 37,546 30,617 81.5 28,517 2,101 6.9

55 to 64 years ..................................... 29,364 18,915 64.4 18,232 682 3.6 30,349 19,667 64.8 18,429 1,238 6.3

65 years and over ............................... 32,737 5,522 16.9 5,300 222 4.0 33,481 5,774 17.2 5,413 362 6.3

Race and Hispanic

or Latino ethnicity 1

White non-Hispanic or Latino ............ 152,157 100,679 66.2 95,909 4,770 4.7 153,104 100,525 65.7 92,681 7,844 7.8

Black non-Hispanic or Latino ............. 24,157 15,101 62.5 13,524 1,577 10.4 24,466 14,971 61.2 12,700 2,271 15.2

Asian non-Hispanic or Latino ............. 2,669 1,674 62.7 1,600 74 4.4 2,756 1,681 61.0 1,542 138 8.2

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity ................. 15,325 10,135 66.1 9,279 856 8.4 15,958 10,370 65.0 9,034 1,336 12.9

Educational attainment

Total, 25 years and over ................. 164,832 110,403 67.0 105,480 4,923 4.5 166,560 110,842 66.5 102,349 8,492 7.7

Less than a high school diploma ........ 16,702 6,406 38.4 5,757 649 10.1 16,587 6,284 37.9 5,249 1,035 16.5

High school graduates, no college 2 ... 53,017 32,749 61.8 30,896 1,854 5.7 53,477 32,815 61.4 29,612 3,203 9.8

Some college or associate degree ..... 46,153 33,070 71.7 31,582 1,488 4.5 46,657 33,080 70.9 30,482 2,599 7.9

Bachelor’s degree and higher 3 .......... 48,959 38,177 78.0 37,245 932 2.4 49,839 38,662 77.6 37,007 1,655 4.3

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, 2008-09 annual averages

(Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic

2008 2009

Total Men Women Total Men Women

FOREIGN BORN

With own children under 18

Civilian noninstitutional population ................................. 13,864 6,618 7,245 13,723 6,585 7,138

Civilian labor force ........................................................ 10,626 6,228 4,399 10,577 6,209 4,368

Participation rate ....................................................... 76.6 94.1 60.7 77.1 94.3 61.2

Employed .................................................................... 10,047 5,929 4,118 9,573 5,645 3,928

Employment-population ratio .................................... 72.5 89.6 56.8 69.8 85.7 55.0

Unemployed ............................................................... 580 299 281 1,003 563 440

Unemployment rate .................................................. 5.5 4.8 6.4 9.5 9.1 10.1

With own children 6 to 17, none younger

Civilian noninstitutional population ................................. 7,173 3,359 3,814 7,180 3,395 3,785

Civilian labor force ........................................................ 5,791 3,123 2,668 5,834 3,176 2,658

Participation rate ....................................................... 80.7 93.0 69.9 81.2 93.5 70.2

Employed .................................................................... 5,505 2,985 2,520 5,292 2,876 2,416

Employment-population ratio .................................... 76.7 88.9 66.1 73.7 84.7 63.8

Unemployed ............................................................... 286 138 148 542 299 242

Unemployment rate .................................................. 4.9 4.4 5.5 9.3 9.4 9.1

With own children under 6

Civilian noninstitutional population ................................. 6,691 3,259 3,431 6,543 3,190 3,353

Civilian labor force ........................................................ 4,835 3,104 1,731 4,743 3,033 1,710

Participation rate ....................................................... 72.3 95.2 50.4 72.5 95.1 51.0

Employed .................................................................... 4,542 2,944 1,598 4,281 2,769 1,512

Employment-population ratio .................................... 67.9 90.3 46.6 65.4 86.8 45.1

Unemployed ............................................................... 294 161 133 461 264 198

Unemployment rate .................................................. 6.1 5.2 7.7 9.7 8.7 11.6

With own children under 3

Civilian noninstitutional population ................................. 3,923 1,927 1,996 3,758 1,852 1,907

Civilian labor force ........................................................ 2,727 1,837 890 2,632 1,758 874

Participation rate ....................................................... 69.5 95.3 44.6 70.0 95.0 45.8

Employed .................................................................... 2,558 1,745 813 2,379 1,612 767

Employment-population ratio .................................... 65.2 90.6 40.7 63.3 87.0 40.2

Unemployed ............................................................... 169 92 78 253 146 107

Unemployment rate .................................................. 6.2 5.0 8.7 9.6 8.3 12.2

With no own children under 18

Civilian noninstitutional population ................................. 21,453 11,070 10,383 21,493 11,043 10,450

Civilian labor force ........................................................ 13,436 8,173 5,264 13,349 7,982 5,367

Participation rate ....................................................... 62.6 73.8 50.7 62.1 72.3 51.4

Employed .................................................................... 12,613 7,650 4,964 12,035 7,119 4,916

Employment-population ratio .................................... 58.8 69.1 47.8 56.0 64.5 47.0

Unemployed ............................................................... 823 523 300 1,314 862 452

Unemployment rate .................................................. 6.1 6.4 5.7 9.8 10.8 8.4

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, 2008-09 annual averages—Continued

(Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic

2008 2009

Total Men Women Total Men Women

NATIVE BORN

With own children under 18

Civilian noninstitutional population ................................. 51,642 22,467 29,175 50,974 22,132 28,841

Civilian labor force ........................................................ 42,762 21,144 21,617 42,050 20,720 21,330

Participation rate ....................................................... 82.8 94.1 74.1 82.5 93.6 74.0

Employed .................................................................... 40,859 20,403 20,455 38,934 19,291 19,642

Employment-population ratio .................................... 79.1 90.8 70.1 76.4 87.2 68.1

Unemployed ............................................................... 1,903 741 1,162 3,116 1,429 1,687

Unemployment rate .................................................. 4.5 3.5 5.4 7.4 6.9 7.9

With own children 6 to 17, none younger

Civilian noninstitutional population ................................. 29,259 12,841 16,418 28,548 12,527 16,021

Civilian labor force ........................................................ 24,936 11,955 12,981 24,244 11,589 12,655

Participation rate ....................................................... 85.2 93.1 79.1 84.9 92.5 79.0

Employed .................................................................... 23,974 11,555 12,419 22,653 10,847 11,806

Employment-population ratio .................................... 81.9 90.0 75.6 79.4 86.6 73.7

Unemployed ............................................................... 963 400 562 1,591 743 848

Unemployment rate .................................................. 3.9 3.3 4.3 6.6 6.4 6.7

With own children under 6

Civilian noninstitutional population ................................. 22,384 9,627 12,757 22,426 9,606 12,820

Civilian labor force ........................................................ 17,825 9,189 8,636 17,806 9,131 8,675

Participation rate ....................................................... 79.6 95.5 67.7 79.4 95.1 67.7

Employed .................................................................... 16,885 8,849 8,036 16,281 8,445 7,836

Employment-population ratio .................................... 75.4 91.9 63.0 72.6 87.9 61.1

Unemployed ............................................................... 940 340 600 1,525 686 839

Unemployment rate .................................................. 5.3 3.7 6.9 8.6 7.5 9.7

With own children under 3

Civilian noninstitutional population ................................. 13,358 5,758 7,600 13,293 5,723 7,570

Civilian labor force ........................................................ 10,419 5,517 4,902 10,350 5,438 4,913

Participation rate ....................................................... 78.0 95.8 64.5 77.9 95.0 64.9

Employed .................................................................... 9,841 5,299 4,542 9,442 5,018 4,424

Employment-population ratio .................................... 73.7 92.0 59.8 71.0 87.7 58.4

Unemployed ............................................................... 578 218 360 908 420 488

Unemployment rate .................................................. 5.5 3.9 7.4 8.8 7.7 9.9

With no own children under 18

Civilian noninstitutional population ................................. 146,829 72,957 73,872 149,611 74,375 75,236

Civilian labor force ........................................................ 87,462 46,975 40,487 88,167 47,213 40,954

Participation rate ....................................................... 59.6 64.4 54.8 58.9 63.5 54.4

Employed .................................................................... 81,844 43,505 38,339 79,335 41,614 37,722

Employment-population ratio .................................... 55.7 59.6 51.9 53.0 56.0 50.1

Unemployed ............................................................... 5,618 3,470 2,148 8,831 5,599 3,232

Unemployment rate .................................................. 6.4 7.4 5.3 10.0 11.9 7.9

 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, 2008-09 annual averages

(Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic

2008 2009

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 ....................... 891 1,884 1,360 2,744 832 1,729 1,370 2,763

Civilian labor force .............................................. 276 990 885 2,024 266 899 865 2,004

Participation rate ............................................. 30.9 52.5 65.1 73.7 32.0 52.0 63.1 72.5

Employed .......................................................... 253 939 838 1,952 238 823 804 1,877

Employment-population ratio .......................... 28.4 49.9 61.6 71.2 28.6 47.6 58.6 67.9

Unemployed ..................................................... 22 50 48 71 28 77 61 127

Unemployment rate ........................................ 8.1 5.1 5.4 3.5 10.7 8.5 7.1 6.4

Black non-Hispanic or Latino

Civilian noninstitutional population ....................... 334 758 629 677 347 748 661 719

Civilian labor force .............................................. 192 561 501 582 194 544 525 615

Participation rate ............................................. 57.4 74.0 79.7 86.0 56.0 72.7 79.5 85.5

Employed .......................................................... 176 516 466 559 164 482 474 563

Employment-population ratio .......................... 52.9 68.1 74.0 82.5 47.2 64.4 71.7 78.3

Unemployed ..................................................... 15 45 36 24 30 62 52 52

Unemployment rate ........................................ 7.9 8.0 7.1 4.1 15.7 11.4 9.8 8.5

Asian non-Hispanic or Latino

Civilian noninstitutional population ....................... 864 1,453 1,033 3,880 936 1,425 1,032 3,881

Civilian labor force .............................................. 402 951 758 2,979 419 878 759 3,016

Participation rate ............................................. 46.6 65.5 73.4 76.8 44.8 61.6 73.6 77.7

Employed .......................................................... 375 913 725 2,898 386 814 696 2,841

Employment-population ratio .......................... 43.4 62.8 70.2 74.7 41.3 57.2 67.5 73.2

Unemployed ..................................................... 27 39 33 81 33 64 64 175

Unemployment rate ........................................ 6.8 4.1 4.4 2.7 7.9 7.3 8.4 5.8

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Civilian noninstitutional population ....................... 7,292 3,940 1,852 1,579 7,376 4,020 1,929 1,596

Civilian labor force .............................................. 4,871 2,967 1,439 1,245 4,959 3,002 1,526 1,247

Participation rate ............................................. 66.8 75.3 77.7 78.9 67.2 74.7 79.1 78.1

Employed .......................................................... 4,495 2,790 1,368 1,198 4,314 2,712 1,378 1,158

Employment-population ratio .......................... 61.6 70.8 73.9 75.9 58.5 67.5 71.5 72.5

Unemployed ..................................................... 376 177 71 47 644 289 147 89

Unemployment rate ........................................ 7.7 6.0 5.0 3.7 13.0 9.6 9.7 7.1

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, 2008-09 annual averages—Continued

(Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic

2008 2009

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

White non-Hispanic or Latino

Civilian noninstitutional population ....................... 10,723 41,180 35,972 41,982 10,507 41,552 36,165 42,586

Civilian labor force .............................................. 3,975 24,863 25,386 32,458 3,860 24,975 25,328 32,751

Participation rate ............................................. 37.1 60.4 70.6 77.3 36.7 60.1 70.0 76.9

Employed .......................................................... 3,644 23,659 24,397 31,727 3,295 22,797 23,543 31,445

Employment-population ratio .......................... 34.0 57.5 67.8 75.6 31.4 54.9 65.1 73.8

Unemployed ..................................................... 331 1,204 990 731 565 2,178 1,785 1,306

Unemployment rate ........................................ 8.3 4.8 3.9 2.3 14.6 8.7 7.0 4.0

Black non-Hispanic or Latino

Civilian noninstitutional population ....................... 3,128 6,923 5,533 3,582 3,112 6,897 5,738 3,659

Civilian labor force .............................................. 1,167 4,467 4,125 2,881 1,099 4,392 4,158 2,923

Participation rate ............................................. 37.3 64.5 74.6 80.4 35.3 63.7 72.5 79.9

Employed .......................................................... 979 4,046 3,815 2,769 851 3,760 3,673 2,717

Employment-population ratio .......................... 31.3 58.4 69.0 77.3 27.4 54.5 64.0 74.3

Unemployed ..................................................... 187 420 310 113 248 631 486 206

Unemployment rate ........................................ 16.0 9.4 7.5 3.9 22.6 14.4 11.7 7.0

Asian non-Hispanic or Latino

Civilian noninstitutional population ....................... 147 360 442 929 126 360 465 962

Civilian labor force .............................................. 57 210 308 737 51 201 315 779

Participation rate ............................................. 38.9 58.2 69.6 79.3 40.2 55.7 67.8 81.0

Employed .......................................................... 55 200 301 715 47 186 291 743

Employment-population ratio .......................... 37.7 55.4 68.2 76.9 37.3 51.5 62.5 77.2

Unemployed ..................................................... 2 10 6 23 4 15 25 36

Unemployment rate ........................................ 2.9 4.9 2.1 3.1 7.4 7.6 7.8 4.7

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Civilian noninstitutional population ....................... 2,264 3,587 3,131 1,835 2,388 3,716 3,174 1,947

Civilian labor force .............................................. 1,040 2,609 2,476 1,588 1,105 2,656 2,501 1,648

Participation rate ............................................. 45.9 72.8 79.1 86.5 46.3 71.5 78.8 84.7

Employed .......................................................... 931 2,442 2,353 1,537 918 2,357 2,278 1,571

Employment-population ratio .......................... 41.1 68.1 75.2 83.8 38.5 63.4 71.8 80.7

Unemployed ..................................................... 109 167 123 50 186 299 223 77

Unemployment rate ........................................ 10.4 6.4 5.0 3.2 16.9 11.3 8.9 4.7

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,

2009 annual averages

(Percent distribution)

Occupation

Foreign Born Native Born

Total Men Women Total Men Women

Total ................................................................................................ 21,608 12,765 8,844 118,269 60,905 57,364

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

Management, professional, and related occupations ......................... 28.9 26.5 32.5 38.9 36.1 41.8

Management, business, and financial operations occupations ........ 10.7 10.7 10.7 16.3 18.0 14.4

Management occupations .............................................................. 7.6 8.6 6.3 11.7 14.1 9.1

Business and financial operations occupations .............................. 3.0 2.1 4.3 4.6 3.9 5.3

Professional and related occupations ............................................... 18.2 15.8 21.8 22.6 18.1 27.4

Computer and mathematical occupations ...................................... 3.3 4.2 2.1 2.3 3.4 1.2

Architecture and engineering occupations ..................................... 2.1 3.1 .7 1.9 3.2 .5

Life, physical, and social science occupations ............................... 1.2 1.2 1.3 .9 .9 .9

Community and social services occupations .................................. 1.0 .7 1.4 1.8 1.3 2.4

Legal occupations ........................................................................... .5 .4 .6 1.4 1.3 1.4

Education, training, and library occupations ................................... 3.5 2.1 5.5 6.7 3.2 10.3

Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations .......... 1.3 1.3 1.5 2.1 2.1 2.0

Healthcare practitioner and technical occupations ......................... 5.3 2.8 8.7 5.6 2.6 8.7

Service occupations ........................................................................... 24.7 19.0 32.8 16.3 13.3 19.5

Healthcare support occupations ..................................................... 2.6 .6 5.6 2.3 .4 4.3

Protective service occupations ....................................................... 1.0 1.3 .6 2.5 3.8 1.1

Food preparation and serving related occupations ........................ 8.0 8.0 8.0 5.1 3.9 6.3

Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations ....... 8.5 7.4 10.2 3.0 3.7 2.2

Personal care and service occupations .......................................... 4.5 1.7 8.5 3.4 1.5 5.6

Sales and office occupations .............................................................. 17.0 12.8 23.1 25.5 17.8 33.5

Sales and related occupations ....................................................... 8.9 8.1 10.0 11.6 11.2 12.0

Office and administrative support occupations ............................... 8.2 4.7 13.1 13.9 6.6 21.6

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations ........ 13.5 21.9 1.4 8.8 16.3 .8

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations ..................................... 1.6 2.2 .8 .5 .7 .2

Construction and extraction occupations ........................................ 8.8 14.8 .3 4.7 8.8 .3

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ......................... 3.0 4.9 .3 3.6 6.8 .3

Production, transportation, and material moving occupations ............ 15.8 19.8 10.1 10.6 16.4 4.4

Production occupations .................................................................. 8.5 9.2 7.5 4.9 7.1 2.6

Transportation and material moving occupations ........................... 7.4 10.6 2.7 5.7 9.3 1.8

 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, 2008-09 annual averages

(Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic

2008 2009

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 ......................... 17,328 $595 89,320 $744 79.9 15,965 $602 83,855 $761 79.1

Men ............................................................. 10,848 613 48,591 842 72.9 9,867 620 45,241 864 71.7

Women ....................................................... 6,480 557 40,729 651 85.5 6,099 567 38,614 670 84.6

AGE

16 to 24 years ......................................... 1,337 402 9,284 451 89.1 1,085 400 7,873 452 88.5

25 to 34 years ......................................... 4,786 572 20,857 689 83.0 4,185 555 19,675 704 78.8

35 to 44 years ......................................... 5,118 635 21,290 842 75.4 4,709 647 19,659 856 75.5

45 to 54 years ......................................... 3,846 663 22,794 848 78.2 3,718 679 21,605 866 78.4

55 to 64 years ......................................... 1,849 661 12,914 849 77.9 1,886 672 12,842 865 77.7

65 years and over ................................... 392 568 2,181 659 86.2 383 574 2,201 703 81.6

RACE AND HISPANIC OR

LATINO ETHNICITY 2

White non-Hispanic or Latino ................ 2,984 846 68,334 788 107.3 2,693 863 64,497 808 106.7

Black non-Hispanic or Latino ................. 1,472 601 10,905 588 102.2 1,397 613 9,956 601 102.1

Asian non-Hispanic or Latino ................. 3,988 864 1,184 865 99.8 3,726 877 1,101 908 96.6

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity ..................... 8,686 483 7,122 621 77.8 7,964 479 6,660 632 75.8

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT

Total, 25 years and over ..................... 15,992 614 80,036 788 78.0 14,881 621 75,982 805 77.1

Less than a high school diploma ............ 4,213 417 3,908 493 84.6 3,817 415 3,472 498 83.3

High school graduates, no college 3 ....... 3,920 523 23,472 633 82.7 3,611 530 21,766 644 82.3

Some college or associate degree ......... 2,582 651 23,944 729 89.3 2,460 641 22,657 733 87.4

Bachelor’s degree and higher 4 .............. 5,277 1,092 28,713 1,119 97.6 4,993 1,129 28,088 1,138 99.2

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: 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,

2008-09 annual averages

(Numbers in thousands)

Census regions and

divisions

2008 2009

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 ...................... 7,652 5,044 65.9 4,793 251 5.0 7,688 5,079 66.1 4,652 427 8.4

New England ............ 1,491 1,023 68.6 963 60 5.8 1,421 974 68.5 888 85 8.8

Middle Atlantic .......... 6,162 4,021 65.3 3,830 192 4.8 6,266 4,106 65.5 3,764 342 8.3

South ............................ 10,912 7,610 69.7 7,198 412 5.4 10,934 7,593 69.4 6,914 679 8.9

South Atlantic ........... 6,474 4,577 70.7 4,301 276 6.0 6,361 4,432 69.7 3,996 436 9.8

East South Central ... 583 434 74.5 413 21 4.9 604 444 73.5 395 49 10.9

West South Central .. 3,855 2,599 67.4 2,484 115 4.4 3,969 2,717 68.5 2,523 194 7.2

Midwest ........................ 3,931 2,708 68.9 2,547 161 5.9 3,923 2,689 68.6 2,422 268 10.0

East North Central .... 3,015 2,047 67.9 1,927 120 5.9 2,995 2,016 67.3 1,805 211 10.5

West North Central ... 916 661 72.2 620 41 6.2 928 674 72.6 617 57 8.5

West ............................. 12,822 8,701 67.9 8,122 579 6.7 12,671 8,563 67.6 7,620 943 11.0

Mountain ................... 2,195 1,529 69.6 1,445 83 5.5 2,154 1,463 67.9 1,320 143 9.8

Pacific ....................... 10,627 7,172 67.5 6,677 495 6.9 10,518 7,101 67.5 6,301 800 11.3

NATIVE BORN

Northeast ...................... 35,527 23,186 65.3 21,903 1,283 5.5 35,785 23,268 65.0 21,336 1,932 8.3

New England ............ 9,839 6,659 67.7 6,299 360 5.4 9,965 6,720 67.4 6,172 547 8.1

Middle Atlantic .......... 25,688 16,527 64.3 15,604 923 5.6 25,820 16,548 64.1 15,163 1,385 8.4

South ............................ 74,203 47,437 63.9 44,826 2,611 5.5 75,111 47,388 63.1 43,142 4,246 9.0

South Atlantic ........... 38,649 24,989 64.7 23,584 1,406 5.6 39,142 24,880 63.6 22,555 2,324 9.3

East South Central ... 13,316 8,134 61.1 7,619 515 6.3 13,416 8,064 60.1 7,211 852 10.6

West South Central .. 22,238 14,314 64.4 13,624 691 4.8 22,553 14,445 64.0 13,375 1,069 7.4

Midwest ........................ 47,526 32,231 67.8 30,279 1,953 6.1 47,717 32,077 67.2 29,026 3,050 9.5

East North Central .... 32,903 21,939 66.7 20,483 1,456 6.6 33,020 21,746 65.9 19,449 2,297 10.6

West North Central ... 14,623 10,293 70.4 9,796 497 4.8 14,696 10,330 70.3 9,578 753 7.3

West ............................. 41,215 27,369 66.4 25,694 1,675 6.1 41,972 27,484 65.5 24,765 2,719 9.9

Mountain ................... 14,227 9,635 67.7 9,148 487 5.1 14,523 9,674 66.6 8,851 823 8.5

Pacific ....................... 26,988 17,734 65.7 16,546 1,188 6.7 27,449 17,810 64.9 15,914 1,896 10.6

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

and Vermont); Middle Atlantic (New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania); South Atlantic (Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South

Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia); East South Central (Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee); West South Central 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.