For release 10:00 a.m. (ET) Tuesday, May 18, 2021 USDL-21-0905

Technical information: cpsinfo@bls.gov • www.bls.gov/cps

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

FOREIGN-BORN WORKERS: LABOR FORCE CHARACTERISTICS — 2020

The unemployment rate for foreign-born persons in the United States was 9.2 percent in 2020, up 

sharply from 3.1 percent in 2019, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The jobless rate of 

native-born persons also increased sharply; it was 7.8 percent in 2020, up from 3.8 percent in 2019. The 

marked increases in these measures reflect the effect of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

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 not U.S. citizens at birth. Specifically, they were born outside the United States (or one of its 

outlying areas such as Puerto Rico or Guam), and neither parent was a U.S. citizen. The foreign born 

include legally-admitted immigrants, refugees, temporary residents such as students and temporary 

workers, and undocumented immigrants. However, the survey does not separately identify persons in 

these categories. For further information about the survey, see the Technical Note in this news release.

Highlights from the 2020 data:

• In 2020, the share of the U.S. civilian labor force that is foreign born was 17.0 percent, down from 

17.4 percent in 2019. From 2019 to 2020, the overall labor force declined by 2.8 million; the foreign

born accounted for 1.1 million of this decline, or 38.4 percent. (See table 1.)

• From 2019 to 2020, employment fell by 2.7 million among the foreign born, a decline of 9.8 percent.

Employment also fell among the native born (-7.1 million); however, in relative terms, the decline 

was about half as large, at 5.4 percent. (See table 1.)

• Hispanics continued to account for nearly half of the foreign-born labor force in 2020, and Asians 

accounted for one-quarter. (See table 1.) (Data in this news release for persons who are White,

Black, or Asian do not include those of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity. Data on persons of Hispanic or 

Latino ethnicity are presented separately.)

• Foreign-born men continued to participate in the labor force at a considerably higher rate in 2020 

(76.6 percent) than their native-born counterparts (65.9 percent). In contrast, 53.2 percent of foreignborn women were labor force participants, lower than the participation rate of 56.8 percent for 

native-born women. (See table 1.)
-2-

• In 2020, foreign-born workers were more likely than native-born workers to be employed in service

occupations; natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations; and production, 

transportation, and material moving occupations. Foreign-born workers were less likely than nativeborn workers to be employed in management, professional, and related occupations and in sales and 

office occupations. (See table 4.)

• The median usual weekly earnings of foreign-born full-time wage and salary workers were $885 in 

2020, compared with $1,000 for their native-born counterparts. (See table 5.) (Differences in 

earnings reflect a variety of factors, including variations in the distributions of foreign-born and 

native-born workers by educational attainment, occupation, industry, and geographic region. In 

addition, earnings data for 2020 reflect the effect of steep pandemic-related job losses.) 

Demographic Characteristics

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

force. In 2020, men accounted for 57.3 percent of the foreign-born labor force, compared with 52.1

percent of the native-born labor force. By age, the proportion of the foreign-born labor force made up of 

25- to 54-year-olds (71.8 percent) was higher than for the native-born labor force (62.2 percent). Labor 

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

In 2020, nearly half (47.5 percent) of the foreign-born labor force was Hispanic, and one-quarter (25.1

percent) was Asian. Hispanics and Asians made up much lower percentages of the native-born labor 

force, at 12.0 percent and 2.4 percent, respectively. About 16.2 percent of the foreign-born labor force 

was White and 10.1 percent was Black, compared with 70.7 percent and 12.1 percent, respectively, of 

the native-born labor force.

In terms of educational attainment, the proportion of the foreign-born labor force age 25 and over that 

had not completed high school was 19.0 percent in 2020, much higher than the figure for the native-born 

labor force, at 3.5 percent. The foreign born were less likely than the native born to have some college or

an associate degree—16.2 percent versus 28.1 percent. The proportions of foreign-born and native-born 

high school graduates (24.5 percent versus 24.8 percent) and those with a bachelor's degree or higher 

(40.3 percent versus 43.6 percent) were more similar.

Labor Force

In 2020, the share of the U.S. civilian labor force that is foreign born declined by 0.4 percentage point to 

17.0 percent, the largest decline since comparable data became available in 1996. The economic 

downturn resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately affected the foreign-born labor 

force. In 2020, the overall labor force declined by 2.8 million; the foreign born accounted for 1.1 million 

of this decline, or 38.4 percent. (See table 1.)

In 2020, the labor force participation rate of the foreign born declined by 1.5 percentage points to 64.5

percent. The rate for foreign-born men declined by 1.4 percentage points to 76.6 percent, while that for

foreign-born women fell by 1.6 percentage points to 53.2 percent. The labor force participation rate of 

the native born also declined over the year, falling by 1.3 percentage points to 61.2 percent. The rate for 

native-born men declined by 1.5 percentage points to 65.9 percent, and that for native-born women was 

down by 1.1 percentage points to 56.8 percent.
-3-

Labor force participation rates for the foreign born varied across the major race and ethnicity groups in 

2020, ranging from 59.9 percent for foreign-born Whites to 69.3 percent for foreign-born Blacks. 

Participation rates for the native born showed less variation across major race and ethnicity groups, 

ranging from 58.9 percent for native-born Blacks to 65.0 percent for native-born Hispanics.

Across the major race and ethnicity groups, participation rates declined from 2019 to 2020 for foreignborn Blacks, Asians, and Hispanics, and the rate for Whites was little changed. Among the native born, 

the participation rates of Whites and Blacks declined, while those of Asians and Hispanics changed 

little.

In 2020, foreign-born mothers with children under age 18 were less likely to be labor force participants 

than native-born mothers—59.8 percent versus 74.7 percent. Labor force participation differences 

between foreign-born and native-born mothers were greater among those with younger children than 

among those with older children. Among women with children under age 6, the participation rate for 

foreign-born mothers was 51.6 percent, 18.2 percentage points below that for native-born mothers, at 

69.8 percent. In comparison, the labor force participation rate of foreign-born mothers with children 

ages 6 to 17 (65.4 percent) was 13.1 percentage points lower than that for native-born mothers with 

children ages 6 to 17 (78.5 percent). The labor force participation rates of foreign-born and native-born 

fathers with children under age 18 were more similar, at 92.9 percent and 92.1 percent, respectively. 

(See table 2.)

By region, the foreign born made up a larger share of the labor force in the West (22.4 percent) and in 

the Northeast (20.7 percent) in 2020 than for the nation as a whole (17.0 percent). The foreign born 

made up a smaller share of the labor force than for the nation as a whole in the South (16.3 percent) and 

the Midwest (9.2 percent). (See table 6.) 

Employment

Employment fell by 2.7 million among the foreign born from 2019 to 2020, a decline of 9.8 percent. 

While employment also fell among the native born over the period (-7.1 million), in relative terms, the 

decline was about half as large, at 5.4 percent. (See table 1.)

Unemployment

The unemployment rate of the foreign born rose from 3.1 percent to 9.2 percent from 2019 to 2020, and 

the jobless rate for the native born increased from 3.8 percent to 7.8 percent. The over-the-year increase 

in the unemployment rates of the foreign born and the native born reflected increases in the rates for 

both men and women. In 2020, the unemployment rates for foreign-born men and women increased by 

5.3 percentage points and 7.1 percentage points to 8.0 percent and 10.8 percent, respectively. The 

unemployment rates for native-born men and women increased by 3.8 percentage points and 4.3 

percentage points to 7.8 percent and 7.9 percent, respectively. (See table 1.)

For both the foreign born and the native born, jobless rates vary considerably by race and ethnicity. 

Among the foreign born, Blacks had the highest unemployment rate in 2020 (10.7 percent), followed by 

Hispanics (9.7 percent), Asians (8.7 percent), and Whites (7.5 percent). Among the native born, jobless 

rates were higher for Blacks (11.5 percent) and Hispanics (11.0 percent) than for Asians (8.4 percent)

and Whites (6.5 percent).
-4-

Occupation

In 2020, foreign-born workers continued to be more likely than native-born workers to be employed in 

service occupations (20.6 percent versus 14.4 percent); natural resources, construction, and maintenance 

occupations (13.6 percent versus 8.1 percent); and production, transportation, and material moving 

occupations (15.2 percent versus 11.7 percent). Foreign-born workers were less likely than native-born 

workers to be employed in management, professional, and related occupations (36.3 percent versus 44.4

percent) and in sales and office occupations (14.3 percent versus 21.3 percent). (See table 4.)

Among employed men, the disparity was especially great in natural resources, construction, and 

maintenance occupations—22.0 percent of the foreign born worked in this occupational field in 2020, 

versus 14.7 percent of the native born. The occupational disparity for women was pronounced in service

occupations—28.6 percent of the foreign born worked in that occupation group, compared with 17.1

percent of the native born. By contrast, employed native-born men and women were more likely than 

their foreign-born counterparts to work in management, professional, and related occupations and in 

sales and office occupations.

Earnings

In 2020, median usual weekly earnings of foreign-born full-time wage and salary workers ($885) were 

88.5 percent of the earnings of their native-born counterparts ($1,000). Among men, median weekly 

earnings for the foreign born ($941) were 84.4 percent of the earnings of the native born ($1,115). 

Median earnings for foreign-born women ($798) were 88.4 percent of the earnings of native-born 

women ($903). (See table 5.) Differences in earnings reflect a variety of factors, including variations in 

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

industry, and geographic region. In addition, earnings data for 2020 reflect the effect of steep pandemicrelated job losses, which disproportionately affected lower-paid workers.

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

earned 86.7 percent as much as their native-born counterparts in 2020. For Black and Asian workers, 

earnings for the foreign born were slightly higher than for their native-born counterparts (about a 5-

percent difference for both groups), while White foreign-born workers earned 14.4 percent more than 

their native-born counterparts.

The earnings of both foreign-born and native-born workers increase with education. In 2020, foreignborn workers age 25 and over with less than a high school diploma earned $601 per week, while those 

with a bachelor's degree and higher earned about 2.5 times as much—$1,492 per week. Among the 

native born, those with a bachelor's degree and higher earned 2.2 times as much as those with less than a 

high school diploma—$1,409 per week versus $655 per week.

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

example, among high school graduates (no college), full-time workers who were foreign born ($702) 

earned 87.6 percent as much as their native-born counterparts ($801) in 2020. However, among those

with a bachelor's degree and higher, the earnings of foreign-born workers ($1,492) were slightly higher 

than the earnings of native-born workers ($1,409).
Technical Note 

The estimates in this release are based on annual 

average data from the Current Population Survey (CPS). 

The CPS, which is conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau 

for the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), is a monthly 

survey of about 60,000 eligible households that provides 

information on the labor force status, demographics, and 

other characteristics of the nation's civilian noninstitutional 

population age 16 and over. In response to the increased 

demand for statistical information about the foreign born, 

questions on nativity, citizenship, year of entry into the 

United States, and the parental nativity of respondents were 

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

the primary sources of data on the foreign born were the 

decennial census, two CPS supplements (conducted in April 

1983 and November 1989), and, to some extent, 

information collected by the U.S. Citizenship and 

Immigration Services (formerly known as the Immigration 

and Naturalization Service). 

The foreign- and native-born data presented in this 

release are not strictly comparable with data for earlier 

years due to the introduction of updated population 

estimates, or controls, used in the CPS. The population 

controls are updated each year in January to reflect the 

latest information about population change. Additional 

information is available from the BLS website at 

www.bls.gov/cps/documentation.htm#pop. 

Information in this release will be made available to 

sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 

(202) 691-5200, Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339.

Reliability of the estimates 

Statistics based on the CPS are subject to both 

sampling and nonsampling error. When a sample, rather 

than the entire population, is surveyed, there is a chance 

that the sample estimates may differ from the true 

population values they represent. The component of this 

difference that occurs because samples differ by chance is 

known as sampling error, and its variability is measured by 

the standard error of the estimate. There is about a 90-

percent chance, or level of confidence, that an estimate 

based on a sample will differ by no more than 1.6 standard 

errors from the true population value because of sampling 

error. BLS analyses are generally conducted at the 90-

percent level of confidence. 

The CPS data also are affected by nonsampling error. 

Nonsampling error can occur for many reasons, including 

the failure to sample a segment of the population, inability 

to obtain information for all respondents in the sample, 

inability or unwillingness of respondents to provide correct 

information, and errors made in the collection or processing 

of the data. 

Additional information about the reliability of data 

from the CPS and estimating standard errors is available at 

www.bls.gov/cps/documentation.htm#reliability. 

Definitions 

Definitions of the principal terms used in this release 

are presented below.

Foreign born. The foreign born are persons residing 

in the United States who were not U.S. citizens at birth. 

Specifically, they were born outside the United States 

(or one of its outlying areas such as Guam or 

Puerto Rico), and neither parent was a U.S. citizen.

The foreign-born population includes legally-admitted 

immigrants, refugees, temporary residents such as 

students and temporary workers, and undocumented 

immigrants. The survey data, however, do not separately 

identify the number of persons in these categories. 

Native born. The native born are persons born in 

the United States or one of its outlying areas such as 

Puerto Rico or Guam or who were born abroad of at 

least one parent who was a U.S. citizen. 

Race and ethnicity groups. In this release, the data 

are presented for non-Hispanic Whites, Blacks, and 

Asians and for persons of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity. 

These four groups are mutually exclusive but not 

exhaustive. Other race groups (including persons who 

selected more than one race category) are included in 

the overall totals but are not shown separately 

because the number of survey respondents is 

too small to develop statistically reliable estimates. 

The presentation of data on race and ethnicity in this 

release differs from that which appears in most 

analyses of CPS labor force data because persons 

of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity are separated from 

the race groups. Because persons of Hispanic or Latino 

ethnicity can be of any race, they are usually included 

in the race groups as well as shown separately in 

the Hispanic or Latino ethnicity group. The reason 

for the difference in the data presentation in this release 

is because about half of the foreign born are of 

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity and they have 

somewhat different labor force characteristics than the 

non-Hispanic foreign born. 

Employed. Employed persons are all those 

who, during the survey reference week, (a) did any work 

at all as paid employees; (b) worked in their own 

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

15 hours or more as unpaid workers in a family 

member's business. Persons who were temporarily 

absent from their jobs because of illness, bad weather, 

vacation, labor dispute, or another reason also are counted 

as employed. 
Unemployed. The unemployed are those who had no 

employment during the reference week, were available for 

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

employment sometime during the 4-week period ending 

with the reference week. Persons who were waiting to be 

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

be looking for work to be classified as unemployed. 

Civilian labor force. The civilian labor force 

comprises all persons classified as employed or 

unemployed. 

Unemployment rate. The unemployment rate is the 

number unemployed as a percent of the civilian labor force. 

Labor force participation rate. The labor force 

participation rate is the labor force as a percent of the 

population. 

Usual weekly earnings. Data represent earnings before 

taxes and other deductions and include any overtime pay, 

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

case of multiple jobholders). Earnings reported on a basis 

other than weekly are converted to a weekly equivalent. 

Full-time wage and salary workers. These are workers 

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

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

of compensation. The group includes employees in both the 

private and public sectors but, for purposes of the earnings 

series, excludes all self-employed persons, regardless of 

whether or not their businesses are incorporated. 

Median earnings. The median earnings is the amount 

which divides a given earnings distribution into two equal 

groups, one having earnings above the median and the other 

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

2019-2020 annual averages

[Numbers in thousands]

Characteristic

2019 2020

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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259,175 163,539 63.1 157,538 6,001 3.7 260,329 160,742 61.7 147,795 12,947 8.1

Men. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125,353 86,687 69.2 83,460 3,227 3.7 125,922 85,204 67.7 78,560 6,644 7.8

Women. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133,822 76,852 57.4 74,078 2,774 3.6 134,407 75,538 56.2 69,234 6,304 8.3

FOREIGN BORN

Total, 16 years and over. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42,990 28,390 66.0 27,502 888 3.1 42,361 27,316 64.5 24,809 2,507 9.2

Men. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20,814 16,234 78.0 15,791 443 2.7 20,420 15,652 76.6 14,401 1,250 8.0

Women. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22,176 12,156 54.8 11,711 446 3.7 21,941 11,664 53.2 10,407 1,257 10.8

Age

16 to 24 years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,330 1,735 52.1 1,619 116 6.7 3,149 1,604 50.9 1,373 231 14.4

25 to 34 years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,665 5,917 77.2 5,726 191 3.2 7,208 5,470 75.9 4,966 504 9.2

35 to 44 years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9,361 7,459 79.7 7,273 187 2.5 9,103 7,150 78.5 6,599 551 7.7

45 to 54 years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8,878 7,219 81.3 7,018 201 2.8 8,793 6,993 79.5 6,367 626 8.9

55 to 64 years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,699 4,585 68.5 4,450 135 3.0 6,831 4,637 67.9 4,191 446 9.6

65 years and over. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,057 1,475 20.9 1,416 59 4.0 7,278 1,461 20.1 1,312 149 10.2

Race and Hispanic

or Latino ethnicity1

White non-Hispanic or Latino. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,710 4,651 60.3 4,515 136 2.9 7,377 4,420 59.9 4,087 333 7.5

Black non-Hispanic or Latino. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,837 2,716 70.8 2,606 110 4.1 3,979 2,757 69.3 2,463 294 10.7

Asian non-Hispanic or Latino. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11,180 7,187 64.3 7,013 174 2.4 10,966 6,848 62.4 6,252 595 8.7

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19,753 13,506 68.4 13,046 460 3.4 19,569 12,978 66.3 11,723 1,255 9.7

Educational attainment

Total, 25 years and over. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39,660 26,655 67.2 25,883 773 2.9 39,212 25,712 65.6 23,436 2,276 8.9

Less than a high school diploma. . . . . . . . . . 9,494 5,432 57.2 5,217 214 3.9 8,762 4,886 55.8 4,328 558 11.4

High school graduates, no college2

. . . . . . . 9,983 6,632 66.4 6,454 178 2.7 10,023 6,302 62.9 5,617 685 10.9

Some college or associate degree. . . . . . . . 6,233 4,312 69.2 4,196 116 2.7 6,192 4,153 67.1 3,767 386 9.3

Bachelor’s degree and higher3

. . . . . . . . . . . . 13,950 10,280 73.7 10,015 264 2.6 14,235 10,371 72.9 9,723 648 6.2

NATIVE BORN

Total, 16 years and over. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216,185 135,148 62.5 130,036 5,112 3.8 217,968 133,427 61.2 122,986 10,441 7.8

Men. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104,540 70,453 67.4 67,669 2,784 4.0 105,502 69,552 65.9 64,159 5,393 7.8

Women. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111,645 64,696 57.9 62,367 2,328 3.6 112,466 63,874 56.8 58,827 5,047 7.9

Age

16 to 24 years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34,418 19,358 56.2 17,703 1,654 8.5 34,336 18,603 54.2 15,819 2,784 15.0

25 to 34 years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37,211 31,274 84.0 30,081 1,193 3.8 37,636 31,036 82.5 28,460 2,576 8.3

35 to 44 years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31,599 26,598 84.2 25,854 743 2.8 32,227 26,833 83.3 25,208 1,625 6.1

45 to 54 years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31,566 25,713 81.5 25,024 689 2.7 31,078 25,148 80.9 23,731 1,416 5.6

55 to 64 years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35,542 23,018 64.8 22,443 575 2.5 35,360 22,656 64.1 21,262 1,393 6.1

65 years and over. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45,848 9,188 20.0 8,931 257 2.8 47,330 9,152 19.3 8,506 646 7.1

Race and Hispanic

or Latino ethnicity1

White non-Hispanic or Latino. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154,457 96,132 62.2 93,210 2,922 3.0 154,711 94,284 60.9 88,161 6,123 6.5

Black non-Hispanic or Latino. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27,105 16,566 61.1 15,497 1,069 6.5 27,296 16,089 58.9 14,237 1,851 11.5

Asian non-Hispanic or Latino. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,720 2,973 63.0 2,874 99 3.3 5,021 3,153 62.8 2,889 264 8.4

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23,754 15,547 65.4 14,759 788 5.1 24,614 15,992 65.0 14,229 1,763 11.0

Educational attainment

Total, 25 years and over. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181,767 115,791 63.7 112,333 3,458 3.0 183,632 114,824 62.5 107,167 7,656 6.7

Less than a high school diploma. . . . . . . . . . 12,132 4,544 37.5 4,224 320 7.0 11,138 4,043 36.3 3,561 483 11.9

High school graduates, no college2

. . . . . . . 52,476 29,530 56.3 28,383 1,146 3.9 52,098 28,440 54.6 25,989 2,450 8.6

Some college or associate degree. . . . . . . . 51,280 33,108 64.6 32,086 1,022 3.1 51,135 32,248 63.1 29,803 2,446 7.6

Bachelor’s degree and higher3

. . . . . . . . . . . . 65,878 48,609 73.8 47,640 969 2.0 69,260 50,092 72.3 47,815 2,277 4.5

1 Data for race/ethnicity groups do not sum to totals because data are not presented for all races.

2

Includes persons with a high school diploma or equivalent.

3

Includes persons with bachelor’s, master’s, professional, and doctoral degrees.

NOTE: Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.
Table 2. Employment status of the foreign-born and native-born populations 16 years and over by presence

and age of youngest child and sex, 2019-2020 annual averages

[Numbers in thousands]

Characteristic

2019 2020

Total Men Women Total Men Women

FOREIGN BORN

With own children under 18

Civilian noninstitutional population................................... 15,499 7,341 8,159 15,253 7,212 8,041

Civilian labor force.................................................. 11,926 6,891 5,035 11,506 6,697 4,809

Participation rate.................................................. 76.9 93.9 61.7 75.4 92.9 59.8

Employed.......................................................... 11,574 6,735 4,840 10,535 6,227 4,308

Employment-population ratio................................. 74.7 91.7 59.3 69.1 86.4 53.6

Unemployed....................................................... 352 156 195 971 470 501

Unemployment rate............................................ 3.0 2.3 3.9 8.4 7.0 10.4

With own children 6 to 17, none younger

Civilian noninstitutional population................................... 8,938 4,127 4,810 8,824 4,073 4,751

Civilian labor force.................................................. 7,093 3,820 3,273 6,865 3,755 3,110

Participation rate.................................................. 79.4 92.5 68.0 77.8 92.2 65.4

Employed.......................................................... 6,880 3,724 3,157 6,296 3,501 2,795

Employment-population ratio................................. 77.0 90.2 65.6 71.4 86.0 58.8

Unemployed....................................................... 212 96 116 568 254 314

Unemployment rate............................................ 3.0 2.5 3.6 8.3 6.8 10.1

With own children under 6

Civilian noninstitutional population................................... 6,562 3,213 3,348 6,429 3,139 3,290

Civilian labor force.................................................. 4,834 3,071 1,762 4,641 2,942 1,699

Participation rate.................................................. 73.7 95.6 52.6 72.2 93.7 51.6

Employed.......................................................... 4,694 3,011 1,683 4,239 2,727 1,512

Employment-population ratio................................. 71.5 93.7 50.3 65.9 86.9 46.0

Unemployed....................................................... 139 60 79 402 215 187

Unemployment rate............................................ 2.9 2.0 4.5 8.7 7.3 11.0

With own children under 3

Civilian noninstitutional population................................... 3,566 1,774 1,792 3,508 1,725 1,783

Civilian labor force.................................................. 2,566 1,695 871 2,482 1,610 872

Participation rate.................................................. 72.0 95.5 48.6 70.8 93.3 48.9

Employed.......................................................... 2,495 1,664 831 2,266 1,491 775

Employment-population ratio................................. 70.0 93.8 46.4 64.6 86.4 43.4

Unemployed....................................................... 71 31 40 216 119 97

Unemployment rate............................................ 2.8 1.8 4.6 8.7 7.4 11.2

With no own children under 18

Civilian noninstitutional population................................... 27,491 13,473 14,018 27,108 13,208 13,900

Civilian labor force.................................................. 16,464 9,343 7,121 15,810 8,955 6,855

Participation rate.................................................. 59.9 69.3 50.8 58.3 67.8 49.3

Employed.......................................................... 15,927 9,056 6,871 14,274 8,174 6,100

Employment-population ratio................................. 57.9 67.2 49.0 52.7 61.9 43.9

Unemployed....................................................... 537 287 250 1,536 781 756

Unemployment rate............................................ 3.3 3.1 3.5 9.7 8.7 11.0

NATIVE BORN

With own children under 18

Civilian noninstitutional population................................... 48,138 21,318 26,820 47,988 21,357 26,631

Civilian labor force.................................................. 40,107 19,865 20,242 39,557 19,664 19,893

Participation rate.................................................. 83.3 93.2 75.5 82.4 92.1 74.7

Employed.......................................................... 38,977 19,427 19,550 37,207 18,665 18,542

Employment-population ratio................................. 81.0 91.1 72.9 77.5 87.4 69.6

Unemployed....................................................... 1,130 438 692 2,350 999 1,351

Unemployment rate............................................ 2.8 2.2 3.4 5.9 5.1 6.8

With own children 6 to 17, none younger

Civilian noninstitutional population................................... 26,768 11,859 14,909 26,842 11,894 14,948

Civilian labor force.................................................. 22,765 10,894 11,871 22,572 10,833 11,739

Participation rate.................................................. 85.0 91.9 79.6 84.1 91.1 78.5

Employed.......................................................... 22,169 10,661 11,508 21,325 10,324 11,001

Employment-population ratio................................. 82.8 89.9 77.2 79.4 86.8 73.6
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, 2019-2020 annual averages — Continued

[Numbers in thousands]

Characteristic

2019 2020

Total Men Women Total Men Women

Unemployed....................................................... 596 233 363 1,247 509 737

Unemployment rate............................................ 2.6 2.1 3.1 5.5 4.7 6.3

With own children under 6

Civilian noninstitutional population................................... 21,370 9,458 11,912 21,146 9,463 11,683

Civilian labor force.................................................. 17,342 8,971 8,371 16,985 8,831 8,154

Participation rate.................................................. 81.1 94.8 70.3 80.3 93.3 69.8

Employed.......................................................... 16,808 8,766 8,042 15,882 8,341 7,541

Employment-population ratio................................. 78.7 92.7 67.5 75.1 88.1 64.5

Unemployed....................................................... 534 204 329 1,103 490 613

Unemployment rate............................................ 3.1 2.3 3.9 6.5 5.5 7.5

With own children under 3

Civilian noninstitutional population................................... 12,464 5,571 6,894 12,256 5,559 6,697

Civilian labor force.................................................. 9,941 5,300 4,641 9,697 5,198 4,499

Participation rate.................................................. 79.8 95.1 67.3 79.1 93.5 67.2

Employed.......................................................... 9,626 5,173 4,453 9,082 4,914 4,168

Employment-population ratio................................. 77.2 92.9 64.6 74.1 88.4 62.2

Unemployed....................................................... 315 127 188 615 284 331

Unemployment rate............................................ 3.2 2.4 4.1 6.3 5.5 7.3

With no own children under 18

Civilian noninstitutional population................................... 168,047 83,222 84,825 169,979 84,145 85,834

Civilian labor force.................................................. 95,042 50,588 44,453 93,870 49,888 43,981

Participation rate.................................................. 56.6 60.8 52.4 55.2 59.3 51.2

Employed.......................................................... 91,060 48,242 42,817 85,779 45,494 40,285

Employment-population ratio................................. 54.2 58.0 50.5 50.5 54.1 46.9

Unemployed....................................................... 3,982 2,346 1,636 8,091 4,394 3,696

Unemployment rate............................................ 4.2 4.6 3.7 8.6 8.8 8.4

NOTE: Own children include sons, daughters, step-children, and adopted children. Not included are nieces, nephews, grandchildren, and other related

and unrelated children. Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.
Table 3. Employment status of the foreign-born and native-born populations 25 years and over by educational

attainment, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 2019-2020 annual averages

[Numbers in thousands]

Characteristic

2019 2020

Less than

a high

school

diploma

High

school

graduates,

no

college1

Some

college or

associate

degree

Bachelor’s

degree

and

higher2

Less than

a high

school

diploma

High

school

graduates,

no

college1

Some

college or

associate

degree

Bachelor’s

degree

and

higher2

FOREIGN BORN

White non-Hispanic or Latino

Civilian noninstitutional population..................... 563 1,686 1,369 3,610 498 1,567 1,249 3,610

Civilian labor force..................................... 186 897 794 2,523 161 782 718 2,548

Participation rate.................................... 33.0 53.2 58.0 69.9 32.3 49.9 57.5 70.6

Employed............................................. 179 871 771 2,456 144 710 652 2,398

Employment-population ratio.................... 31.9 51.7 56.3 68.0 28.9 45.3 52.2 66.4

Unemployed.......................................... 6 25 22 67 17 73 66 150

Unemployment rate.............................. 3.4 2.8 2.8 2.7 10.3 9.3 9.2 5.9

Black non-Hispanic or Latino

Civilian noninstitutional population..................... 374 967 838 1,240 374 1,016 866 1,313

Civilian labor force..................................... 199 663 638 1,011 190 671 656 1,062

Participation rate.................................... 53.2 68.5 76.2 81.5 50.9 66.1 75.8 80.9

Employed............................................. 187 637 614 976 160 585 588 984

Employment-population ratio.................... 49.9 65.9 73.3 78.7 42.8 57.6 67.9 75.0

Unemployed.......................................... 12 26 24 36 30 87 68 78

Unemployment rate.............................. 6.1 3.9 3.8 3.5 16.0 12.9 10.4 7.4

Asian non-Hispanic or Latino

Civilian noninstitutional population..................... 1,079 1,829 1,318 6,096 900 1,877 1,234 6,186

Civilian labor force..................................... 410 1,062 878 4,478 353 995 766 4,422

Participation rate.................................... 38.0 58.1 66.6 73.5 39.3 53.0 62.1 71.5

Employed............................................. 399 1,044 857 4,378 297 844 687 4,167

Employment-population ratio.................... 37.0 57.1 65.0 71.8 33.0 45.0 55.6 67.4

Unemployed.......................................... 11 17 21 100 57 151 79 255

Unemployment rate.............................. 2.6 1.6 2.4 2.2 16.1 15.2 10.4 5.8

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Civilian noninstitutional population..................... 7,436 5,392 2,572 2,834 6,952 5,472 2,717 2,956

Civilian labor force..................................... 4,618 3,941 1,910 2,142 4,156 3,794 1,929 2,220

Participation rate.................................... 62.1 73.1 74.2 75.6 59.8 69.3 71.0 75.1

Employed............................................. 4,433 3,835 1,863 2,082 3,705 3,425 1,764 2,066

Employment-population ratio.................... 59.6 71.1 72.4 73.5 53.3 62.6 64.9 69.9

Unemployed.......................................... 184 106 47 59 451 369 165 154

Unemployment rate.............................. 4.0 2.7 2.5 2.8 10.9 9.7 8.5 6.9

NATIVE BORN

White non-Hispanic or Latino

Civilian noninstitutional population..................... 7,075 37,579 37,225 53,021 6,386 37,005 36,937 55,058

Civilian labor force..................................... 2,550 20,377 23,175 38,437 2,216 19,488 22,495 39,028

Participation rate.................................... 36.0 54.2 62.3 72.5 34.7 52.7 60.9 70.9

Employed............................................. 2,399 19,725 22,570 37,726 2,004 18,085 20,992 37,378

Employment-population ratio.................... 33.9 52.5 60.6 71.2 31.4 48.9 56.8 67.9

Unemployed.......................................... 151 652 606 711 212 1,403 1,503 1,650

Unemployment rate.............................. 5.9 3.2 2.6 1.8 9.6 7.2 6.7 4.2

Black non-Hispanic or Latino

Civilian noninstitutional population..................... 2,315 7,571 6,820 5,708 2,235 7,609 6,751 6,045

Civilian labor force..................................... 759 4,326 4,632 4,373 687 4,130 4,382 4,560

Participation rate.................................... 32.8 57.1 67.9 76.6 30.7 54.3 64.9 75.4

Employed............................................. 668 4,035 4,427 4,256 565 3,588 3,944 4,313

Employment-population ratio.................... 28.9 53.3 64.9 74.6 25.3 47.2 58.4 71.3

Unemployed.......................................... 91 291 205 118 123 542 438 247

Unemployment rate.............................. 12.0 6.7 4.4 2.7 17.8 13.1 10.0 5.4

Asian non-Hispanic or Latino

Civilian noninstitutional population..................... 145 509 685 2,035 128 541 629 2,320

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, 2019-2020 annual averages — Continued

[Numbers in thousands]

Characteristic

2019 2020

Less than

a high

school

diploma

High

school

graduates,

no

college1

Some

college or

associate

degree

Bachelor’s

degree

and

higher2

Less than

a high

school

diploma

High

school

graduates,

no

college1

Some

college or

associate

degree

Bachelor’s

degree

and

higher2

Civilian labor force..................................... 55 294 471 1,637 66 319 408 1,823

Participation rate.................................... 38.1 57.8 68.7 80.4 51.6 58.9 64.8 78.6

Employed............................................. 53 285 455 1,598 58 285 365 1,731

Employment-population ratio.................... 36.3 56.0 66.5 78.5 45.3 52.7 58.1 74.6

Unemployed.......................................... 3 9 15 39 8 33 42 92

Unemployment rate.............................. 4.9 3.2 3.3 2.4 12.4 10.5 10.3 5.0

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Civilian noninstitutional population..................... 2,215 5,446 5,004 3,858 2,014 5,545 5,274 4,446

Civilian labor force..................................... 1,042 3,698 3,790 3,157 951 3,683 3,928 3,588

Participation rate.................................... 47.0 67.9 75.7 81.8 47.2 66.4 74.5 80.7

Employed............................................. 978 3,559 3,646 3,081 831 3,299 3,571 3,361

Employment-population ratio.................... 44.2 65.4 72.9 79.9 41.2 59.5 67.7 75.6

Unemployed.......................................... 64 139 144 76 120 384 358 227

Unemployment rate.............................. 6.1 3.8 3.8 2.4 12.6 10.4 9.1 6.3

1

Includes persons with a high school diploma or equivalent.

2

Includes persons with bachelor’s, master’s, professional, and doctoral degrees.

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

annually with the release of January data.
Table 4. Employed foreign-born and native-born persons 16 years and over by occupation and sex, 2020

annual averages

[Percent distribution]

Occupation

Foreign born Native born

Total Men Women Total Men Women

Total employed (in thousands)....................................... 24,809 14,401 10,407 122,986 64,159 58,827

Occupation as a percent of total employed

Total employed......................................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Management, professional, and related occupations........... 36.3 34.0 39.5 44.4 40.3 49.0

Management, business, and financial operations

occupations..................................................... 14.1 14.3 13.9 19.2 20.2 18.1

Management occupations.................................... 9.5 10.7 7.8 13.2 14.9 11.4

Business and financial operations occupations............ 4.7 3.6 6.1 6.0 5.4 6.8

Professional and related occupations.......................... 22.2 19.7 25.6 25.2 20.1 30.8

Computer and mathematical occupations.................. 5.8 7.3 3.8 3.4 4.9 1.7

Architecture and engineering occupations.................. 2.4 3.3 1.2 2.1 3.4 0.7

Life, physical, and social science occupations............. 1.3 1.3 1.4 1.1 1.0 1.1

Community and social service occupations................ 1.1 0.7 1.6 2.0 1.2 2.9

Legal occupations............................................. 0.6 0.4 1.0 1.4 1.3 1.5

Education, training, and library occupations................ 3.7 2.1 5.9 6.5 3.2 10.1

Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media

occupations.................................................. 1.4 1.3 1.7 2.2 2.0 2.4

Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations....... 5.8 3.4 9.1 6.6 3.1 10.5

Service occupations................................................ 20.6 14.7 28.6 14.4 12.0 17.1

Healthcare support occupations................................ 4.2 1.2 8.3 3.0 0.8 5.5

Protective service occupations................................. 0.8 1.1 0.5 2.3 3.4 1.1

Food preparation and serving related occupations.......... 5.7 5.1 6.5 4.2 3.5 4.9

Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance

occupations..................................................... 7.3 6.3 8.8 2.7 3.3 1.9

Personal care and service occupations....................... 2.5 1.1 4.5 2.3 1.0 3.7

Sales and office occupations...................................... 14.3 10.9 19.0 21.3 15.5 27.6

Sales and related occupations.................................. 7.3 6.7 8.2 10.0 9.8 10.3

Office and administrative support occupations............... 7.0 4.2 10.8 11.2 5.7 17.3

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance

occupations........................................................ 13.6 22.0 2.1 8.1 14.7 0.9

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations.................... 1.6 2.0 1.0 0.5 0.8 0.2

Construction and extraction occupations...................... 9.2 15.2 0.8 4.4 8.1 0.4

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations........... 2.9 4.7 0.3 3.2 5.8 0.3

Production, transportation, and material moving

occupations........................................................ 15.2 18.4 10.7 11.7 17.5 5.4

Production occupations.......................................... 6.8 7.1 6.3 4.8 6.9 2.5

Transportation and material moving occupations............ 8.5 11.4 4.4 6.9 10.6 2.9

NOTE: Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data. Effective with January 2020 data, occupations reflect

the introduction of the 2018 Census occupational classification system, derived from the 2018 Standard Occupational Classification (SOC). No

historical data have been revised. Data for 2020 are not strictly comparable with earlier years.
Table 5. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers for the foreign born and native

born by selected characteristics, 2019-2020 annual averages

[Numbers in thousands]

Characteristic

2019 2020

Foreign born Native born

Earnings

of

foreign

born as

percent

of

native

born

Foreign born Native born

Earnings

of

foreign

born as

percent

of

native

born

Number

Median

weekly

earnings

Number

Median

weekly

earnings

Number

Median

weekly

earnings

Number

Median

weekly

earnings

Total, 16 years and over.................. 21,007 $800 96,576 $941 85.0 18,674 $885 91,713 $1,000 88.5

Men........................................ 12,584 863 52,423 1,042 82.8 11,301 941 49,610 1,115 84.4

Women.................................... 8,423 719 44,154 841 85.5 7,373 798 42,103 903 88.4

AGE

16 to 24 years.............................. 987 564 9,778 583 96.7 816 596 8,548 607 98.2

25 to 34 years.............................. 4,682 797 24,894 854 93.3 4,004 885 23,657 907 97.6

35 to 44 years.............................. 5,704 864 21,078 1,083 79.8 5,117 963 20,524 1,130 85.2

45 to 54 years.............................. 5,491 815 19,899 1,102 74.0 4,833 926 18,981 1,165 79.5

55 to 64 years.............................. 3,293 815 16,773 1,065 76.5 3,107 869 15,910 1,137 76.4

65 years and over.......................... 850 749 4,155 964 77.7 797 772 4,093 1,034 74.7

RACE AND HISPANIC OR

LATINO ETHNICITY1

White non-Hispanic or Latino............. 3,203 1,141 68,143 1,016 112.3 2,840 1,230 64,924 1,075 114.4

Black non-Hispanic or Latino............. 2,089 749 12,353 735 101.9 1,882 837 11,299 794 105.4

Asian non-Hispanic or Latino............. 5,466 1,198 2,218 1,168 102.6 4,858 1,347 2,268 1,277 105.5

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity................ 10,008 658 11,219 759 86.7 8,867 704 10,691 812 86.7

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT

Total, 25 years and over.................. 20,020 819 86,798 999 82.0 17,858 909 83,166 1,057 86.0

Less than a high school diploma. . . . .. 4,038 577 2,972 617 93.5 3,210 601 2,489 655 91.8

High school graduates, no college2

. .. 4,950 675 21,806 766 88.1 4,183 702 19,970 801 87.6

Some college or associate degree. . .. 3,093 779 24,185 868 89.7 2,715 829 22,698 910 91.1

Bachelor’s degree and higher3

......... 7,939 1,418 37,834 1,360 104.3 7,750 1,492 38,009 1,409 105.9

1 Data for race/ethnicity groups do not sum to totals because data are not presented for all races.

2

Includes persons with a high school diploma or equivalent.

3

Includes persons with bachelor’s, master’s, professional, and doctoral degrees.

NOTE: Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.
Table 6. Employment status of the foreign-born and native-born populations 16 years and over by census

region and division, 2019-2020 annual averages

[Numbers in thousands]

Census region and

division

2019 2020

Civilian

noninstitutional

population

Civilian labor force

Civilian

noninstitutional

population

Civilian labor force

Total Participation rate

Employed

Unemployed

Total Participation rate

Employed

Unemployed

Number

Unemployment

rate

Number

Unemployment

rate

FOREIGN BORN

Northeast................... 8,882 5,778 65.1 5,601 177 3.1 9,087 5,800 63.8 5,177 622 10.7

New England............ 1,976 1,379 69.8 1,335 44 3.2 2,019 1,352 66.9 1,212 139 10.3

Middle Atlantic.......... 6,906 4,399 63.7 4,266 133 3.0 7,068 4,448 62.9 3,965 483 10.9

South....................... 14,887 10,036 67.4 9,750 286 2.8 14,686 9,727 66.2 8,943 783 8.1

South Atlantic........... 8,913 6,016 67.5 5,836 181 3.0 8,649 5,732 66.3 5,246 486 8.5

East South Central. . . .. 733 496 67.7 483 13 2.6 725 477 65.8 450 27 5.6

West South Central. . .. 5,242 3,523 67.2 3,431 92 2.6 5,312 3,518 66.2 3,247 271 7.7

Midwest..................... 4,967 3,400 68.5 3,298 102 3.0 4,702 3,166 67.3 2,913 253 8.0

East North Central. . . .. 3,695 2,485 67.3 2,412 73 2.9 3,456 2,270 65.7 2,073 197 8.7

West North Central..... 1,272 915 71.9 886 29 3.2 1,247 896 71.9 840 56 6.2

West........................ 14,254 9,176 64.4 8,853 323 3.5 13,886 8,623 62.1 7,775 848 9.8

Mountain................. 2,683 1,795 66.9 1,738 58 3.2 2,709 1,770 65.3 1,612 157 8.9

Pacific.................... 11,571 7,381 63.8 7,115 266 3.6 11,177 6,854 61.3 6,163 691 10.1

NATIVE BORN

Northeast................... 36,371 22,881 62.9 21,993 888 3.9 36,080 22,252 61.7 20,298 1,954 8.8

New England............ 10,195 6,740 66.1 6,530 210 3.1 10,156 6,502 64.0 5,997 505 7.8

Middle Atlantic.......... 26,175 16,141 61.7 15,463 679 4.2 25,924 15,749 60.8 14,301 1,448 9.2

South....................... 83,418 50,697 60.8 48,848 1,849 3.6 84,419 50,053 59.3 46,535 3,518 7.0

South Atlantic........... 43,404 26,361 60.7 25,449 912 3.5 44,082 25,978 58.9 24,211 1,767 6.8

East South Central. . . .. 14,317 8,475 59.2 8,148 327 3.9 14,384 8,314 57.8 7,719 595 7.2

West South Central. . .. 25,697 15,861 61.7 15,251 610 3.8 25,954 15,762 60.7 14,605 1,156 7.3

Midwest..................... 48,918 31,707 64.8 30,548 1,159 3.7 49,249 31,298 63.6 28,964 2,334 7.5

East North Central. . . .. 33,484 21,273 63.5 20,440 833 3.9 33,738 20,996 62.2 19,237 1,759 8.4

West North Central..... 15,433 10,435 67.6 10,109 326 3.1 15,511 10,302 66.4 9,727 575 5.6

West........................ 47,478 29,863 62.9 28,648 1,215 4.1 48,219 29,824 61.9 27,190 2,634 8.8

Mountain................. 16,701 10,734 64.3 10,334 400 3.7 16,983 10,745 63.3 9,944 802 7.5

Pacific.................... 30,777 19,129 62.2 18,314 815 4.3 31,237 19,079 61.1 17,246 1,833 9.6

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

Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont); Middle Atlantic (New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania); South Atlantic (Delaware, District of Columbia,

Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia); East South Central (Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, and

Tennessee); West South Central (Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas); East North Central (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin);

West North Central (Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota); Mountain (Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana,

Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming); Pacific (Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington). Updated population controls are introduced

annually with the release of January data.