This thesis examines the determinants of earnings for Asian immigrants in theMidwest of the United States. It tests simultaneously three theoreticalexplanationsassimilation, human capital, and job competitionfor the earnings attainmentof three major Asian groups: Asian Indian, Vietnamese, and Chinese in the Kansas CityMetropolitan Area. Drawing from the 2000 Census 5% sample, I first examine the attributesof the three Asian groups and non-Hispanic whites to see how the possible determinants ofearnings are presented among them. I then compare average earnings across these fourgroups to identify any earnings disparities. To explore the earnings inequality betweennon-Hispanic whites and Asian immigrants, I use each of the three ethnic groupmemberships while controlling factors of the three theories to predict earnings. I finally takeivan integrated theoretical approach to understand each Asian groups earnings. The resultsshow different earnings patterns in each Asian group, indicating internal heterogeneityamong Asian immigrants. Asian Indians have the highest earnings attainment, followed bynon-Hispanic whites, then Chinese, and lastly Vietnamese. Being a Chinese or Vietnamesehas significantly negative effects on earnings. The earnings of Asian Indians can be bestexplained by the human capital and job competition theories whereas assimilation variablesare the most significant for Vietnamese immigrants. However, none of the theories shows anabsolute advantage over the others in explaining the earnings levels of Chinese immigrants.

In 1980 the U.S. government began to systematically collect data on Hispanics. By 2005 the Latino population of the United States had become the nation’s largest minority and is projected to comprise about one­third of the total U.S. population in 2050. Utilizing census data and other statistical source materials, this book examines the transformations in the demographic, social, and economic structures of Latino­Americans in the United States between 1980 and 2005. Unlike most other studies, this book presents data on transformations over time, rather than a static portrait of specific topics at particular moments. Latino­Americans are examined over this twenty­five year period in terms of their demographic structures, changing patterns of wealth and poverty, educational attainment, citizenship and voter participation, occupational structures, employment, and unemployment. The result is a detailed socioeconomic portrait by region and over time that indicates the basic patterns that have lead to the formation of a complex national minority group that has become central to U.S. society.

This study investigates the effect of working in gender-dominated occupations on wages. Itcontrols for a set of key skill requirements and working conditions that define an occupation in order toisolate the impact of working in an environment with a higher percentage of women. The main goal is totake advantage of the detailed information about occupational characteristics provided by the O*NETdatabase by combining it with data from the Census 5% sample of the US population in 2000 to analyzeearnings and the wage differential between men and women. This approach builds on previous studiesthat have drawn occupational information from the Dictionary of Occupational Titles which is meant tobe replaced by the O*NET. Using this new source of rich occupational data, this paper aims to providebetter estimates of both the cost of working in highly feminized occupations and the contribution ofoccupational segregation to the measured gender wage gap.

The Hamilton Project believes it is important to ground the current immigration debate in an objective economic framework based on the best available evidence. In this policy memo, we explore some of the questions frequently raised around immigration in the United States and provide facts drawn from publicly available data sets and the academic literature. Most Americans agree that the current U.S. immigration system is flawed. Less clear, however, are the economic facts about immigration—the real effects that new immigrants have on wages, jobs, budgets, and the U.S. economy—facts that are essential to a constructive national debate. These facts paint a more nuanced portrait of American immigration than is portrayed in today’s debate. Recent immigrants hail from many more countries than prior immigrants; they carry with them a wide range of skills from new PhDs graduating from American universities to laborers without a high school degree. Most recent immigrants have entered the United States legally, but around 11 million unauthorized immigrants currently live and work in America; the majority . . .

Past research indicates that black entrepreneurship in northern cities was unaffected by residential segregation by race until after the formation of the "ghetto." In the present study, however, an analysis of Census data shows that in the urban North during the late nineteenth century, the residential segregation of blacks was positively associated with blacks' shopkeeping ratio, a measure of the extent to which black retail entrepreneurs were merchants rather than peddlers. This finding accords with the theory that ethnic businesses are often supported by the residential segregation of group members. Moreover, it implies that black merchants in northern cities may have been bolstered by business ownership opportunities created by a socially and spatially segregated market of black consumers much earlier than previously believed.

The older population is one of the most economically vulnerable populations in the United States for several reasons. Most are no longer in the workforce and must rely on fixed sources of income (e.g., pensions, Social Security benefits). While income sources may vary in response to shifting economic circumstances, many seniors in the current economic climate have few options to bring in additional sources of income to meet the burden of rising living expenses. Despite being a population covered by universal health insurance (Medicare), they still bear the brunt of many out-of-pocket expenses including prescription drug premiums, copays, and coverage gaps. Finally, the economic recession of the past couple of years has resulted in a sharp decline in property values as foreclosures have skyrocketed. For many older homeowners, this has meant a decline in the value of their largest asset and in some cases, that their mortgage exceeds the value of their home. The economic challenges that seniors currently face are most apparent in Southeast Michigan, the epicenter of the recession. In this report, we detail the income status of the aging population in the region. We also discuss the overall income of this population, sources of income, and how union pensions from Ford, General Motors and Chrysler have kept a significant segment of this population financially afloat.

Social networks are commonly understood to play a large role in the labor market success of immigrants. Using 2000 U.S. Census data, this paper examines whether access to native networks, as measured by marriage to a native, increases the probability of immigrant employment. We start by confirming that in both least squares and instrumental variables frameworks, marriage to a native indeed increases immigrant employment rates. Next, we show that the returns to marrying a native are not likely to arise solely from legal status acquired through marriage or characteristics of native spouses. We then present several pieces of evidence suggesting that networks obtained through marriage play an important part in explaining the relationship between marriage decisions and employment.

Introduction: This report examines demographic and socioeconomic factors concerning Puerto Ricans in the United States between 1990 and 2008. Methods: Data on Latinos and other racial/ethnic groups were obtained from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey, reorganized for public use by the Minnesota Population Center, University of Minnesota, IPUMSusa. Cases in the dataset were weighted and analyzed to produce population estimates. Results: By 2008 there were as many Puerto Ricans living in the United States — about 4 million — as living in Puerto Rico. About two-thirds of all Puerto Ricans in the United States were born on the U.S. mainland in 2008. When Puerto Ricans began migrating to the U.S. during the 1940s they largely settled in the New York metropolitan area. By 1960 about 80% of all Puerto Ricans lived in the states of New York and New Jersey. However, like most previous migrant groups in U.S. history they began moving away from original areas of settlement. By 2008 about one-third of all Puerto Ricans lived in New York and New Jersey. Puerto Rican households experienced rising median income levels in real terms between 1980 and 2008. However, in 2008 these incomes were still significantly lower than the other major race/ethnic groups in the U.S. and among Latino national sub-groups only Mexicans and Dominicans had lower median household incomes. Discussion: There was a very clear and stratified . . .

Each year, a new wave of students from Appalachia comes to Berea College--on average, about six of every ten students hail from an Appalachian county (as defined by the Appalachian Regional Commission). Most of them, however, do not arrive with an "Appalachia" identity. Instead, they usually have more localized conceptions of place and identity--a community or town, or sometimes a county. It is only after time away from home . . .

Social scientists have been talking about a “retreat from marriage” for at least 20 years. The overall pattern is a decline in marriage and rise in cohabitation, a delay in marriage to later ages, and high rates of divorce (even though overall divorce rates are well below their historic highs, they remain high). With the possible exception of divorce (for now), the recession seems to be hurrying this process along dramatically, as has been widely reported. As usual, there is a symbolic milestone to point out: never-married 25-34-year-olds now outnumber those currently married for the first time.

This brief updates perspectives brief 9, “Children of Immigrants: National and State Characteristics,” which profiled children of immigrants as of 2005–06 (Fortuny et al. 2009). The current brief presents data highlights from the 2007 and 2008 American Community Surveys. These and other indicators on children can be obtained on the Urban Institute’s Children of Immigrants Data Tool web site.1

While the retirement security landscape has changeddrastically for most workers over the last twenty years,traditional defined benefit (DB) pension plans remainthe overwhelming norm for K12 teachers. Because DBplans pay off fully with a fixed income after retirementonly if a teacher stays in the profession for decades andyield little or nothing if a teacher leaves early, DB plansinduce a strong, nonlinear relationship between yearsof tenure and benefit accrual. One implication is thatas many current teachers approach eligibility for fullpensions, there are strong incentives for retirement andassociated consequences in the teacher labor market.In this article, we assess the key features of DB plans,discuss the general incentive effects, and consider theapplication to the particular case of teachers. This workhighlights the importance of assessing the characteristicsof teachers who respond most to the retirementtiming incentives.

State governments allocate authority, under a federally imposed cap, to issue tax-exempt bonds that fund private activities such as industrial expansion, student loans, and low-income housing. This paper presents political economy models of the allocation process and an empirical analysis. Due to an idiosyncrasy of the tax code, the annual per capita volume cap varies widely between states. I estimate that, on average, there is an additional $0.80 per capita per year of borrowing for each additional dollar per capita of volume cap. This confirms that the cap is a binding constraint in most cases, and authority to issue tax-exempt bonds is a scarce resource. I find that mortgage revenue bonds and student loan bonds are the most responsive to differences in the cap. The gross state product and employment in manufacturing and utilities drive allocations to industrial development bonds and utilities bonds. While controlling for the size of the education sector, I find campaign contributions from educational interests are associated with higher authorizations for student loans. One result runs counter to the theoretical models. Higher campaign contributions from utilities interests are associated with lower utilities borrowing. Unions do not have an independent effect on allocations.

Introduction: This report examines demographic and socioeconomic variables among different racial/ethnic groups in New York City between 1990 and 2008 – particularly the Dominican population. Methods: Data on Latinos and other racial/ethnic groups were obtained from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey, reorganized for public use by the Minnesota Population Center, University of Minnesota, IPUMSusa. Cases in the dataset were weighted and analyzed to produce population estimates. Results: Between 1990 and 2008 the Dominican population of New York City increased to become the second largest Latino national sub-group behind Puerto Ricans. The Dominican population grew by nearly 73 percent between 1990 and 2008 and about 7 percent from 2000 to 2008. Despite gains between 1990 and 2008, Dominican median household income still ranked lowest among the five largest Latino nationalities in New York City. Despite persistently low median household incomes and limited upward economic mobility, poverty rates among both domestic-born and foreign-born Dominicans decreased significantly from 1990 to 2008. Employment rates among the Dominican working-age population have increased substantially since 1990, due largely to a major increase in the number of women entering the workforce. Discussion: Domestic-born women in particular have made great strides in educational attainment, with over one-third completing a Bachelor’s degrees or better in 2008. At the same time, the education gap between domestic-born and foreign-born Dominicans has widened substantially from 1990-2008. The gap between domestic-born women and domestic-born men has also increased, which indicates a commitment by second plus generation Dominican women to obtain college-level educations. This trend raises concerns about the prospect for upward socio-economic mobility for Dominican males who do not seek college degrees at the same rates as females.