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Title: Why do Mexican Americans earn low wages?

Citation Type: Journal Article

Publication Year: 1997

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Abstract: Using Current Population Survey data from November 1979 and 1989, I find that Mexican Americans earn low wages primarily because they possess less human capital than other-workers, not because they receive smaller labor market rewards for their skills. Among third-and higher-generation men in 1989, Mexicans averaged 21 percent lower wages than non-Hispanic whites, which is roughly similar to the wage deficit for blacks. For Mexicans, more than three-quarters of the wage gap is attributable to their relative youth, English language deficiencies, and especially their lower educational attainment. By contrast, these variables explain less than a third of the black-white wage gap.

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Authors: Trejo, Stephen J.

Periodical (Full): Journal of Political Economy

Issue: 6

Volume: 105

Pages: 1235-1268

Data Collections: IPUMS CPS

Topics: Labor Force and Occupational Structure, Race and Ethnicity

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