Hmong Population Research Project

1. Hmong Population Research Project The Economic Status of the Hmong: Evidence from the 1990 U.S. Census Faculty Forum Presentation 14 November 2001

2. Hmong Population Research Project Supported by the UWEC Office of University Research: Faculty/Student Research Collaboration grants TRIP grant Summer Extramural Grant Development Program

3. Hmong Population Research Project Wayne Carroll, Economics Tua Lor Elina Camane

4. Hmong Population Research Project

5. “The New Immigrants” • Immigrants and refugees from countries with living standards very different from the U.S. have made up a larger share of immigration in recent decades. • Assimilation is more difficult for these “New Immigrants” than for immigrants from Europe and many other regions. • Hmong immigrants epitomize the “New Immigrants.”

6. U.S. Census Data on the Hmong • 1980 – According to the Census Bureau, the nation’s Hmong population was 5,204. • 1990 – Detailed information on the Hmong are available. • 2000 – Data on Hmong populations have been released. Other detailed information will be released next fall.

7. Three Census sources • 100% counts (“short form”) – provide the most accurate data on population, race, household structure, and homes. • Tabulations from the “long form” – detailed tables based on a one-sixth sample of the population. • Public Use Microdata Samples (PUMS) – detailed data from the “long form” at the individual level, providing a 5% sample of the population.

8. The 1990 Census question on “race”:

9. Hmong Population Growth

10. Hmong Population Growth 1990 U.S. Hmong population: 90,082

11. Hmong Population Growth 1990 U.S. Hmong population: 90,082 2000 U.S. Hmong population: 169,428

12. Population Growth by State

13. A Tale of a Few Cities

14. Economic Status Economic status: • Income • Labor force participation • Employment status • Occupation depends on: • Education • English fluency • Years in U.S. • Age? Gender?

15. Educational attainment • In 1990 about 50% of Hmong adults reported that they had no education. • About 31% of Hmong adults reported in 1990 that they had at least a high-school education, compared with 75% in the general population.

16. English language skills A household is “linguistically isolated” if no adult in the household speaks English “very well.” In 1990 almost 64% of Hmong households were linguistically isolated.

17. Year of entry to the U.S.(based on the 1990 Census)

18. Economic Status Economic status: • Income • Labor force participation • Employment status • Occupation depends on: • Education • English fluency • Years in U.S. • Age? Gender?

19. Median household income in 1989

20. Income distribution in 1989: Hmong vs. general population

21. Sources of income in 1989

22. Young workers (age<40) (Mean earnings = $9,348) Age: One year adds $652*** Year of entry: one year adds $169* Education: one year adds $234*** Gender and language not significant Determinants of earnings

23. Young workers (age<40) (Mean earnings = $9,348) Age: One year adds $652*** Year of entry: One year adds $169* Education: One year adds $234*** Gender and language not significant. Old workers (age>40) (Mean earnings = $11,741) Year of entry: One year adds $430* Gender: Men earn $3,305*** more than women on average. Age, education, and language are not significant. Determinants of earnings

24. Labor force participation rates in 1990

25. Determinants of labor force participation The likelihood that a Hmong adult was in the labor force in 1990 was higher for: • men than women • those who had been in the U.S. longer • those who had more education • those who spoke English well

26. Determinants of labor force participation

27. Employment status in 1990 The unemployment rate equals the percentage of the labor force who are unemployed. • Unemployment rate among Hmong men: 20% • Unemployment rate among Hmong women: 22% • Unemployment rate for general population: 5.4%

28. Determinants of employment status • The probability of being unemployed was smaller if a worker had been in the U.S. longer. • Age, gender, educational attainment, and English fluency were not significant.

29. Men: 9% Cleaning and building service occupations 8% Machine operators and tenders 7% Fabricators, assemblers, hand working 4% Cooks 4% Other precision production 3% Writers, artists, entertainers, athletes 3% Other food service Most common occupations in 1990

30. Men: 9% Cleaning and building service occupations 8% Machine operators and tenders 7% Fabricators, assemblers, hand working 4% Cooks 4% Other precision production 3% Writers, artists, entertainers, athletes 3% Other food service Women: 10% Fabricators, assemblers, hand working occupations 9% Textile, apparel, and furnishings machine operators 8% Administrative support positions 6% Other precision production 5% Cooks 5% Cashiers 5% Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants Most common occupations in 1990

31. Future research Detailed economic and demographic data from the 2000 Census will be released next year, making possible: • Comparisons of data from 1990 and 2000. • Analysis of the economic progress and assimilation of the Hmong in the U.S. during the last ten years.

32. Expected findings in 2000 Census data • Rapid growth among younger Hmong adults in: • Income • Labor force participation • Employment • Educational attainment • Movement into higher-paying occupations • Hmong still lagging significantly behind the general population in economic status