US and Foreign Born Mexican American Youth: A Socioeconomic Comparison

Abstract

ABSTRACT Mexican Americans represent 12.6 million persons, the largest sub-group of the Hispanic population in the United States. Half of the Mexican American population is under 21 years of age. They encounter difficulties both in school and the labor market; there is a high incidence of non-high school completion and an unfavorable economic status. About a fourth of Mexican American youth are foreign-born and this study compares the socioeconomic characteristics of US- born and foreign-born Mexican Americans. Data from a national longitudinal survey of youth is used to examine how aggregate socioeconomic indicators for Mexican Americans vary by birthplace. Depending on the socioeconomic indicator, the study finds that the problems are often compounded for foreign- born youth; but the unfavorable status of Mexican Americans is not exclusive to the foreign-born. Indeed, one-fifth of the US-born youth fail to complete high school, one-fourth were unemployed, and one-fifth lived in a poverty-income household. Researchers and policy makers will need to give careful attention to the socioeconomic differences between the US-born and foreign-born Mexican Americans, as well as taking into account their gender.