Colorism and immigrant earnings in the United States, 2015–2024

Using data from the Current Populations Survey 2015–2024 matched to skin color data in the New Immigrant Survey, this article shows that immigrants from countries with darker skin color face a substantial earnings penalty. The penalty is similar to that found using 2003 data on individual immigrants...

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Main Author: Joni Hersch
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2024-11-01
Series:Frontiers in Sociology
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsoc.2024.1494236/full
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author Joni Hersch
Joni Hersch
author_facet Joni Hersch
Joni Hersch
author_sort Joni Hersch
collection DOAJ
description Using data from the Current Populations Survey 2015–2024 matched to skin color data in the New Immigrant Survey, this article shows that immigrants from countries with darker skin color face a substantial earnings penalty. The penalty is similar to that found using 2003 data on individual immigrants. Controls for extensive labor market characteristics and race and ethnicity does not eliminate the negative effect of darker skin tone on wages. Color discrimination lawsuits in light of the addition of a Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) reporting category for US government surveys may become more viable.
format Article
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spelling doaj-art-5bf9b1844cd54d119eb633b9eff87d5c2025-08-20T02:07:06ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Sociology2297-77752024-11-01910.3389/fsoc.2024.14942361494236Colorism and immigrant earnings in the United States, 2015–2024Joni Hersch0Joni Hersch1Vanderbilt Law School, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United StatesIZA Institute of Labor Economics, Bonn, GermanyUsing data from the Current Populations Survey 2015–2024 matched to skin color data in the New Immigrant Survey, this article shows that immigrants from countries with darker skin color face a substantial earnings penalty. The penalty is similar to that found using 2003 data on individual immigrants. Controls for extensive labor market characteristics and race and ethnicity does not eliminate the negative effect of darker skin tone on wages. Color discrimination lawsuits in light of the addition of a Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) reporting category for US government surveys may become more viable.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsoc.2024.1494236/fullcolorismraceskin tone discriminationimmigrantearningsCurrent Population Survey
spellingShingle Joni Hersch
Joni Hersch
Colorism and immigrant earnings in the United States, 2015–2024
Frontiers in Sociology
colorism
race
skin tone discrimination
immigrant
earnings
Current Population Survey
title Colorism and immigrant earnings in the United States, 2015–2024
title_full Colorism and immigrant earnings in the United States, 2015–2024
title_fullStr Colorism and immigrant earnings in the United States, 2015–2024
title_full_unstemmed Colorism and immigrant earnings in the United States, 2015–2024
title_short Colorism and immigrant earnings in the United States, 2015–2024
title_sort colorism and immigrant earnings in the united states 2015 2024
topic colorism
race
skin tone discrimination
immigrant
earnings
Current Population Survey
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsoc.2024.1494236/full
work_keys_str_mv AT jonihersch colorismandimmigrantearningsintheunitedstates20152024
AT jonihersch colorismandimmigrantearningsintheunitedstates20152024