HMONG POPULATION RESEARCH PROJECT
Occupational Distribution
Population
Distribution | Average Year of Entry | Educational
Attainment | Income Distribution
Housing Variables | Employment Status | Linguistic Isolation | Occupational Distribution
The wide range of Hmong occupations were summarized into seven broader categories:
- Executive, Administrative, and Managerial Occupations
- Professional Specialty Occupations
- Technical, Sales, and Administrative Support Occupations
- Precision Productions, Craft, and Repair Occupations
- Operators, Fabricators, and Laborers
- Service Occupations
- Farming, Forestry, and Fishing Occupations
The largest share of California’s Hmong Americans was employed in technical, sales, and administrative support occupations. Many of the Hmong people were also employed as operators, fabricators and laborers. Hmong Americans in Minnesota were mostly employed as operators, fabricators, and laborers, as well as in different service occupations in 1990. Wisconsin’s distribution of occupations was similar to Minnesota’s. From these data, we can conclude that Hmong Americans in California may have a higher economic and social status because of their higher professional positions. In 1990 the majority of the general population in all three states were employed in the technical, sales, and administrative support positions.
Data for the percentage of these occupational categories were calculated by taking the number of Hmong people employed in the specific categories and divided by the total number of people employed.
The percentage of Hmong employed in seven occupational categories in California, Minnesota and Wisconsin, and in selected counties.
States and Counties |
Executive, Administrative Positions |
Professional Specialty Occupations |
Technical, Sales and Administrative Support Occupations |
Service Occ.. |
Farming, Forestry, and Fishing |
Precision Production, Craft and Repair Occupations |
Operators, Fabricators and Laborers |
|
California |
3% |
15% |
26% |
19% |
5% |
12% |
20% |
|
Minnesota |
3% |
14% |
15% |
23% |
1% |
11% |
34% |
|
Wisconsin |
5% |
21% |
10% |
21% |
0% |
9% |
34% |
|
Fresno County, CA |
5% |
20% |
23% |
23% |
5% |
9% |
15% |
|
Ramsey County, MN |
3% |
7% |
15% |
28% |
1% |
10% |
37% |
|
Merced County, CA |
0% |
13% |
19% |
28% |
15% |
7% |
19% |
|
Sacramento County, CA |
1% |
8% |
35% |
17% |
2% |
8% |
28% |
|
San Joaquin County, CA |
0% |
11% |
30% |
10% |
0% |
15% |
34% |
|
Hennepin County, MN |
4% |
12% |
18% |
14% |
0% |
18% |
34% |
|
Milwaukee County, WI |
2% |
22% |
11% |
9% |
0% |
14% |
42% |
|
Yuba County, CA |
0% |
74% |
0% |
0% |
0% |
26% |
0% |
|
San Diego County, CA |
0% |
18% |
21% |
15% |
3% |
24% |
20% |
|
La Crosse County, WI |
8% |
35% |
3% |
37% |
0% |
10% |
8% |
|
Marathon County, WI |
2% |
26% |
1% |
21% |
0% |
5% |
45% |
|
Tulare County, CA |
0% |
29% |
30% |
7% |
17% |
0% |
16% |
|
Brown County, WI |
11% |
26% |
8% |
18% |
0% |
12% |
26% |
|
Eau Claire County, WI |
0% |
54% |
4% |
11% |
0% |
0% |
31% |
|
Butte County, CA |
0% |
42% |
14% |
22% |
0% |
0% |
22% |
|
Outagamie County, WI |
3% |
3% |
25% |
9% |
0% |
3% |
56% |
|
Stanislaus County, CA |
0% |
24% |
24% |
17% |
17% |
17% |
0% |
|
Sheboygan County, WI |
7% |
19% |
13% |
18% |
0% |
4% |
38% |
|
Dane County, WI |
0% |
19% |
10% |
49% |
0% |
6% |
15% |
|
Winnebago County, WI |
0% |
25% |
6% |
16% |
0% |
13% |
40% |
|
Orange County, CA |
9% |
7% |
27% |
8% |
0% |
18% |
30% |
|
Santa Barbara County, CA |
5% |
7% |
49% |
3% |
0% |
27% |
9% |
|
Manitowoc County, WI |
0% |
26% |
16% |
36% |
0% |
22% |
0% |
Occupational Distribution By 1990 Median Weekly Earnings
|
Hmong Population |
General Population |
Median Weekly Earnings |
||||
|
Total |
Percentage |
Total in thousands |
Percentage |
|||
|
Lowest Paying Occupations |
Private Household Occupations |
8 |
0.11% |
310 |
0.38% |
$ 172.00 |
|
Child Care Workers |
49 |
0.67% |
184 |
0.22% |
$ 203.00 |
|
|
Waiters and Waitresses |
65 |
0.89% |
596 |
0.72% |
$ 208.00 |
|
|
Cashiers |
209 |
2.87% |
1081 |
1.31% |
$ 215.00 |
|
|
Other Food Service Occupations |
232 |
3.19% |
1047 |
1.27% |
$ 220.86 |
|
|
Cooks |
319 |
4.38% |
1002 |
1.22% |
$ 226.00 |
|
|
Textile, Apparel, and Machine Operators |
256 |
3.52% |
1133 |
1.38% |
$ 228.00 |
|
|
Farm Occupations Except Managers |
60 |
0.82% |
628 |
0.76% |
$ 229.00 |
|
|
Barbers and Hair Dressers |
17 |
0.23% |
240 |
0.29% |
$ 247.00 |
|
|
Nursing Aides, Orderlies, Attendants |
165 |
2.27% |
1043 |
1.27% |
$ 251.00 |
|
|
Highest Paying Occupations |
Executive, Administrative and Managerial Occ. |
271 |
3.72% |
11165 |
13.6% |
$ 604.00 |
|
Registered Nurses |
32 |
0.44% |
1181 |
1.43% |
$ 608.00 |
|
|
Natural Science |
0 |
0.00% |
357 |
0.43% |
$ 661.00 |
|
|
Architects Surveyors |
0 |
0.00% |
97 |
0.12% |
$ 695.00 |
|
|
Mathematical Computer Scientists |
31 |
0.43% |
808 |
0.98% |
$ 734.00 |
|
|
Post Secondary Teachers |
25 |
0.34% |
540 |
0.66% |
$ 747.00 |
|
|
Health Diagnose Occupations |
0 |
0.00% |
50 |
0.06% |
$ 800.00 |
|
|
Engineers |
21 |
0.29% |
1769 |
2.15% |
$ 814.00 |
|
|
Physicians |
0 |
0.00% |
266 |
0.32% |
$ 892.00 |
|
|
Lawyer and Judges |
3 |
0.04% |
417 |
0.51% |
$1,052.00 |
|
This table shows the occupational distribution by median weekly earnings for Hmong and the general population. The table lists the top 10 highest paying and 10 lowest paying occupations in the U.S. in 1990.
The table indicates that there were not many Hmong employed in high paying occupations. Three highest paying occupations in 1990 were judges and lawyers, physicians, and engineers. The percentage of the general population employed in these three occupations far exceeded the Hmong population percentage.
Also there was a large share of the general population, 14%, employed in executive, administrative, and managerial occupations in 1990 relative to only 4% of the Hmong population. The table shows an opposite trend for lower paying occupations. For example, there were more Hmong employed as child care workers, cashiers, cooks, other food service workers; and textile, apparel, and machine operators.
A possible explanation is that the majority of Hmong Americans may lack the necessary education and on-the-job training to occupy high level, demanding executive positions. The Hmong traditionally come from an agrarian society and one would expect them to continue the tradition of farming in the US, but statistics show the opposite: less than 5% of Hmong Americans are employed in farming, forestry and fishing industries, which is less than in any other occupational category. Although many Hmong families might earn some income from farming as a secondary occupation, it does not show up in the census data.
Population
Distribution | Average Year of Entry | Educational
Attainment | Income Distribution
Housing Variables | Employment Status | Linguistic Isolation | Occupational Distribution
The Data
[Economics Department Homepage]
Maintained by: Dr.
Wayne Carroll, Tua Lor,
Elina Camane
Contact: The Economics Hmong Research
Team
Last Updated: November 2000