University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire: Hmong Population Research, Income Distribution

University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire

HMONG POPULATION RESEARCH PROJECT

Income Distribution

Wage and salary income contributed only 30% ($5,500) to the median income for Hmong households in California in 1990. In Minnesota and Wisconsin, total wages or salaries constituted about 53% and 46% of the median household income, respectively, equaling $7,819 and $6,253. The data suggest that although Hmong Americans in California had a higher number of people employed in managerial positions as compared to Minnesota and Wisconsin, wages and salaries there were still lower than in Minnesota and Wisconsin.

The median household income was given by the 1990 Census. Hmong households in California, Minnesota and Wisconsin had a considerably lower median household income, compared to the general population of these states and counties. California's Hmong population had the highest median household income among the three states. The data also shows that median household income across counties in each state was similar.

Why was California’s median household income for Hmong Americans higher than in Minnesota and Wisconsin while the wage and salary income in California was lower than in the two other states? To answer this question we look at the contribution to the total income by seven income categories: wage and salary income; self-employment income; farm self-employment income; interest, dividend and net rental income; social security income; public assistance income; retirement income; and other types of income. It turns out that public assistance income contributed a large share to the total income of the Hmong in California. In California in 1990, public assistance was 56% of the total income, or about $9,000 per household. In Minnesota, public assistance was 36% of the total income ($5,200), and in Wisconsin it was 43% of total income (about $5,800 per household).

Other income categories separately did not have a significant impact on the median household income. The research showed that the high level of public assistance discouraged many Hmong Americans from active participation in the economy.

The following table shows the Hmong median household income relative to the general population median household income in the same geographical location. Counties are ranked by Hmong population in descending order.

Median Household Income Comparison in 1990

	Median Hmong Household Income	General Population Median Household Income
California	$15,978	$35,798

Minnesota	$11,934	$30,909

Wisconsin	$10,767	$29,442

Fresno County, CA	$15,191	$26,377
Ramsey County, MN	$12,141	$32,043
Merced County, CA	$15,580	$25,548
Sacramento County, CA	$16,155	$32,297
San Joaquin County, CA	$18,601	$30,635
Hennepin County, MN	$10,464	$35,659
Milwaukee County, WI	$12,560	$27,867
Yuba County, CA	$15,461	$21,523
San Diego County, CA	$18,300	$35,022
La Crosse County, WI	$9,457	$26,857
Marathon County, WI	$12,687	$30,143
Tulare County, CA	$13,018	$24,450
Brown County, WI	$10,562	$31,303
Eau Claire County, WI	$7,911	$25,886
Butte County, CA	$14,955	$22,776
Outagamie County, WI	$10,469	$33,770
Stanislaus County, CA	$13,261	$29,793
Sheboygan County, WI	$13,696	$31,603
Dane County, WI	$9,433	$32,703
Winnebago County, WI	$12,000	$30,007
Orange County, CA	$45,455	$45,922
Santa Barbara County, CA	$25,568	$35,677
Manitowoc County, WI	$10,038	$27,467

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Maintained by: Dr. Wayne Carroll, Tua Lor, Elina Camane
Contact: The Economics Hmong Research Team
Last Updated: November 2000