Immigration and wage changes of high school dropouts

Monthly Labor Review, Oct, 1997 by Maria E. Enchautegui

Table 3. Decomposition of the real wage change
for workers without a high school degree, 1979-89

                                                    Percent
                                   Overall        change due
                                Percent change     to change
Area                           in real wages(1)   in nativity

   U.S. totals                     -13.3            -0.5

25 largest metropolitan
 statistical areas                  -12.7            -2.1
Outside largest metropolitan
 statistical areas                  -14.1             -.4
High-immigration areas               -7.5            -3.3
Medium-immigration areas            -15.0            -2.2
Low-immigration areas               -14.4             -.3

Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA           -9.5            -5.1
New York, NY                           .1            -1.0
Chicago, IL                         -17.2             -.9
Philadelphia, PA-NJ                  -7.9             -.3
Detroit, MI                         -17.8             -.1

Washington, DC                       -8.2            -3.5
Houston, TX                         -27.5            -1.5
Atlanta, GA                          -7.9             -.2
Boston, MA                            3.5             -.8
Riverside-San
 Bernardino-Ontario, CA              -9.5            -3.1

Nassau-Suffolk, NY                   -3.6             -.5
Dallas, TX                          -16.5            -2.4
San Diego, CA                        -6.1            -1.8
Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN            -16.6             -.8
St. Louis, MO-IL                    -16.0              .0

Anaheim-Santa Ana-Garden
 Grove, CA                           -8.6            -9.8
Baltimore, MD                        -4.3             -.4
Phoenix, AZ                         -13.3            -1.7
Oakland, CA                          -8.1            -1.7
Tampa-St. Petersburg, FL             -7.3             -.5

Pittsburg, PA                       -28.5              .0
Seattle-Everett, WA                 -16.5            -1.0
Miami, FL                           -14.7             -.8
Newark, NJ                           -7.3              .3
Cleveland, OH                       -18.8              .1

Bergen-Passaic, NJ                   -2.2             -.7
Jersey City, NJ                      -6.4             -.9
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX        -21.9              .8
San Francisco, CA                   -17.8             2.0
San Jose, CA                         -9.9            -1.6

                               Percent change due
Area                           to change in wage

U.S. totals                          -12.8

25 largest metropolitan
 statistical areas                   -10.6
Outside largest metropolitan
 statistical areas                   -13.7
High-immigration areas                -4.3
Medium-immigration areas             -12.8
Low-immigration areas                -14.2

Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA            -4.5
New York, NY                           1.1
Chicago, IL                          -16.3
Philadelphia, PA-NJ                   -7.6
Detroit, MI                          -17.7

Washington, DC                        -4.7
Houston, TX                          -26.1
Atlanta, GA                           -7.7
Boston, MA                             4.3
Riverside-San
 Bernardino-Ontario, CA               -6.4

Nassau-Suffolk, NY                    -3.1
Dallas, TX                           -14.1
San Diego, CA                         -4.3
Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN             -15.8
St. Louis, MO-IL                     -16.0

Anaheim-Santa Ana-Garden
 Grove, CA                             1.2
Baltimore, MD                         -3.9
Phoenix, AZ                          -11.7
Oakland, CA                           -6.5
Tampa-St. Petersburg, FL              -6.8

Pittsburg, PA                        -28.4
Seattle-Everett, WA                  -15.5
Miami, FL                            -13.8
Newark, NJ                            -7.6
Cleveland, OH                        -18.8

Bergen-Passaic, NJ                    -1.4
Jersey City, NJ                       -5.5
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX         -22.8
San Francisco, CA                    -19.7
San Jose, CA                          -8.2