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Working Their Way Up? US Immigrants' Changing Labor Market Assimilation in the Age of Mass Migration

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  • William J. Collins
  • Ariell Zimran

Abstract

Whether immigrants advance in labor markets during their life- times relative to natives is a fundamental question in the economics of immigration. We examine linked census records for five cohorts spanning 1850–1940, when immigration to the United States was at its peak. We find a U-shaped pattern of assimilation: immigrants were "catching up" to natives in the early and later cohorts, but not in between. This change was not due to shifts in immigrants' source countries. Instead, it was rooted in men's early-career occupations, which we associate with structural change, strengthening complementarities, and large immigration waves in the 1840s and 1900s.

Suggested Citation

  • William J. Collins & Ariell Zimran, 2023. "Working Their Way Up? US Immigrants' Changing Labor Market Assimilation in the Age of Mass Migration," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 15(3), pages 238-269, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:aejapp:v:15:y:2023:i:3:p:238-69
    DOI: 10.1257/app.20210008
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    Cited by:

    1. Chen, Shuo & Xie, Bin, 2024. "Institutional discrimination and assimilation: Evidence from the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    2. Jeff Chan, 2025. "The local effects of the first Golden Age of Globalization: Evidence from American ports, 1870–1900," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 58(1), pages 329-355, February.
    3. Obolensky, Marguerite & Tabellini, Marco & Taylor, Charles A., 2024. "Homeward Bound: How Migrants Seek Out Familiar Climates," IZA Discussion Papers 16710, IZA Network @ LISER.
    4. Andersson, Jonatan, 2025. "Ascending from the bottom rung: The labor market assimilation of rural-urban migrants in Sweden, 1880–1910," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    5. Collins, William J. & Zimran, Ariell, 2025. "World War II service and the GI Bill: New evidence on selection and veterans’ outcomes from linked census records," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 96(C).
    6. Marguerite Obolensky & Marco Tabellini & Charles Taylor, 2024. "Homeward Bound: How Migrants Seek Out Familiar Climates," RFBerlin Discussion Paper Series 2401, ROCKWOOL Foundation Berlin (RFBerlin).

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • J15 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • J61 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Geographic Labor Mobility; Immigrant Workers
    • J82 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Standards - - - Labor Force Composition
    • N31 - Economic History - - Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Welfare, Income, Wealth, Religion, and Philanthropy - - - U.S.; Canada: Pre-1913
    • N32 - Economic History - - Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Welfare, Income, Wealth, Religion, and Philanthropy - - - U.S.; Canada: 1913-

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