J.D. Vance has argued that immigration has worked to the disadvantage of American workers. This argument can be easily made with respect to the wave of Latin American immigrants between the 1980s and the financial crisis of 2007-2008. A very high percentage neither had a high school degree nor spoke English proficiently. This created a very vulnerable workforce of perhaps 8 million workers.
The argument weakens significantly with respect to more recent immigration. I cannot find overall figures of the educational status of immigrants by date of immigration. But with the shift of most migration coming from Latin America to coming from elsewhere, the median educational status of recent immigrants has probably gone well above 50%. We see that in profiles of immigrants from China, India, and Nigeria. A typical foreign-born worker with a college degree today earns more and a U.S. born worker with a college degree, Simple comparisons of this sort are becoming less meaningful as second generation immigrants increasingly occupy jobs. Keep in mind that immigration is a long game, of multiple generations.
High School Completion Rates 2000 vs 2020
In 2000, foreign-born adults were far less likely to have finished high school than U.S.-born adults. Only about 67% of foreign-born persons age 25+ had completed high school, meaning roughly 33% lacked a high school diploma, compared to just 13% of U.S.-born in that year. By 2020, this gap had narrowed but persisted. Around a quarter of immigrants did not have a high school diploma (approximately 25%), versus under 10% of U.S.-born adults (around 7–8%)
College Degree Attainment 2000 vs 2020
In 2000, about a quarter of foreign-born Americans held a college degree or higher, which was only slightly lower than (and in some cases on par with) the native-born rate. By 2020, immigrants had greatly improved in higher education: roughly 35% of foreign-born adults had a bachelor’s degree or more, comparable to 36% of U.S.-born adults. As noted above, Asian immigration since about 2010 has significantly included higher educated persons, as well has Nigerian immigration been higher – education oriented.
Median Wage Disparities 2000 vs. 2020
In 2000, immigrant workers earned roughly 77% of natives’ median wage around 2000. Two decades later, the gap persisted but narrowed. In 2020, the median usual weekly wage was $89%. Higher education reduces the gap: immigrants with a college degree actually surpass natives, about $1,492/week vs $1,409 for native born in 2020.
The importance of sector differences
The wage disparity, of course is partly explained by industry/sector differences. Immigrants are disproportionately employed in certain lower-paying sectors (like agriculture, hospitality, and some manufacturing roles) and underrepresented in some higher-paying occupations.