An Anatomy of Racial and Ethnic Trends in Male Earnings

Andrew Young School of Policy Studies Research Paper Series No. 12-18

W. J. Usery Workplace Research Group Working Paper No. 2012-7-2

40 Pages Posted: 31 Aug 2012

See all articles by John V. Winters

John V. Winters

Iowa State University - Department of Economics

Barry T. Hirsch

IZA Institute of Labor Economics; Georgia State University

Multiple version iconThere are 2 versions of this paper

Date Written: July 2012

Abstract

Progress in narrowing black-white earnings differences has been far from continuous, with some of the apparent progress resulting from labor force withdrawal among lower-skilled African Americans. This paper builds on prior research and documents racial and ethnic differences in male earnings from 1950 through 2010 using data from the decennial census and American Community Surveys. Emphasis is given to annual rather than weekly or hourly earnings. Treatment of imputed earnings greatly affects measured outcomes. We take a quantile approach, providing evidence on medians and other percentiles of the distribution. Black male joblessness rose to over 40% in 2010, the median black-white earnings gap being the largest in at least sixty years. The experience of black men contrasts with that of Hispanic men during the last decade, who exhibited earnings growth similar to white men. Black men are being left behind economically, a process exacerbated by weak labor market conditions.

Keywords: Inequality, Race, Earnings, Wages, Median Regression, Inputed Earnings

JEL Classification: J15, J31

Suggested Citation

Winters, John V. and Hirsch, Barry T. and Hirsch, Barry T., An Anatomy of Racial and Ethnic Trends in Male Earnings (July 2012). Andrew Young School of Policy Studies Research Paper Series No. 12-18, W. J. Usery Workplace Research Group Working Paper No. 2012-7-2, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2139024 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2139024

John V. Winters

Iowa State University - Department of Economics ( email )

260 Heady Hall
Ames, IA 50011
United States

Barry T. Hirsch (Contact Author)

Georgia State University ( email )

Department of Economics
Andrew Young School of Policy Studies
Atlanta, GA 30302-3992
United States
404-413-0880 (Phone)
404-413-0145 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://unionstats.gsu.edu/bhirsch

IZA Institute of Labor Economics

P.O. Box 7240
Bonn, D-53072
Germany

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