percent with bachelor's degrees, 6 percent with master's degrees, and 2 percent with either a professional or doctorate degree. (table A)o

Among Hispanic subgroups, the proportion with education beyond high school was 20 percent for Mexicans, 25 percent for Puerto Ricans, 38 percent for Cubans, 33 percent for Central and South Americans, and 37 percent for persons of Other Hispanic origin. 10 The proportion with associate of arts degrees was: 4 percent for Mexicans and Puerto Ricans, 6 percent of Cubans, and 5 percent for Central and South Americans and Other Hispanics.11 Finally, the proportion with a bachelor's degree or higher was: 6 percent for Mexicans, 8 percent for Puerto Ricans, 18 percent for Cubans, 16 percent of Central and South Americans, and 14 percent for other Hispanics.(table A)12

CHARACTERISTICS OF HOUSEHOLDS AND

FAMILIES

Two categories of households are identified in this report: family and nonfamily. A family household requires the presence of at least two persons, the householder and one or more additional family members related to the householder through birth, adoption, or marriage. A nonfamily household is a householder who either lives alone or only with persons who are not related to the householder.

Household Composition. The count of all households, family and nonfamily, with a householder of Hispanic origin totaled about 6.4 million in March 1992 and were about 6.7 percent of all U.S. households (table 3).13 There are possible alternative definitions of Hispanic households. For example, in March 1992 there were 7 million households in which either the householder or the spouse was Hispanic. In addition, there were about 7.3 million households with at least one Hispanic household member age 14 and over.

The difference between the proportion of Hispanics with Bachelor's degrees and Non Hispanic Whites with Associate of Arts degrees is not statistically significant.

1oThe difference between the educational attainment beyond high school of Cubans, Central and South Americans and Other Hispanics is not statistically significant.

11Except for the difference between the proportion of Mexicans and Cubans, their is no statistically significant difference among the proportion of Hispanic subgroups with Associate of Arts degrees.

12The difference between the proportion of Mexicans and Puerto Ricans with Bachelor's degrees and Cubans, Central and South Americans and Other Hispanics with Bachelor's degrees is not statistically significant.

13The Census Bureau defines a Hispanic household as one in which the householder is Hispanic. The term householder refers to the person (or one of the persons) in whose name the housing unit is owned or rented (maintained), or if there is no such person, any adult member, excluding roomers, boarder, or paid employees. A household comprises the person or persons who occupy a housing unit. Although a large majority of households contain families, many do not.

In the majority (58 percent) of Hispanic households, the householder was of Mexican origin. In about 14 percent of Hispanic households, the householder was Central and South American origin, 13 percent Puerto Rican, 6 percent Cuban, and 8 percent Other Hispanic (table 3).14

The majority (70 percent) of households in the United States were family households in March 1992. Hispanic households were more likely to be family households (81 percent) than were non-Hispanic White households (69 percent). Conversely, 19 percent of Hispanic households were nonfamily households, maintained by a person living alone or with non-relatives only, compared to 31 percent of non-Hispanic White households.

Household Size. The average size of Hispanic households (3.45 persons) in March 1992, was larger than that of non-Hispanic White households (2.49 persons). About 12 percent of Hispanic households had six or more members compared with 2 percent of non-Hispanic White households. Among the subgroups, Mexican households had the highest proportion of these large households (16 percent). (table 4)

Family Composition. There were 67 million families in the United States in March 1992, of which 5.2 million or 8 percent had a Hispanic householder. The composition of Hispanic families was different than that of nonHispanic White families. About 68 percent of Hispanic families were married-couple families, compared to about 84 percent of non-Hispanic White families. Families maintained by a female householder with no husband present were 24 percent of all Hispanic families, compared to 13 percent of non-Hispanic White families. Families maintained by a male with no wife present were about 7 percent of Hispanic families and about 4 percent of non-Hispanic White families. Among the Hispanic subgroups, families of Puerto Rican origin were the least likely to be maintained by a married couple (54 percent) and the most likely to be maintained by a female with no husband present (41 percent) (table 4).

Family Size. Families, on the average, were larger than non-Hispanic White families, 3.82 persons versus 3.03 persons. About 28 percent of Hispanic families had five or more members compared to about 11 percent for non-Hispanic White families. Among the subgroups, Mexican families had the highest proportion of families with five or more members (33 percent). Mexican families also had the highest proportion of households (17 percent) with six or more members. (table 4).

14The difference in the proportion of Hispanic households of Puerto Rican and Central and South American is not statistically significant.

EMPLOYMENT AND ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS

Labor Force Participation. The civilian labor force participation rate in March 1992 of all persons of Hispanic origin 16 years of age and over is not significantly different from that of all non-Hispanic White persons. The labor force participation rate of all Hispanics and non-Hispanic Whites was 66 percent. However, Hispanic men were engaged in the labor force at a higher rate than non-Hispanic White men, 79 percent versus 75 percent. In contrast, Hispanic females participated in the labor force at a rate lower than that of non-Hispanic White females, 52 percent versus 58 percent. Among Hispanic subgroups, Central and South American males had the highest rate of labor force participation, 85 percent. While among women, Puerto Rican females had the lowest rate, 45 percent (table 2).

Employment Status. In March 1992, the majority of both Hispanic and White non-Hispanic persons in the civilian labor force had full-time employment (71 percent and 75 percent, respectively). Among men, 74 percent of Hispanics, compared to 82 percent of non-Hispanic Whites, had full-time employment. Among women, the difference in the proportion of Hispanic and White non-Hispanic women with full-time employment (66 percent and 68 percent, respectively was not statistically significant. Both Hispanic and non-Hispanic White women, however had lower rates of full-time employment than did the men of their respective group (table B).

Unemployment. The March 1992 unemployment rate of both Hispanic males and females was higher than that of non Hispanic Whites. The unemployment rate of Hispanic males was 12.2 percent compared to 7.5 percent for non Hispanic Whites. Hispanic females had an unemployment rate of 9.8 percent compared to 5.4 percent for non-Hispanic White females. Among Hispanic subgroups, the difference in the unemployment rate between Puerto Rican (14.0 percent) and Cuban (8.9 percent) men was statistically significant, while among women there was no statistically significant difference in their unemployment rates (table 2).

Occupation.15 The occupational distribution of employed Hispanics differed from that of non-Hispanic Whites in March 1992. For example, the largest share of Hispanic men were employed as operators, fabricators or laborers (28 percent), whereas non-Hispanic White men were most likely to have managerial or professional

15Occupation data shown in this report refer to March 1992, and may not necessarily agree with data from other survey months, or with other data produced by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

occupations (29 percent).16 The proportion of Hispanic and non-Hispanic White men employed in the precision productions, craft and repair industries (about 19 percent for each group) was not statistically different. (table 2)

Among employed women, the single largest occupational grouping for both Hispanic and non-Hispanic White women was technical, sales and administrative support occupations (40 percent and 46 percent, respectively). However, differences did exist between the remaining occupational distribution of Hispanic and non-Hispanic women. About 16 percent of Hispanic women were employed in managerial and professional specialty occupations compared to 30 percent of nonHispanic White women. About 25 percent of Hispanic origin women were employed in service occupations compared to 15 percent of non-Hispanic White women. Finally, the proportion of employed Hispanic women that held positions as operators, fabricators and laborers (15 percent) was about twice that of non-Hispanic White women (7 percent).

INCOME AND EARNINGS

Earnings of Persons.17 The total earnings in calendar year 1991 of Hispanic men and women, 15 years old and older, were lower than that of non-Hispanic men and women. The median earnings of Hispanic men ($14,405) was 60 percent that of non-Hispanic White men ($24,302), while the median earnings of Hispanic women ($10,397) was 78 percent that of non-Hispanic White women ($13,397). Both Hispanic and non-Hispanic White women hand lower total earnings than their male counterparts. However, the median income of women was closer to that of men for Hispanics than for non-Hispanic Whites. Among Hispanics, the income of women was 72 percent that of men, in contrast nonHispanic White women were paid 55 percent of the earnings of their male counterparts. Among Hispanic subgroups Mexicans had the lowest median earnings of either males or females. (table 2)

The differences in earnings between Hispanic and non-Hispanic White men and women can also be seen in the distribution of earnings. In 1991, about three quarters (75 percent) of Hispanic males earned less than $25,000 a year, compared to about half (51 percent) of non-Hispanic White males. About 4 percent of Hispanic males had earnings of $50,000 or more as compared to about 15 percent of non-Hispanic White males. Among women, 48 percent of Hispanic and 39

16The difference between Hispanic men employed as operators, fabricators, and laborers and non-Hispanic White men employed in managerial and professional specialities is not statistically significant.

17 Earnings in this report are calculated for all civilian workers 15 years and over (see Appendix A for definitions). Earnings will be shown for total earnings and for earnings from year-round full-time employment.

Table B. Labor Force Status of All Persons and Hispanic Persons, by Type of Origin: March 1992 (For the United States. Numbers in thousands)

(X) Not applicable.

Data on labor force status and occupation groups shown in this report reflect characteristics of the population for March 1992 and are not adjusted for seasonal change. Data released by the Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, may not agree entirely with data shown in this report due to differences in methodological procedures and seasonal adjustment of the data. Percent distrbutions may not add up to 100 percent due to rounding. 2For persons in the civilian labor force 16 years old and over.

percent of non-Hispanic White women had earnings of less than $10,000. About 13 percent of Hispanic women reported earnings of $25,000 or more in 1991 compared to 23 percent of non-Hispanic White women.

Earnings of Year-Round Full-Time Workers. Information on earnings of year-round full-time workers allows for comparisons of Hispanic and non-Hispanic White workers who worked comparable number of weeks and hours. The earnings of Hispanic persons 15 years old and older, with year-round full-time employment in calendar year 1991 was lower than that of White non-Hispanic persons. The median earnings of Hispanic men in 1991 ($19,774) was 63 percent that of nonHispanic White men ($31,161), while the median earnings of Hispanic women ($16,230) was 77 percent that of non-Hispanic White women ($21,098). The ratio of median earnings of women to men who worked yearround full-time again show that women are paid a lower wage than are men. However, the ratio of earnings of Hispanic women to men (82 percent), was higher than the comparable ratio for non-Hispanic women to men (68 percent). The CPS sample size does not allow us to present similar comparisions among the Hispanic subgroups.

The distribution of earnings for year-round full-time workers also show differences between Hispanics and non-Hispanic Whites. About two thirds (64 percent) of Hispanic males earned less than $25,000 in 1991, compared to about one third (35 percent) of nonHispanic White males. About 6 percent of Hispanic

males had earnings of $50,000 or more as compared to about 20 percent of non-Hispanic White males. Among women, 19 percent of Hispanic and 9 percent of nonHispanic White women had earnings of less than $10,000. About 22 percent of Hispanic women reported earnings of $25,000 or more in 1991 compared to 38 percent of non-Hispanic White women.

Aggregate Hispanic Household Income.18 In 1991 the aggregate before tax money income of all Hispanic households was $183 billion and was not significantly different from the $173 billion reported in 1990, after adjusting for inflation. The aggregate income of Hispanic households in 1991 was about 5 percent of the United States total income figure of $3.6 trillion. The after tax aggregate income, or buying power, of Hispanic households was $153 billion in 1991 and did not differ significantly from the $144 billion reported in 1990, after adjusting for inflation. The after tax aggregate income of Hispanic households in 1991 was about 5 percent of the United States total income figure of $2.9 trillion. (table C) (figure 3).

155

144

income in 1991 however was significantly lower than that of non-Hispanic White households ($32,312). In 1991, the median income of Hispanic households was about 70 percent of the median of non-Hispanic White households. Among Hispanic subgroups, Puerto Rican households had the lowest median income ($17,988) in 1991. (table 3)

Family Income. In the 1991, the median income of Hispanic families was $23,889, or about 61 percent of the $39,240 median income of non-Hispanic White families. The differences in income between Hispanic and non-Hispanic White families is further illustrated in the distribution of income. In 1991, about 19 percent of Hispanic families had incomes less than $10,000 a year, compared to 6 percent among non-Hispanic White families. The proportion of Non-Hispanic White families with incomes of $50,000 or more was more than twice that of Hispanic families 36 percent versus 16 percent. (table 4)

POVERTY

In 1991, persons of Hispanic origin were three times as likely as non-Hispanic Whites to be living in poverty (28.8 percent vs 9.4 percent). While Hispanics represented about 9 percent of the total population, they were about twice that percentage (17.7 percent) of all persons living in poverty. About half of all Hispanics persons in poverty were children under 18 years (49.0 percent); about 47.3 percent were between the ages of 18 to 64 years, while about 3.7 percent were 65 years old or over. (table 2)19

Children below poverty. The proportion of children under 18 years of age in poverty was higher among the Hispanic origin population than it was among the White

19 The difference in the proportion of children under 18 years and persons 18 to 64 years in poverty is not statistically significant.