Abstract

This paper examines wage and labor differences between immigrant and native healthcare workers in the United States. Using data from the American Community Survey (ACS) for the years 2019–2023, I analyze differences in annual wages, log annual wages, hourly wages, and total hours worked per year among three groups: immigrants, U.S. natives, and individuals born in U.S. territories.To assess these differences, I categorize healthcare workers into three groups based on occupation. The first category consists of Doctors (physicians, dentists, optometrists, and podiatrists). The second category is comprised of Health Support Workers (registered nurses, pharmacists, dietitians, and licensed practical nurses). The third category consists of Health Technicians (clinical laboratory technicians, dental hygienists, health record technicians, and radiologic technicians).My results suggest that wage and labor differences are less significant among doctors, likely due to uniform education and licensing requirements across all workers, regardless of their immigration status. However, for health support workers and health technicians, immigrants tend to earn higher wages than their native-born counterparts. Additionally, my results indicate that immigrant health support workers and health technicians generally work more hours per year than their U.S.-born counterparts. A possible explanation for these differences is that immigrant healthcare workers, particularly Health Technicians, have higher educational attainment or more specialized skills, which could contribute to their higher earnings. Additionally, immigrants may be more likely to work longer hours due to differences in workplace culture or economic needs. These results highlight important labor market characteristics within the U.S. healthcare system and suggest that further research can seek to explore the effects of years since immigration, country of origin, and English proficiency on labor market performance.

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