The Impact of English Language Proficiency on the Earnings of Male Immigrants: The Case of Latin American and Asian Immigrants

Abstract

This paper uses the 2010 American Community Survey to explore the relationship between the English language proficiency of male immigrants and their earnings in the main major immigrant receiving U.S. states: California, New York and Texas. We restrict the analysis to immigrants from the two main source regions: Asia and Latin America. The analysis suggests that English language proficiency is the predominant factor in determining the earnings of these immigrants and that educational attainment is also crucial. Quantile Regression estimates demonstrate the importance of English language skills across the earnings distribution.