The Socioeconomic Attainments of Second-Generation Cambodian, Hmong, Laotian, and Vietnamese Americans

We investigate the socioeconomic attainments of second-generation Cambodian, Hmong, Laotian, and Vietnamese Americans. Using 2000 Census data, we focus on education, wages, and managerial/professional employment relative to African Americans and whites. The second-generation Vietnamese stand out as having extraordinarily high average values on these indicators. By contrast, the socioeconomic attainments of second-generation Cambodians, Hmong, and Laotians tend to be closer to those of African Americans except among those second-generation Southeast Asians who are clearly part of the earlier (i.e., Wave 1) immigration stream that tended to have somewhat higher socioeconomic origins. The most disadvantaged groups are non-Wave 1 second-generation Laotians and Cambodian women, particularly in terms of the process of educational attainment. The results are interpreted as indicating the importance of class origins and immigrant selectivity.