Foreign-Born Hispanic Workers
Hispanics are a fast-growing section of the construction workforce—comprising over one-third of the industry’s employed workers in 2022—and approximately two out of three of those workers were foriegn-born. That same year, foreign-born Hispanic or Latino workers accounted for 63.5 percent (792) of total Hispanic or Latino worker fatalities (1,248). The construction industry accounted for 316 of those 792 foreign-born Hispanic or Latino worker deaths. Tracking information about foreign-born Hispanic construction workers is critical, as it allows us to better understand this component of the workforce and to better address the unique characteristics and needs of these workers.
This interactive dashboard examines the characteristics of foreign-born Hispanic workers in the U.S. construction industry using 1-year American Community Survey (ACS) data from the U.S. Census Bureau. In 2020 the Census revised its definition of “Hispanic” to provide a more representative estimate of Hispanic populations in the U.S. The Time period filter on both sheets allows users to view most recent data as well as historical data to account for this definition change. This alongside the Year filter update the charts and bolded and underlined key findings.
Following the interactive dashboard, you will find more information on the data source, definitions, chart notes, a downloadable data file, and recommended citation. This interactive data dashboard corresponds to a chapter in the upcoming PDF version of the Construction Chart Book-7th edition, which will be published this summer. Data will be updated annually as available. If you have any questions or comments, please email [email protected].
About the Data
Steven Ruggles, Sarah Flood, Matthew Sobek, Daniel Backman, Annie Chen, Grace Cooper, Stephanie Richards, Renae Rodgers, and Megan Schouweiler. IPUMS USA: Version 15.0 [dataset]. Minneapolis, MN: IPUMS, 2024. https://doi.org/10.18128/D010.V15.0.
- In 2020 the questions used for determining Hispanic origin were changed, impacting comparability between pre- and post-2020 data. For more information: https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/technical-documentation/user-notes/2021-08.html.
- ACS data additionally is not comparable to other estimates shown in products using Current Population Survey (CPS) data. ACS data is used due to a higher level of detailed demographic information compared to CPS.
Definitions
- Construction worker – A respondent who reported that they worked within the construction industry (NAICS 23) and that they were currently employed at the time of survey.
- Ethnicity – Separate from race, ethnicity is defined based on a respondent’s self-reported Hispanic origin.
- Foreign-born – anyone who is not a U.S. citizen at birth. Anyone who was born in the United States, Puerto Rico, a U.S. Island Area (Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, or the U.S. Virgin Islands), or abroad of a U.S. citizen parent or parents is native-born.
- Hispanic – Refers to a person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin, including people who reported detailed Hispanic or Latino groups, regardless of race.
- U.S. Citizen – A respondent who was one of the following: born in the U.S., born abroad of American parents, or a naturalized citizen.