The relationship between education and ethnic minority factors in income among Asian Americans

Research indicates greater educational achievements and occupational aspirations of Asian Americans. However, little research has explicated the relationship between educational attainment and actual income among Asian Americans. Factors related to the ethnic minority experience may be related to or may change the positive, linear relationship between education and income found in the general population. The current study examined how education and gender are associated with income, as well as the incremental variance explained by ethnic minority-related factors. The sample consisted of 1,187 employed Asian Americans in the National Latino and Asian American Study (NLAAS). Education and gender were associated with income, such that men and those who attained more education reported greater incomes. When ethnic minority factors were included also, gender, acculturation, foreign early education, and English proficiency were associated with income. An interaction emerged between education and English proficiency such that more proficient individuals reported greater income, but only among those who attended college. The opposite pattern emerged for less educated individuals. Implications are discussed for how accounting for ethnic minority factors is important in understanding the more nuanced relationship between education and income among Asian Americans.