In an Analysis of Census Data, a University of California Economist Finds Wage Discrimination Against Multiracial Americans

A study by Robert Fairlie, an economist at the University of California at Santa Cruz, examined earnings of black, white, and mixed-race individuals from the 2000 census. This was the first time in census history that Americans could note that they were biracial.

Dr. Fairlie found that the average hourly pay for whites was $22.04. For blacks, the average hourly wage was $17.39. But for individuals who said they were multiracial, the average hourly wage was $15.74.

Furthermore, Dr. Fairlie found that the lower wage for mixed-race Americans occurred despite the fact that 18 percent of multiracial people had a college degree compared to 11 percent of African Americans and 28 percent of white Americans.

Copyright © 2009. The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. All rights reserved.