This article analyzed the economic attainment patterns of Asian-born male and female immigrants to the United States using hierarchical linear models (HLM). Specifically, it examined to what extent selected measures of human capital and cultural capital characteristics affect the levels of earnings of male and female Asian-born immigrants. The principal data source for this article came from the five percent file of individual census questionnaires from the Public Use Microdata Samples of the 1990 US Census of Population. In general, the results of the study conform to previous research, i.e., educational attainment at both the micro and macro levels was an important predictor of earnings achievement. As to cultural capital or country level variables, the analysis did not show evidence of statistically significant effects on earnings. The final section discusses the advantages of using the HLM approach as well as issues for further research.
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