Data compiled from the 1980 U.S. Census and other sources are used in this article to demonstrate the distinctiveness of Central American immigration. Comprising a relatively recent and growing immigrant stream, Central Americans are settling in areas where other Hispanic groups are already established. Comparisons between Central American and Mexican immigrants in California reveal substantial differences between the two groups in their age structure, sex ratio, and human capital characteristics. Despite the differences, however, Central American immigrant men earn the same as Mexican immigrant men. This finding can be explained by structural theories of immigrant economic incorporation. Some Central American women are able to convert their human capital advantages over Mexican immigrant women into earnings advantages, as predicted by assimilation theory.
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