Hawaiian Men and Income Attainment: A Human Capital Analysis

Using 1990 U.S. Census Five Percent Public Use Microsample data for Hawaii and California, I examine the income attainment process for understudied Hawaiian men compared to white, Japanese, Chinese, Filipino, and African American men, using a human capital model with multivariate analysis. My analysis is limited to American-born wage earners residing in a Metropolitan Statistical Area. Although California Hawaiians earn a higher income and obtain higher returns to their human capital, I find that differences are greater between racial/ethnic groups in California compared to Hawaii. Further, there seems to be a two-tiered socioeconomic attainment process in terms of returns to human capital and income attainment, whereby Hawaiians, Filipinos, and African Americans constitute the bottom tier. Possible theoretical explanations for income attainment are explored, including assimilation, cultural and structural theories, internal colonialism, and discrimination.