The socioeconomic attainments of second-generation Nigerian and other black Americans: Evidence from the Current Population Survey, 2009–2019

Second-generation Black Americans have been inadequately studied in prior quantitative research. We seek to ameliorate this research gap by using the Current Population Survey to investigate education and wages among second-generation Black Americans with a focus on Nigerian Americans. The latter group has been identified in some qualitative studies as having particularly notable socioeconomic attainments. The results indicate that the educational attainment of second-generation Nigerian Americans exceeds other second-generation Black Americans, third-and-higher generation African Americans, third-and-higher generation whites, second-generation whites, and second-generation Asian Americans. Controlling for age, education, and disability, the wages of second-generation Nigerian Americans have reached parity with third-and-higher generation whites. The educational attainment of other second-generation Black Americans exceeds third-and-higher generation African Americans, but has reached parity with third-and-higher generation whites only among women. These results indicate significant socioeconomic variation within the African-American/Black category by gender, ethnicity, and generational status that merit further research.