English proficiency and earnings of U.S. immigrants

Every year thousands of immigrants come to the United States and look to join the labor force. Most of these immigrants have a first language that is not English. This study analyzes how wage income, business and farm income, and investment income are affected by English proficiency in 2004, 2009, and 2014. I use data from the American Community Survey and a log-linear econometric model to explore this relationship. I conclude that wage income and business and farm income had a positive relationship with English proficiency in 2004, 2009, and 2014 whereas investment income only had a significant positive relationship with English proficiency in 2004. The results should encourage immigrants to enroll in English courses to make higher earnings. It should also encourage the U.S. to provide accessible and affordable English programs to immigrants to help them better perform in the labor market