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Prior research shows that race remains a significant factor of inequality in the U.S. The extent to which Asian Americans face discrimination in the labor market is also a subject of considerable debate. This research investigates migration and regional aspects affecting the wages of Asian American men, which have not been much taken into account in the prior research. Using the 5-Percent Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) from the 2000 U.S. Census and the 2003 National Survey of College Graduates (NSCG), this research finds that region and regional distribution matter in the wages of Asian Americans, because cost of living expense is significantly higher for Asian Americans than for non-Hispanic whites. Indeed, this study finds that Asian American men do not face a substantial disadvantage in the U.S. labor market, net of cost of living, demographic, and class factors. Prior research shows that Asian Americans had faced significant direct and overt racial discrimination in the labor market before World War II. Then this achievement of parity represents a historic change for Asian Americas.

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Isao Takei is an assistant professor in International Relations at Nihon University. He received his Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Texas at Austin. He has published several articles on Japanese culture and Asian American issues.

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