The Labor Market Consequences of Race Differences in Health

Differences in health status across different race and ethnic groups in the United States, particularly between black and white Americans, have been the subject of considerable medical and social science research. For instance, numerous studies using a variety of health measures have shown the health of black men and women to be worse than that of whites (e.g., Manton, Patrick, and Johnson 1987 ). The health disadvantage of Native Americans, relative to that of whites, has also been documented extensively. Patterns for other major ethnic groups (e.g., Hispanics and Asians) have been somewhat more variable, depending on the measure, the age of the study sample, and other factors such as place of birth and acculturation ( Hayward and Heron 1999 ; Shalala et al. 1999 ). Systematic health disparities are likely to have profound—and self‐reinforcing—consequences for the relative well‐being of different population groups. In this article, we focus on one dimension of such consequences: the association between race differences in health status and race differences in labor market outcomes.