Alcohol Use and Earnings: Findings from a Community Based Study

In this paper, we examine whether moderate alcohol consumption is associated with higher wages. A population-based sample of Mexican American workers, in the U.S. Southwest is employed. Estimation results indicate a positive association for the entire sample. The findings for the U.S. born Mexican Americans are similar to those of the other U.S. natives. However, we find mixed results for the Mexican born participants, perhaps due to their more recent arrival to the United States These results are consistent with the view that U.S. born Mexican Americans gradually resemble other U.S. born populations in reported trends of alcohol consumption and its association to wages.