From Sweden to America: migrant selection in the transatlantic migration, 1890–1910

Abstract

We examine selection by class origin and gender in the emigration from Sweden to the United States during the age of mass migration. We use full-count census data linked to emigration lists to create a panel of over one million men and women. Class selection was similar for men and women, with children from medium-skilled backgrounds being most likely to leave. Selection on class origin was most pronounced in poorer and less industrialized regions, but similar in rural and urban areas. These patterns suggest that not only returns to skill determined migrant selection but also class-specific costs of migration.