Identity and Occupational Choice in the American Midwest

This paper draws a connection between ethnic labor market networks in the American Midwest when it was first being settled, the local identity that emerged endogenously to support these networks, and occupational mobility today. Individuals born in counties with greater ethnic fractionalization in 1860, which we expect to be associated with stronger local identity, are significantly less likely to hold professional jobs, which come with greater geographical mobility, in 2000. A further connection is made between local identity and a particular social institution – the church – to explain the persistence of identity over multiple generations. We expect local identity to be positively correlated with the performance of the local church, which supports and is supported by this cultural trait, and as predicted, counties with greater ethnic fractionalization in 1860 are associated with greater religious participation over many years in the future.