Table 1.

Selected Characteristics of Mexican Migrants to Canada and the United States at the Time of the First Trip

		Migrants to the United States
Characteristics	Migrants to Canada	Total	Undocumented workers	Temporary workers
Demographic background
Mean age at departure	31.6	28.2	28.3	27.6
Mean num. minors in household	2.9	1.7	1.8	1
Married	93.3%	62%	63.9%	58.3%
Occupation in Mexico
Agricultural	66.7%	59.1%	54.6%	78.2%
Manual	31.1	27.3	29.6	16.7
Non-manual	0	6.1	6.5	4.2
Out of labor force	2.2	4.6	5.6	0
Physical capital
Owns farmland	15.6%	11.4%	8.3%	25%
Owns house	62.2	40.9	42.6	33.3
Owns business	4.4	3	2.8	4.2
Human capital
Years of education	6.7	6.5	6.9	4.6
Went to Canada before U.S	—	2.1%	2.8	4.2
Went to U.S. before Canada	20%	—	—	—
Social capital*
Family experience in U.S.	0	1.5%	1.9%	0
Year of migration
<1980	4.4%	25.8%	18.5%	58.3%
1980–1989	37.8	16.7	19.4	4.2
1990–1999	51.1	34.1	37.9	16.6
2000–2005	3.7	23.5	24.1	20.8
Mean year	1991	1987	1990	1974
Trip information
Mean duration (months)	4.8	31.5	37.4	5
Median duration (months)	5	12	24	4
Returned in 12 months or less	100%	40.2%	26.9%	100%
Mean total trips	5.2	2.1	1.9	2.6
Community
Santo Tomás	2.2%	47.8%	49.1%	41.7%
San Pedro	57.8	22.8	22.2	25
San Martín	22.2	6.8	6.5	8.3
San Simón	17.8	22.8	22.2	25
Sample size	45	132	108	24

^*MMP surveys do not record information on family experience in Canada.