Los Angeles has much greater rates of self-employment than New York for all demographics (immigrants, second-generation immigrants, and native-born whites) (15.8 percent for Los Angeles, versus 11.2 percent for New York). For the first generation in New York, the average self-employment rate was 8.5%. Native-born whites have a percentage of 11.2 percent, which is far lower than this. The percentage of New Yorkers who are self-employed grows to 13% among the second generation. This figure is higher than the New York City average for native-born whites. However, excluding the small number of Iranians in New York who saw a sixfold increase in self-employment between the first and second generations, the average rate of self-employment for the second generation in New York is 9.9 percent, which is still well below the average self-employment rate for native whites in New York. First-generation immigrants in Los Angeles have a higher self-employment rate than native-born whites, at 16.7% compared to 15.8%. There has been a little decrease in second generation LA immigrants' self-employment rate, to 16.4 percent, which is still higher than the percentage for native-born whites. Both locals and foreign-born residents of Los Angeles have a greater rate of self-employment in the city compared to New York City. In Los Angeles, the self-employment rates of these seven foreign-born nations and their descendants are on average higher than those of native whites.

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