New Americans in Grand Rapids Metro Area
Overview
Immigrant taxes paid
Demographics
In the United States, immigrants are more likely to be working-age than their U.S.-born counterparts. This means they are more likely to be active in the labor force, allowing them to contribute to the economy not only as consumers but also as taxpayers, helping fund social services and programs like Medicare and Social Security.
| Age Group | Foreign-Born Population | U.S.-Born Population |
|---|---|---|
| 0-15 | ||
| 16-64 | ||
| 65+ |
Entrepreneurship
It is hard to overstate the importance of entrepreneurship since new businesses are the main driver of job growth in the United States. Immigrants play a particularly important role in this—founding businesses at far higher rates than the U.S. population overall. Today, millions of American workers are employed at immigrant-founded and immigrant-owned companies.
TAXES & SPENDING POWER
Immigrant households contribute hundreds of billions of dollars in federal, state, and local taxes and hold a tremendous amount of spending power. This gives them significant economic clout, helping support local communities as consumers and taxpayers. Like all residents of the United States, regardless of where they were born, immigrants make use of public services like education, healthcare, and public safety. Even with these costs, however, immigrants’ economic contributions far outweigh the cost of additional public services they incur.
Immigrant household income
Total spending power
| State & Local Taxes Paid | |
| Federal Taxes Paid | |
| Total Taxes Paid |
Workforce
The growth in the immigrant population has helped to strengthen America’s labor force. As baby boomers retire, younger immigrants are filling crucial gaps in the market. Nationally, immigrants are more likely to hold an advanced degree than the U.S.-born. They are also more likely to have less than a high school education. As such, this allows them to fill critical shortages at both ends of the skill spectrum, from high-tech fields to agriculture, hospitality, and service industries.
| Education Level | Foreign-Born Population | U.S.-Born Population |
|---|---|---|
| Less Than High School | ||
| High School & Some College | ||
| Bachelor’s Degree | ||
| Graduate Degree |
TOP INDUSTRIES WITH HIGHEST SHARE OF IMMIGRANT WORKERS
IMMIGRANT SHARE OF POPULATION -
Housing
Immigrant families have long played an important role in helping to build housing wealth in the United States. In recent decades, the more than 40 million immigrants collectively increased U.S. housing wealth by trillions of dollars. Much of this was possible because immigrants moved into neighborhoods once in decline, helping to revitalize communities and make them more attractive to U.S.-born residents.
Naturalization & Voting Power
As more immigrants naturalize and become eligible to vote, they continue to gain political power. The number of immigrant voters is only projected to rise in the next decade, but in some states foreign-born voters are already capable of deciding elections.
Immigrants eligible to vote