Immigrants are an ever-growing demographic with increasing influence and political power. With 43.3 million foreign-born people living in the United States in 2017, it is important to understand the demographics and contributions of this population. A report by the Center for American Progress highlights the contributions immigrants make and how integral they are to the fabric of American society.
Here are some key facts from the report:
- Undocumented workers represent 4.9 percent of the U.S. labor force, although they comprised only 3.5 percent of the U.S. population.
- 50.7 percent of immigrant heads of household own their own homes.
- There are 7 million people living in mixed-status families—those with at least one undocumented immigrant—including 9.6 million adults and 5.9 million children who are U.S. citizens.
- U.S.-born children of immigrants are five percent more likely to go to college, thirteen percent less likely to live in poverty, and equally likely to be homeowners.
- Immigrants added an estimated $2 trillion to the U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2016.
- Undocumented immigrants pay $11.7 billion a year in state and local taxes. They also contribute $13 billion into Social Security per year and received only $1 billion in services.
- In 2010, more than 40 percent of Fortune 500 companies were founded by immigrants and their children.
- The removal of undocumented immigrants from the workforce would cost the United States GDP $4.7 trillion over 10 years. New York would lose $40 billion of its GDP annually.
