Economic Influence of Latino and Asian Immigrants in Wisconsin

NEW AMERICANS IN THE BADGER STATE: The Political and Economic Power of Immigrants, Latinos, and Asians in Wisconsin

Report published by Immigration Policy Center
331G Street, NW. Washington, D.C. 20005
www.immigrationpolicy.org
Posted by courtesy of www.hispanicnewsnetwork.blogspot.com

December 10, 2009

The Immigration Policy Center has compiled research which shows that immigrants, Latinos, and Asians are an important part of Wisconsin's economy labor force, and tax base. Immigrants and their children are a growing economic and political force as workers, consumers, taxpayers, and entrepreneurs. 
Immigrants, Latinos, and Asians account for growing shares of the economy and population in Wisconsin. Immigrants make up 4.5% of the state's population, and more than one-third of them are of the state's population, and more than one-third of them are naturalized U.S. citizens who are eligible to vote. "New Americans"-immigrants and the children of immigrants-account for 3.0% of registered voters in the state. Immigrants are not only integral to the state's economy as workers, but also account for tens of million of dollars in tax revenue and consumer purchasing power. Moreover, Latinos and Asians wield nearly $8.3 billion in consumer purchasing power, and the businesses they own had sales and receipts of $2.5 billion and employed more than 20,500 people at last count. At a time of economic recession, Wisconsin can ill-afford to alienate such a critical component of its labor force, tax base, and business community.

Immigrants and their children are growing shares of Wisconsin's population and electorate

• The foreign-born share of Wisconsin's population rose from 2.5% in 1990,1 to 3.6% in 2000,2 to 4.5% in 2007,3 according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Wisconsin was home to 252,150 immigrants in 2007, 4 which is more than the total population of Jersey City, New Jersey. 5

• 41.2% of immigrants (or 103,921 people) in Wisconsin were naturalized U.S. citizens in 20076 -meaning that they are eligible to vote

• 3.0% (or 88,438) of registered voters in Wisconsin were "New Americans"-naturalized citizens or the U.S.-born children of Americans"-naturalized citizens or the U.S.-born children of immigrants who were raised during the current era of immigration from Latin America and Asia which began in 1965-according to an analysis of 2006 Census Bureau data by Rob Paral & Associates. 7

1 in 16 Wisconsinites are Latino or Asian

• The Latino share of Wisconsin's population grew from 1.9% in 1990,8 to 3.6% in 2000,9 to 4.8% (or 268,879 people) in 2007.10 The Asian share of the population grew from 1.1% in 1990,11 to 1.7% in 2000,12 to 1.9% (or 106,431 people) in 2007,13 according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

• Latinos accounted for 2.3% (or 66,000) of Wisconsin voters in the 2008 elections, and Asians 1.1% (31,000), according to the U.S. Census Bureau. 142

Latino and Asian entrepreneurs and consumers add billions of dollars and tens-of-thousands of jobs to Wisconsin's economy.

• The 2008 purchasing power of Latinos in Wisconsin totaled $5.3 billion-an increase of 576.8% since 1990. Asian buying power totaled $3.0 billion-an increase of 468.0% since 1990, according to the Selig Center for Economic Growth at the University of Georgia. 15

• Wisconsin's 4,957 Asian-owned businesses had sales and receipts of $1.5 billion and employed 11,603 people in 2002, the ast year for which data is available.16 The state's 3,750 Latino- owned businesses had sales and receipts of $975.5 million and employed 9,011 people in 2002, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's Survey of Business Owners. 17

Immgrant workers are integral to Wisconsin's economy as laborers and taxpayers

• Migrant workers constituted more than 40% of all hired dairy employees (totaling roughly 5,316 individuals) in 2008, according to a study at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. 18

• More than 5,000 migrant workers, plus 1,000 dependents, arrive annually in Wisconsin to work in canning, food-processing, and agriculture, according to 2003 study at the University of Wisconsin- Madison. 19

• Migrant workers' direct spending generated about $14.9 million per year in income to Wisconsin residents and business, roughly $8.7 million in tax revenue to state and local governments and the creation of 417 jobs for Wisconsinites annually, according to the same study. 20

Immigrants are integral to Wisconsin's economy as workers

• Immigrants comprised 5.1% of the state's workforce in 2007 (or 155,990 workers), according to the U.S. Census Bureau. 2

• Unauthorized immigrants comprised 1.8% of the state's workforce (or 55,000 workers) in 2008, according to a report by the Pew Hispanic Center. 22

• If unauthorized immigrants were removed from Wisconsin, the state would lose $2.6 billion in expenditures, $1.2 billion in economic output, and approximately 14,579 jobs, even accounting for adequate market adjustment time, according to a report by the Perryman Group. 23

Immigrants are integral to Wisconsin's economy as students

• Wisconsin's 8,647 foreign students contributed $195.3 million to the state's economy in tuition, fees, and living expenses for the 2008-2009 academic year, according to the National Association of Foreign Student Advisers (NAFSA). 243

Naturalized Citizens Excel Educationally

• In Wisconsin, 31.7% of foreign-born persons who were naturalized U.S. citizens in 2007 had a bachelor's or higher degree compared to 25.1 of noncitizens. At the same time, only 23.6% of naturalized citizens lacked a high-school diploma, compared to naturalized citizens lacked a high-school diploma, compared to 34.1% of noncitizens. 25

• The number of immigrants in Wisconsin with a college degree increased by 46.1% between 2000 and 2007, according to data from the Migration Policy Institute. 26

• 28.0% of Wisconsin's foreign-born population age 25 and older had a bachelor's or higher degree in 2007, compared to 25.3% of native-born persons age 25 and older. 27

• In Wisconsin, 68.0% of all children between the ages of 5 and 17 in families that spoke a language other than English at home also in families that spoke a language other than English at home also spoke English "very well" as of. 2007. 28

Endnotes:

1 U.S. Census Bureau, The Foreign-Born Population: 2000 December 2003
2 Ibid
3 2007 American Community Survey (1-Year Estimates)
4 Ibid
5 Ibid
6 Ibid
7 Rob Paral and Associates, The New American Electorate: The Growing Political Power of Immigrants and Their Children(Washington, DC: Immigration Policy Center, American Immigration Law Foundation, October 2008)
8 U.S. Census Bureau, The Hispanic Population: 2000, May 2001
9 Ibid
10 2007 American Community Survey (1-Year Estimates)
11 U.S. Census Bureau, The Asian Population: 2000, February 2002.
12 Ibid
13 2007 American Community Survey (1-Year Estimates)
14 U.S. Electoral College, 2008 Presidential Election: Popular Vote Totals
15 Jeffrey M. Humphreys, The Multicultural Economy 2008 (Athens GA: Selig Center for Economic Growth, University of Georgia, 2008) p. 64
16 U.S. Census Bureau, Hispanic-Owned Firms: 2002, August 2006
17 U.S. Census Bureau, Asian-Owned Firms: 2002, August 2006.
18 Jill Harrison, Sarah Lloyd, and Trish O'Kane, Overview of Immigrant Workers on Wisconsin Dairy Farms (Madison, WI Program on Agricultural Technology Studies, University of Program on Agricultural Technology Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison, February 2009), p. 2
19 Doris P. Slesinger and Steven Deller, Economic Impact of Migrant Workers on Wisconsin's Economy (Madison, WI: Center for Demography and Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison February 2003), p. 27
20 Ibid., p. 26
21 2007 American Community Survey (1-Year Estimates).
22 Jeffrey S. Passel and D'Vera Cohn, A Portrait of Unauthorized Immigrants in the United States (Washington, DC: The Pew Charitable Trusts., April 14, 2009), p. 30
23 The Perryman Group, An Essential Resource: An Analysis of the Economic Impact of Undocumented Workers on Business Activity n the US with Estimated Effects by State and by Industry (Waco in the US with Estimated Effects by State and by Industry (Waco TX: April 2008), p. 69
24 Association of International Educators, The Economic Benefits of International Education to the United States for the 2008-2009 Academic Year: A Statistical Analysis (Washington, DC: Nationa Association of Foreign Student Advisors, 2009)
25 Migration Policy Institute Data Hub, Wisconsin: Language & Education
26 Ibid
27 Ibid
28 Ibid

Connected by MOTOBLUR™ on T-Mobile