WASHINGTON, DC – The Immigration Policy Center has compiled research which shows that Ohio’s immigrants, Latinos, and Asians are an integral part of the state’s economy and tax base. As workers, taxpayers, consumers, and entrepreneurs, immigrants and their children are an economic powerhouse. As Ohio’s economy begins to recover, immigrants and their children will continue to play a key role in the shaping and growing the economic and political landscape of the Buckeye State.
Highlights of the research include:
– Immigrants make up nearly 4% of Ohio’s total population and nearly half of them are naturalized citizens who are eligible to vote.
– New Americans (naturalized U.S. citizens and their U.S.-born children) represent 2.4% of the state’s voting population.
– The purchasing power of Ohio’s Asians totaled $7.1 billion and Latino buying power totaled $6.1 billion in 2008.
– Asian-owned businesses in the state generated sales and receipts worth more than $5.1 billion annually and Latino-owned businesses generated $1.3 billion in 2002.
There is no denying the contributions immigrants make and the important role they play in Ohio’s political and economic future. For more data on the contributions of immigrants to Ohio’s economy, view the IPC fact sheet in its entirety.