Immigrants have contributed billions of dollars to Ohio’s economy over the years, according to a new national study.
Immigrant households in Ohio will pay $7 billion in taxes alone in 2022, of which $2.4 billion will come from state taxes, according to a study conducted by Upwardly Global, an immigrant workforce development organization, and the U.S. Immigration Council. It was the burden of local taxes. According to the study, foreign-born households had $18.6 billion in spending power that year.
“By strengthening fast-growing industries such as advanced manufacturing and healthcare, we are helping to create more opportunities for communities and families who have lived in this region for generations.” The findings state.
Survey form from Upwardly Global and the American Immigration Council.
The study found that Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and vice presidential candidate (and Ohio senator) J.D. Vance used false information about Springfield’s Haitian residents as a springboard for anti-immigrant rhetoric. , took place in the midst of an election cycle in which immigration has been used as a flashpoint. Immigrant sentiment.
An Upwardly Global/AIC analysis of the Great Lakes region shows immigrant populations are growing in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, upstate New York, and Ohio; Home values will rise, allowing them to “reinvest in the community and further stimulate the local economy.”
In 2022, 4.9% of Ohio’s population was foreign-born, amounting to 581,000 people, and 11.2 million people were reported to be born in the United States.
Ohio saw both its U.S.-born and foreign-born population grow that year, but immigrants in the Great Lakes region “represented a larger proportion of the population” in 2022 compared to 2010. Ohio’s immigrant population increased by 19.5%.
Research shows that population growth also means increased housing investment. Cincinnati was specifically mentioned as a city where immigrants are “more likely than residents, on average, to be economically qualified to purchase distressed properties.”
This has been beneficial for the region, which has struggled with outsourcing industries such as steel, automobiles and rubber, but has seen new industrial opportunities such as manufacturing materialize.
“Immigration plays a vital role in this recovery, and that role is only increasing,” the researchers said. “At a time when many industries are suffering from labor shortages, immigrants are filling hard-to-fill jobs, revitalizing the local workforce and supporting economic growth in America’s former industrial heartland.”
As baby boomers leave the workforce, foreign-born residents – doctors, nurses, and medical professionals of all kinds – are coming in to fill open roles and support the Great Lakes’ aging population. revealed in research.
But immigrants in the health care industry are not being tapped to their full potential, with more than 260,000 people in the U.S. “unemployed or underemployed,” the study found.
“Michigan, Indiana, Pennsylvania, and Ohio all have thousands of immigrants whose medical degrees are underutilized,” the researchers said.
In addition to being willing to take on hard-to-find jobs, the report found that immigrants continue to play a “significant” role in jobs that some U.S.-born residents are reluctant to do, such as farm work and meat processing. revealed.
According to Upwardly Global and AIC, if the region’s immigrant population declines, the entire economy suffers. The number of migrant workers in agriculture fell by 12% between 2010 and 2022, and the study found that continued labor shortages throughout the COVID-19 pandemic had a “significant impact on employers, food prices, and the agricultural economy.” It was shown that the
According to the study, Ohio lost 313,000 acres of farmland between 2017 and 2022.
The education sector has also been strengthened by the immigrant population, with foreign-born K-12 teachers increasing by 42% in the Great Lakes, even as the overall workforce slows.
Those seeking an education within the state have been helped as well, with international students reportedly contributing $1.2 billion to Ohio’s economy, according to Upwardly Global and AIC.
You make our work possible.
support
