Ohio immigrants earned $27.3 billion in 2023 and paid $7.3 billion in local, state, and federal taxes.
OHIO, April 9, 2026 – A new study from the American Immigration Council highlights the critical role immigrants play in Ohio’s economy, securing jobs in critical industries, strengthening the workforce, and bringing in billions of dollars in taxes each year. The new report was produced in partnership with Ohio Business for Immigration Solutions, a statewide business coalition supported by the more than 100-member American Immigration Council.
“Immigrants are essential to Ohio’s future, strengthening our state’s workforce, strengthening critical industries, and paying billions of dollars in taxes that our communities depend on every day,” said Rich Andre, director of state and local initiatives at the American Immigration Council.
“Ohio’s labor shortage is putting a huge strain on businesses across the state, and as this new report highlights, immigration plays a critical role in driving economic growth and sustaining Ohio’s future,” said Jaclyn Ringstmeyer, executive director of the Greater Medina Chamber of Commerce.
Key findings:
Immigration will help fill job gaps in Ohio and help meet future needs. From 2019 to 2024, the number of overall online job openings increased by 8.2%. In 2023, 75.5% of immigrants were in the labor force. In the same year, immigrants were 29.4 percentage points more likely to reach working age than U.S.-born immigrants. This shows that immigrants are already meeting the growing demand for workers and are poised to continue to make positive contributions to the workforce. Ohio immigrants contributed billions of dollars in taxes and consumer spending. In 2023, immigrants earned $27.3 billion, paid $7.3 billion in taxes and left behind $20 billion in purchasing power to support local businesses and communities. Spending by immigrant households drives growth and helps keep local economic corridors vibrant. Immigrants are uniquely positioned to meet the critical multilingual needs of the workforce. From 2019 to 2024, Ohio saw a 39.2% increase in the number of online job openings that required or preferred bilingual skills. Immigrants can fill these positions because they often have multilingual skills. Ohio State is underutilizing immigrant talent. Many immigrants who have received specialized training and acquired skills overseas are unable to work in their fields due to barriers such as re-licensing and language skills. As a result, in 2023, 43.7 percent of college-educated immigrants were working in jobs that do not require a college degree.
Read the full fact sheet to learn more about how immigrants support Ohio’s workforce, tax base, and economic growth.
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About the American Immigration Council
The American Immigration Council is working to create a more welcoming and fair immigration system. Through litigation, research, and programs that expand access to legal aid, the Council welcomes immigrants, enriches communities, and helps ensure justice prevails for all. Follow us on BlueSky @immcouncil.org and on Instagram @immcouncil.
About Ohio Immigration Solutions Business
Ohio Business for Immigration Solutions (OBIS) is a coalition of more than 100 Ohio businesses, trade associations, chambers of commerce, and economic development organizations that believe modernizing our immigration system is critical to growing our state’s economy. With its launch on December 10, 2020, the coalition announced the Ohio Compact on Immigration. It is a set of principles designed to advance the desire of the Ohio business community to advance immigration reform that strengthens the economy, attracts and retains world-class talent, and brings new business to the Buckeye State. OBIS supports smart public policy solutions that move beyond partisanship and rhetoric to address the challenges of our current immigration system, while recognizing the valuable contributions that immigrants make to our nation.
