Quick Bytes
- Immigrants in the U.S. paid $579.1 billion in taxes in 2022.
- Immigrants are crucial in healthcare, agriculture, construction, and entrepreneurship.
- Undocumented immigrants contributed $35.1 billion in taxes in 2022.
- Over half of U.S. immigrants are naturalized citizens, with high rates in certain states.
Immigrants: The Backbone of U.S. Economy and Innovation
Recent data highlights the indispensable role of immigrants in the United States, showcasing their substantial contributions across various sectors.
Immigrants are significantly bolstering the U.S. economy, with their households contributing a staggering $579.1 billion in taxes in 2022. They are filling critical gaps in the healthcare industry, where 15.6% of nurses and 27.7% of health aides are immigrants. States like New York and New Jersey see over half of their health aides as foreign-born. In the agricultural sector, immigrants comprise over half of the graders and sorters of agricultural products, playing a pivotal role in maintaining the nation’s food supply.
The construction industry also relies heavily on immigrant workers, with one in four workers being immigrants, a figure that rises to over 40% in states like California and Texas. Entrepreneurship thrives with the influence of immigrants, who represent more than one in five entrepreneurs in the U.S., generating significant business income and driving innovation, especially in STEM fields.
Undocumented immigrants, making up 21.6% of the immigrant population, also contribute to the economy, paying billions in taxes despite facing numerous challenges. Policies like DACA help these individuals to legally work and further contribute to economic growth. Additionally, the majority of immigrants in the U.S. are naturalized citizens, with refugees showing particularly high naturalization rates, indicating their commitment to integrating and contributing to their communities.
Overall, immigrants are not just filling labor shortages but are also key drivers of innovation and economic prosperity in the United States.
