Philadelphia Joins National Campaign and Shares New Data on Economic Impact of Immigrant Population
PHILADELPHIA— Today, local leaders showcased new research on the contributions of immigrants in Philadelphia and highlight the critical need for immigration reform. Spearheaded by New American Economy (NAE) and Office of Immigrant Affairs for the city, the event marks the launch of Map the Impact—a campaign to highlight the power of immigrants in communities across the country.
“This new research proves what we’ve known for years in Philadelphia: immigrants are an asset to our local economy and every community in America,” said Miriam Enriquez, Office of Immigrant Affairs Director. “Real, substantive and thoughtful immigration policies from Washington would only benefit our country and our city.”
By showcasing the contributions of immigrants in all 435 Congressional districts, the 55 largest U.S. metro areas, and in all 50 states, Map the Impact arms business, civic, and cultural leaders with new data on immigrant populations. Featured in an interactive map that also includes state- and sector-specific data, NAE’s quantifies every locality’s foreign-born population, tax contributions, spending power, home ownership, and voting power, among other items.
In Philadelphia, Map the Impact shows:
- There are 614,660 foreign-born residents who make up 10.2 percent of the Philadelphia metro area’s population.
- Immigrants paid $6.0B in total taxes, which include $1.7B in state and local taxes and $4.3B in federal taxes and held $13.5B in spending power in 2014.
- Immigrants are 43.1 percent more likely to be entrepreneurs than the native population, and there are 40,171 immigrant entrepreneurs in Philadelphia
- Immigrants own 148,622 homes and help to build the area’s housing wealth.
- Immigrants make up 17.6 percent of the Construction industry, 17.6% of the Tourism, Hospitality, and Recreation industry, and 16% of the Manufacturing industry, and more.
At the Congressional District level, Map the Impact shows that in Pennsylvania District 1:
- There are 92,630 foreign-born residents who make up 13.1 percent of the area’s population.
- Immigrants paid $543.4M in state and local taxes and held $1.5B in spending power in 2014.
- Immigrants are 60.5 percent more likely to be entrepreneurs than the native population, and there are 3,178 immigrant entrepreneurs in PA District 1.
- Immigrants own 19,407 homes and help to build the area’s housing wealth.
Further, Map the Impact shows that in Pennsylvania District 2:
- There are 58,411 foreign-born residents who make up 8.2 percent of the area’s population.
- Immigrants paid $538.5M in state and local taxes and held $1.5B in spending power in 2014.
- Immigrants are 56.4 percent more likely to be entrepreneurs than the native population, and there are 1,849 immigrant entrepreneurs in PA District 2.
- Immigrants own 11,249 homes and help to build the area’s housing wealth.
Visit Map the Impact for state, city, and district information that will demonstrate the influence of immigrants in America.
More information can be found at www.NewAmericanEconomy.org
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About New American Economy
New American Economy (NAE) brings together more than 500 Republican, Democratic and Independent mayors and business leaders who support immigration reforms that will help create jobs for Americans today. NAE members include mayors of more than 35 million people nationwide and business leaders of companies that generate more than $1.5 trillion and employ more than 4 million people across all sectors of the economy, from Agriculture to Aerospace, Hospitality to High Tech and Media to Manufacturing. Learn more at www.NewAmericanEconomy.org