[1]The Political and Economic Power of Immigrants, Latinos, and Asians in the Beaver State (Updated January 2012)
Download the Fact Sheet [3] (2010 Census Data)
Download the Previous Fact Sheet [4] (2008 Census Data)
Immigrants and their children are growing shares of Oregon’s population and electorate.
- The foreign-born share of Oregon’s population rose from 4.9% in 1990 [5], to 8.5% in 2000 [5], to 9.8% in 2010 [6], according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Oregon was home to 375,743 immigrants in 2010 [6], which is nearly the total population of Wichita, Kansas [7].
- 37.4% of immigrants (or 140,491 people) in Oregon were naturalized U.S. citizens in 2010 [6]—meaning that they are eligible to vote.
- 5.8% (or 113,715) of registered voters in Oregon were “New Americans”—naturalized citizens or the U.S.-born children of immigrants who were raised during the current era of immigration from Latin America and Asia which began in 1965—according to an analysis of 2008 Census Bureau data by Rob Paral & Associates [8].
Nearly 1 in 6 Oregonians are Latino or Asian.
- The Latino share of Oregon’s population grew from 4.0% in 1990 [9], to 8.0% in 2000 [9], to 11.8% (or 452,997 people) in 2010 [6]. The Asian share of the population grew from 2.3% in 1990 [10], to 3.0% in 2000 [10], to 3.7% (or 142,041 people) in 2010 [6], according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
- Latinos accounted for 2.1% (or 39,000) of Oregon voters in the 2008 elections, and Asians 1.8% (33,000) according to the U.S. Census Bureau [11].
- In Oregon, 87.1% of children with immigrant parents were U.S. citizens in 2009 [12], according to data from the Urban Institute.
- In 2009 [12], 92.9% of children in Asian families in Oregon were U.S. citizens, as were 91.3% of children in Latino families.
Latino and Asian entrepreneurs and consumers add billions of dollars and tens of thousands of jobs to Oregon’s economy.
- The 2010 purchasing power of Latinos in Oregon totaled $7.5 billion—an increase of 713.8% since 1990. Asian buying power totaled $5.1 billion—an increase of 465.5% since 1990, according to the Selig Center for Economic Growth [13] at the University of Georgia.
- Oregon’s 11,338 Latino-owned [14] businesses had sales and receipts of $1.7 billion and employed 13,916 people in 2007, the last year for which data is available. The state’s 12,647 Asian-owned [14] businesses had sales and receipts of $3.2 billion and employed 26,779 people in 2007, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Survey of Business Owners.
Immigrants are essential to Oregon’s economy as workers.
- Immigrants comprised 12.5% of the state’s workforce in 2010 [6] (or 244,305 workers), according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Unauthorized immigrants are integral to Oregon’s economy as workers and taxpayers.
- Immigrants accounted for 12% of total economic output in the Portland metropolitan area as of 2007, according to a study by the Fiscal Policy Institute [15].
- Unauthorized immigrants comprised roughly 5.3% of the state’s workforce (or 110,000 workers) in 2010 [16], according to a report by the Pew Hispanic Center.
- Unauthorized immigrants in Oregon paid $99.1 million in state and local taxes in 2010 [17], according to data from the Institute for Taxation and Economic Policy, which includes:
- $54.4 million in state income taxes.
- $19.8 million in property taxes.
- $24.9 million in sales taxes.
- Oregon employers paid between $97 million and $136 million in taxes on behalf of unauthorized workers in 2005 [18], including:
- $56 million to $79 million in Social Security taxes.
- $13 million to $18 million in Medicare taxes.
- $28 million to $39 million in state unemployment insurance taxes.
- If all unauthorized immigrants were removed from Oregon, the state would lose $3.4 billion in economic activity, $1.5 billion in gross state product, and approximately 19,259 jobs, even accounting for adequate market adjustment time, according to a report by the Perryman Group [19].
Immigrants are integral to Oregon’s economy as students.
- Oregon’s 7,506 foreign students contributed $225.5 million to the state’s economy in tuition, fees, and living expenses for the 2009-2010 academic year, according to NAFSA: Association of International Educators [20].
Naturalized citizens excel educationally.
- In Oregon, 33.6% of foreign-born persons who were naturalized U.S. citizens in 2009 [21] had a bachelor’s or higher degree, compared to 19.4% of noncitizens. At the same time, only 19.7% of naturalized citizens lacked a high-school diploma, compared to 46.2% of noncitizens.
- The number of immigrants in Oregon with a college degree increased by 55.7% between 2000 and 2009, according to data [21] from the Migration Policy Institute.
- In Oregon, 79.8% of children with immigrant parents were considered “English proficient” as of 2009 [12], according to data from the Urban Institute.
- The English proficiency rate among Asian children in Oregon was 90.4%, while for Latino children it was 80.8%, as of 2009 [12].
Published On: Wed, Jan 11, 2012 | Download File [22]