WV Immigrant Population Is Slowly Increasing, Research Says

Published on Thu, Jul 08, 2010

Seth Hoy is a research associate with the Immigration Policy Center. He says that, compared to neighboring states, West Virginia’s population of immigrants, Asians and Latinos, is on the lower end.

"But what’s interesting is that they do have an economic impact on the state," he said. "The purchasing power of Latinos and Asians was $1.1 billion in 2009."

Hoy defines purchasing power as how the target groups spend money in the local economy. This includes the tax money they contribute, as well as personal and educational expenses.

Published in the West Virginia Public Broadcasting | Read Article