New Americans in Iowa

The Political and Economic Power of Immigrants, Latinos, and Asians in the Hawkeye State (Updated January 2012)

Download the Infographic

Download the Fact Sheet (2010 Census Data)

Download the Previous Fact Sheet (2008 Census Data)

Immigrants and their children are growing shares of Iowa’s population and electorate.

• The foreign-born share of Iowa’s population rose from 1.6% in 1990, to 3.1% in 2000, to 4.6% in 2010, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Iowa was home to 139,477 immigrants in 2010, which is more than the total population of Springfield, Illinois.

• 37.1% of immigrants (or 51,709 people) in Iowa were naturalized U.S. citizens in 2010—meaning that they are eligible to vote.

• 2.6% (or 42,389) of registered voters in Iowa 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.

1 in 15 Iowans are Latino or Asian.

• The Latino share of Iowa’s population grew from 1.2% in 1990, to 2.8% in 2000, to 5% (or 152,494 people) in 2010.  The Asian share of the population grew from 0.9% in 1990, to 1.3% in 2000, to 1.7% (or 51,848 people) in 2010, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

• Latinos accounted for 1.3% (or 20,000) of Iowa voters in the 2008 elections, and Asians 0.7% (11,000), according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

• In Iowa, 85.2% of children with immigrant parents were U.S. citizens in 2009, according to data from the Urban Institute.

• In 2009, 88.1% of children in Asian families in Iowa were U.S. citizens, as were 91.4% of children in Latino families.

Latino and Asian entrepreneurs and consumers add billions of dollars and thousands of jobs to Iowa’s economy.

• The 2010 purchasing power of Latinos in Iowa totaled $2.9 billion—an increase of 827.2% since 1990. Asian buying power totaled $2 billion—an increase of 637.1% since 1990, according to the Selig Center for Economic Growth at the University of Georgia.

• Iowa’s 2,834 Asian-owned businesses had sales and receipts of $782.6 million and employed 10,130 people in 2007, the last year for which data is available. The state’s 2,455 Latino-owned businesses had sales and receipts of $455.7 million and employed 3,289 people in 2007, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Survey of Business Owners.
  

Unauthorized immigrant families are integral to Iowa’s economy as taxpayers.

• Unauthorized immigrants in Iowa paid $73.6 million in state and local taxes in 2010, according to data from the Institute for Taxation and Economic Policy, which includes:

• $16.4 million in state income taxes.
• $3.6 million in property taxes.
• $53.6 million in sales taxes

• Iowa employers and unauthorized workers paid between $50.3 million and $77.8 million in Social Security and Medicare taxes to the federal government in 2007— benefits these workers will never collect.

Immigrants are integral to Iowa’s economy as workers.

• Immigrants comprised 5.6% of the state’s workforce in 2010 (or 92,066 workers), according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

• Unauthorized immigrants comprised 3.2% of the state’s workforce (or 55,000 workers) in 2010, according to a report by the Pew Hispanic Center.

• If all unauthorized immigrants were removed from Iowa, the state would lose $1.4 billion in economic activity, $613.4 million in gross state product, and approximately 8,819 jobs, even accounting for adequate market adjustment time, according to a report by the Perryman Group.

Immigrants are integral to Iowa’s economy as students.

• Iowa’s 9,647 foreign students contributed $245.4 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.

Immigrants excel educationally.

• The number of immigrants in Iowa with a college degree increased by 43.2% between 2000 and 2009, according to data from the Migration Policy Institute.

• In Iowa, 30.7% of foreign-born persons who were naturalized U.S. citizens in 2009 had a bachelor’s or higher degree, compared to 24.7% of noncitizens. At the same time, only 25.1% of naturalized citizens lacked a high-school diploma, compared to 42.3% of noncitizens.

• In Iowa, 87% of children with immigrant parents were considered “English proficient” as of 2009, according to data from the Urban Institute.

• The English proficiency rate among Asian children in Iowa was 91.5%, while for Latino children it was 87%, as of 2009.

Published On: Wed, Jan 11, 2012 | Download File