New Americans in West Virginia

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

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Immigrants and their children are growing shares of West Virginia’s population.

• The foreign-born share of West Virginia’s population rose from 0.9% in 1990, to 1.1% in 2000, to 1.2% in 2010, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. West Virginia was home to 22,511 immigrants in 2010.

• 45.7% of immigrants (or 10,281 people) in West Virginia were naturalized U.S. citizens in 2010—meaning that they are eligible to vote.

Nearly 35,000 West Virginians are Latino or Asian.

• The Latino share of West Virginia’s population grew from 0.5% in 1990, to 0.7% in 2000, to 1.2% (or 22,268 people) in 2010.  The Asian share of the population grew from 0.4% in 1990 to 0.7% (or 12,406 people) in 2010, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

• In West Virginia, 83% of children with immigrant parents were U.S. citizens in 2009, according to data from the Urban Institute.

• In 2009, 89% of children in Latino families in West Virginia were U.S. citizens.

Latino and Asian entrepreneurs and consumers add hundreds of millions of dollars and thousands of jobs to West Virginia’s economy.

• The 2010 purchasing power of Latinos in West Virginia totaled $647.3 million—an increase of 599.4% since 1990. Asian buying power totaled $602.7 million—an increase of 201.7% since 1990, according to the Selig Center for Economic Growth at the University of Georgia.

• West Virginia’s 899 Latino-owned businesses had sales and receipts of $176.6 million and employed 1,430 people in 2007, the last year for which data is available.  The state’s 1,526 Asian-owned businesses had sales and receipts of $546.2 million and employed 4,251 people in 2007, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Survey of Business Owners. 

Immigrants contribute to West Virginia’s economy as workers.

• Immigrants comprised 1.6% of the state’s workforce in 2008 (or 13,647 workers), according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
  

Unauthorized immigrants contribute to West Virginia’s economy as workers and taxpayers.

• Unauthorized immigrants comprised less than 0.5% of the state’s workforce (or under 10,000 workers) in 2010, according to a report by the Pew Hispanic Center.
  

• If all unauthorized immigrants were removed from West Virginia, the state would lose $26.6 million in economic activity, $11.8 million in gross state product, and approximately 180 jobs, even accounting for adequate market adjustment time, according to a report by the Perryman Group.

Immigrants contribute to West Virginia’s economy as students.

• West Virginia’s 2,281 foreign students contributed $52.3 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.
  

Naturalized citizens advance educationally.

• In West Virginia, 51.4% of foreign-born persons who were naturalized U.S. citizens in 2009 had a bachelor’s or higher degree.

• The number of immigrants in West Virginia with a college degree increased by 45.1% between 2000 and 2009, according to data from the Migration Policy Institute.

• In 2009, 53.8% of West Virginia's foreign-born population age 25 and older had a bachelor's or higher degree, compared to 16.7% of native-born persons above age 25.

• In West Virginia, 94.6% of children with immigrant parents were considered “English proficient” as of 2009, according to data from the Urban Institute.

• The English proficiency rate among Latino children in West Virginia was 96.6% as of 2009.
  

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