New Americans in Wyoming

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

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

• The foreign-born share of Wyoming’s population rose from 1.7% in 1990 to 2.8% in 2010, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Wyoming was home to 15,843 immigrants in 2010.

• 40.7% of immigrants (or 6,447 people) in Wyoming were naturalized U.S. citizens in 2010—meaning that they are eligible to vote.

• 1.8% (or 4,854) of registered voters in Wyoming 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.

Roughly 1 in 10 Wyomans are Latino or Asian.

• The Latino share of Wyoming’s population grew from 5.7% in 1990, to 6.4% in 2000, to 8.9% (or 50,231 people) in 2010.  The Asian share of the population grew 0.6% in 1990 to 0.8% (or 4,426 people) in 2010, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

• Latinos accounted for 2.8% (or 7,000) of Wyoming voters in the 2008 elections, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. 

• In Wyoming, 89.7% of children with immigrant parents were U.S. citizens in 2009, according to data from the Urban Institute.

• In 2009, 96.2% of children in Latino families in Wyoming were U.S. citizens.

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

• The 2010 purchasing power of Latinos in Wyoming totaled $1.3 billion—an increase of 379.4% since 1990. Asian buying power totaled $238 million—an increase of 718.9% since 1990, according to the Selig Center for Economic Growth at the University of Georgia.

• Wyoming’s 1,728 Latino-owned businesses had sales and receipts of $192.3 million and employed 2,227 people in 2007, the last year for which data is available.  The state’s 398 Asian-owned businesses had sales and receipts of $127.2 million and employed 1,623 people in 2007, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Survey of Business Owners.
  

Immigrants contribute to Wyoming’s economy as workers.

• Immigrants comprised 2.8% of the state’s workforce in 2008 (or 8,303 workers), according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
  

Unauthorized immigrants are important to Wyoming’s economy as workers and consumers.

• Unauthorized immigrants comprised less than 1.5% of the state’s workforce (or fewer than 10,000 workers) in 2010, according to a report by the Pew Hispanic Center.
  

• If all unauthorized immigrants were removed from Wyoming, the state would lose $194.3 million in economic activity, $86.3 million in gross state product, and approximately 1,260 jobs, even accounting for adequate market adjustment time, according to a report by the Perryman Group.

Immigrants are important to Wyoming’s economy as students.

• Wyoming’s 1,010 foreign students contributed $18.8 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 Wyoming, 20.2% of foreign-born persons who were naturalized U.S. citizens in 2009 had a bachelor’s or higher degree, compared 10.6% of noncitizens. At the same time, 26.1% of naturalized citizens lacked a high-school diploma, compared to 36.6% of noncitizens.

• In Wyoming, 88.1% 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 Wyoming was 96.2% as of 2009.

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