Voting and Demographics
The growth in the immigrant population has helped to strengthen and remake America over the last two decades. Today, as thousands of baby boomers retire each day, working-age immigrants are filling gaps in the labor market, paying billions of dollars in taxes that help our entitlement programs survive, and buying homes in communities that would otherwise be in decline. Millions of immigrants have also earned U.S. citizenship and the right to vote while millions more are estimated to be eligible to naturalize.
The case for a more immigrant-friendly, diverse Cincinnati
This month, the Brandery, a nationally top-10 ranked accelerator located in Over-the-Rhine, hosted a fast-paced roundtable discussion on global talent attraction, immigration reform and the need for a more diverse Cincinnati. The event was part of a national series called #iCodeImmigration: Acceleration Immigration Reform brought together locally by… Read More
Poll: Immigration not a factor in Renee Ellmers victory
Immigration was a major focus of the closely watched Republican primary in the North Carolina’s second congressional district. But it wasn’t a priority among the majority of Republican primary voters who picked incumbent Rep. Renee Ellmers to again represent them in November’s midterm election, according to… Read More
Poll Shows That Immigration A Non-Issue for Voters in Rep. Renee Ellmers’ (NC-2) Race
Data show that issue of immigration neither impacted voters’ decisions at the polls nor led to their staying home When presented with the issue of immigration, voters overwhelmingly support Speaker Boehner’s immigration reform plan and want action on immigration reform this year… Read More
Poll: Immigration’s role negligible for Renee Ellmers
Rep. Renee Ellmers’ stance on immigration reform certainly didn’t hurt her in her GOP primary win Tuesday — but it didn’t necessarily boost her, either. A new poll from a pro-reform group conducted after voters cast ballots in Tuesday’s North Carolina… Read More
A Crucial Piece of the Puzzle
Strong demand for less-skilled workers is being undermined by a declining number of young people willing and able to work less-skilled jobs, according to a report, “A Crucial Piece of the… Read More
Poll: Immigration Reform Won’t Hurt Republicans
The results cut against Republican concerns that passing immigration reform will keep their base voters away from the polls this fall A new survey could ease Republican fears that proceeding with immigration reform would alienate GOP voters. The poll, conducted by Texas Republican firm Baselice & Associates and paid for… Read More
Immigration reform: Minnesota’s changing face of labor
August 7, 2013 David Beal, MinnPost When bipartisan federal legislation to overhaul the nation’s immigration system failed in 2007, Bob Fitch decided he’d seen enough. The solution, he believed, was to unite trade associations and provide cover for individual business owners who supported such legislation but hesitated to speak out… Read More
Follow the Money: Immigration Reform
Anne Spear, The Huffington Post Comprehensive Immigration Reform has passed the Senate hurdle and is still on the front burner. Now is the time to look at the issue through an economic lens; an approach that is meaningful to all. Here are some voices that have been raised recently that… Read More
Intro: Demographics
A young, diverse population is a more dynamic population. The aging U.S. population and the current U.S. birth rate make it clear that immigration will be a critical part of revitalizing the American workforce. Recent immigrants are, in general, younger than the rest of the population. The U.S. Census Bureau… Read More
Immigrants Boosted The Housing Market By $3.7 Trillion, Study Says
The Huffington Post June 20, 2013 Immigrants have boosted the value of the U.S. housing market by a whopping $3.7 trillion from 2000 to 2010, according to new data co-published by the Americas Society/Council of the Americas and the Partnership for a New American Economy. The organizations say the data,… Read More
Immigrant Population Growth
Both the number and the share of immigrants in America are increasing, with the U.S. Census Bureau projecting that between 2027 and 2038 international migration will be the primary driver of U.S. population growth for the first time in two centuries.1 The trend is already underway. Between 1990 and 2014, the number of immigrants living in America more than doubled. By 2014, more than one in eight Americans were foreign-born. Immigrants play a particularly important role in California, where they make up more than one out of every four residents.
Sources:
1 U.S. Census Bureau, “International Migration is Projected to Become Primary Driver of U.S. Population Growth for First Time in Nearly Two Centuries,” press release (2013), accessed July 30, 2014. Available online.
Share of Population, Foreign-Born
Mitigating Baby Boomer Retirement
The ratio of seniors to working-age adults in America has remained relatively constant since 1980, at about 240 seniors for every 1,000 workers. With the Baby Boomers’ retirement, however, the ratio is poised to jump a stunning 67 percent in the next two decades, to 411 seniors for every 1,000 workers.2 Already, less than half the U.S.-born population is working-age, or between the ages of 25 and 64. Meanwhile, almost three-quarters of the foreign-born population fall into that age bracket, allowing them to make important contributions to both the labor force and U.S. tax coffers.
Sources:
2 Dowell Myers, “Immigrants’ Contributions in an Aging America,” Community Banking, no. Sum (2008): 3–5.
Age Breakdown of Select Populations, 2014
States with the Largest Gap Between Share of Native-Born and Foreign-Born Populations that are Working-Aged, 2014
Housing and Entitlement Contributions
Because immigrants are far more likely to be working-age, they play an important role contributing to the entitlement programs that help seniors as they age. One NAE study found that between 1996 and 2011 immigrants contributed $182.4 billion more to Medicare’s Hospital Insurance Trust Fund—the core trust fund in the program—than was expended on their care. Immigrants also have made up roughly one in seven homebuyers in recent years, often purchasing the homes of Baby Boomers as they retire.
Amount Immigrants Contributed to Entitlement Programs, 2014
States where Immigrants Made up the Largest Share of Homebuyers, 2010-2014
Fueling Growth in New Destination States
Before 1990, nearly three-quarters of immigrants lived in one of six gateway states: California, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, and Texas.3 By 2010, those states’ share had started to drop significantly, to 65 percent, as immigrants increasingly began settling in new-destination states, such as Colorado, Nevada, North Carolina, and Washington. As immigrants move into new states, they help offset brain drain and population decline, often filling positions that would have remained vacant otherwise. The more than 10,000 immigrants that moved to North Dakota between 2010 and 2014, for instance, helped fill labor gaps created when locals took well-paid jobs during the shale oil boom.4
Sources:
3 The Pew Charitable Trusts, “U.S. Immigration: National and State Trends and Actions” (November 2013). Available online.
4 Jack Nicas, “North Dakota City Draws Foreign Workers,” Wall Street Journal, 2012, sec. Business. Available online.
States with Largest Percent Increase in Number of Immigrants, 2010-2014
Voting Power and Citizenship
As more immigrants naturalize and become eligible to vote, they will continue to gain power at the voting booth. Nationally, almost 20 million foreign-born citizens were eligible to vote in the 2016 election. By 2020, that figure is projected to rise to 21.2 million. In some states, foreign-born voters are already capable of deciding elections. In Nevada, for instance, almost 256,000 immigrants were eligible to vote in 2016, a number more than nine times higher than Hillary Clinton’s margin of victory in the state that year.
Eligible Immigrant Voters Versus Number of Votes that Decided Presidential Result in Key States, 2016
Immigrants Eligible to Naturalize in Selected States and the United States, 2017
Diversifying the Electorate
Although the white working class played a significant role in the 2016 election, demographic trends mean they will see their influence decline in future electoral contests. While only 11.2 percent of the current U.S. senior population identifies as Hispanic or Asian-American, 27.8 percent of those graduating from high school in the next decade do.5 This means that between 2015 and 2024, the share of the electorate that is white is projected to decline by 4.4 percent. The share that will be both white and working class will see even steeper declines, falling by 5.5 percent. Given this reality, politicians hoping to remain competitive in key states in the future will need to ensure that they do not ignore the needs of Hispanic and Asian voters, many of whom are immigrants.
Sources:
5 2013 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates.
Projected Decline in the Share of Electorate that is White Working Class in Key States, 2015-2024
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