NY Has 316,244 Immigrant Entrepreneurs That Employ Households That Wield $117.8 Billion In Spending Power

Today New American Economy (NAE), a bipartisan research and immigration advocacy organization, released new data through Map the Impact.

Map the Impact is an interactive map that quantifies immigrant contributions at the national (from Harlem to Hollywood), state, city, and congressional district levels, and across industries. 

Map the Impact now features new findings at the state level, based on analysis of the latest data available from the American Community Survey on immigrant tax contributions, spending power, entrepreneurship, demographics, voting power, and more.

This year’s Map the Impact also features new analysis showing how DACA recipients and TPS holders are especially important contributors to New York state’s economy. These findings are especially timely as Congress considers legislation to protect DACA and TPS holders.

Key findings for New York include: 

• In 2017, immigrant households paid about $51.6 billion in taxes and held almost $117.8 billion in spending power.
• In 2017, immigrant-owned firms employed nearly 825,557 workers 
• Over 55 percent of construction workers were foreign-born workers
• In 2017, more than 26 percent of STEM workers and 59 percent of health aides in the state were foreign-born.

“This data shows the central role immigrants play in every state in the union as workers, consumers, entrepreneurs, and homeowners,” said John Feinblatt, President of New American Economy. “The findings show that immigration creates an economic opportunity — creating jobs, filling workforce gaps, and helping communities thrive.”

Focusing specifically on the DACA-eligible population and TPS holders in New York, NAE finds that: 

• In 2017, 76,262 DACA-eligible people lived in New York.
• DACA-eligible residents earned $1.8 billion in total income in 2017 alone, paying $359.3 million in federal income, state, and local taxes, leaving them with nearly $1.4 billion in spending power.
• 93 percent of the DACA eligible population in the labor force that is employed.
• In 2017, there were 27,347 immigrants with Temporary Protected Status in New York. 97 percent of TPS holders were working age and 94.9 percent of TPS holders were employed. 
• TPS holders paid $188.2 million in federal income, state, and local taxes. They held nearly $551 million in spending power.