immigrants and their children are growing shares of Ohio’s population and electorate. 

• The foreign-born share of Ohio’s population rose from 2.4% in 1990, to 3.0% in 2000, to 4.1% in 2010, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Ohio was home to 469,748 immigrants in 2010, which is more than the total population of Atlanta, Georgia.

• 48.8% of immigrants (or 229,049 people) in Ohio were naturalized U.S. citizens in 2010—meaning that they are eligible to vote.

• 3.1% (or 189,363) of all registered voters in Ohio are “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 analysis of 2008 Census Bureau by Rob Paral & Associates.

Nearly 1 in 20 Ohioans are Latino or Asian.

• The Latino share of Ohio’s population grew from 1.3% in 1990, to 1.9% in 2000, to 3.1% (or 357,622 people) in2010.  The Asian share of the population grew from 0.8% in 1990, to 1.2% in 2000, to 1.7% (or 196,115 people) in2010, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

• Latinos comprised 1.3% (or 74,000) of Ohio voters in the 2008 elections, and Asians just under 1% (or 51,000), according to the U.S. Census Bureau.  Although the numbers of Latino and Asian voters were relatively small, they were equivalent to nearly half of the narrow margin of victory (258,897 votes) by which Barack Obama won this key battleground state.

• In Ohio, 4 in 5 (or 84% of) children with immigrant parents were U.S. citizens in 2007, according to the Center for Social and Demographic Analysis at the University of Albany.

• In Ohio, 85.3% of children with immigrant parents were U.S. citizens in 2009, according to data from the Urban Institute.

• In 2009, 85.1% of children in Asian families in Ohio were U.S. citizens, as were 94% of children in Latino families. 

Franklin County is home to roughly a quarter of Ohio’s foreign-born population—especially the Somali refugee community—and they contribute to the state’s political and economic landscape.

• The share of Franklin County’s foreign-born population increased from 3.4% in 1990, to 6.0% in 2000, to 9.6% (or 111,686 people) in 2010, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

• Columbus, Ohio, ranked 2^nd in percent of new foreign-born residents (those who came to the United States since 2000) compared to other major metropolitan areas, according to a study by Community Research Partners.

• The Somali Community Access Network estimates that Central Ohio was home to more than 45,000 Somali Americans in 2009—making it the second largest Somali population in the United States; second only to Minneapolis, Minnesota.

• Somalis own more than 400 small businesses in Columbus, Ohio, which contribute revenue to the local economy.

• Somali community leaders estimate that as much as 30% of the Somali population in Central Ohio (roughly 14,000 people) has now gained U.S. citizenship—and they vote, according to news reports.

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

• The 2010 purchasing power of Ohio’s Latinos totaled $7.7 billion—an increase of 394.9% since 1990. Asian buying power totaled $7.3 billion—an increase of 292.7% since 1990, according to the Selig Center for Economic Growth at the University of Georgia.

• Ohio’s 18,198 Asian-owned businesses had sales and receipts of $6.8 billion and employed 51,478 people in 2007, the last year for which data is available. The state’s 9,722 Latino-owned businesses had sales and receipts of $2.3 billion and employed 11,562 people in 2007, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Survey of Business Owners.

Immigrants are essential to Ohio’s economy as workers and taxpayers.

• Immigrants comprised 4.7 % of the state’s workforce in 2010 (or 277,781 workers), according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

• Unauthorized immigrants comprised 1.2% of the state’s workforce (or 70,000 workers) in 2010, according to a report by the Pew Hispanic Center.

• Immigrants accounted for 7% of total economic output in the Cleveland metropolitan area and 5% of economic output in the Cincinnati metropolitan area as of 2007, according to a study by the Fiscal Policy Institute.

• If all unauthorized immigrants were removed from Ohio, the state would lose $4.0 billion in economic activity, $1.8 billion in gross state product, and approximately 25,019 jobs, even accounting for adequate market adjustment time, according to a report by the Perryman Group.

Unauthorized immigrants pay taxes. 

• Unauthorized immigrants in Ohio paid $103.9 million in state and local taxes in 2010, according to data from the Institute for Taxation and Economic Policy, which includes:

• $7.5 million in property taxes.
• $71.3 million in sales taxes.
• $25.1 million in personal income tax 

Immigrants are integral to Ohio’s economy as students.

• Ohio’s 22,370 foreign students contributed $583.9 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 in Ohio excel educationally. 

• The number of immigrants in Ohio with a college degree increased by 31.5% between 2000 and 2009, according to data from the Migration Policy Institute.

• 38.6% of Ohio’s foreign-born population age 25 and older had a bachelor’s or higher degree in 2009, compared to 23.4% of native-born persons age 25 and older.

• In Ohio, 87.1% of children with immigrant parents were considered “English proficient” as of 2009, according to data from the Urban Institute.

• The English proficiency rate among Asian children in Ohio was 88.7%, while for Latino children it was 87.8%, as of 2009.

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