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New Americans in the Buckeye State

The Political and Economic Power of Immigrants, Latinos, and Asians in Ohio.

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 3.7% in 2008, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.  Ohio was home to 427,040 immigrants in 2008, which is roughly equal to the total population of Miami, Florida.
  • 48.3% of immigrants (or 206,449 people) in Ohio were naturalized U.S. citizens in 2008—meaning that they are eligible to vote.
  • 2.4% (or 142,061) of all registered voters in Ohio 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 2006 Census Bureau data by Rob Paral & Associates.

4.1% of Ohioans are Latino or Asian.

  • The Latino share of Ohio’s population grew from 1.3% in 1990, to 1.9% in 2000, to 2.6% (or 298,634 people) in 2008.  The Asian share of the population grew from 0.8%  in 1990, to 1.2% in 2000, to 1.5% (or 172,289 people) in 2008, 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, seven-in-ten (or 70% of) children in immigrant families were U.S. citizens in 2007, according to the Center for Social and Demographic Analysis at the University of Albany.

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 8.6% (or 96,589 people) in 2007, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
  • Columbus, Ohio, ranked 2nd 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 is home to more than 45,000 Somali Americans—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 2009 purchasing power of Ohio’s Latinos totaled $6.8 billion—an increase of 334.7% since 1990.  Asian buying power totaled $6.9 billion—an increase of 270.4% since 1990, according to the Selig Center for Economic Growth at the University of Georgia.
  • Ohio’s 13,740 Asian-owned businesses had sales and receipts of $5.1 billion and employed 42,955 people in 2002, the last year for which data is available.  The state’s 7,109 Latino-owned businesses had sales and receipts of $1.3 billion and employed 11,348 people in 2002, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Survey of Business Owners.

Immigrants are essential to Ohio’s economy as workers.

  • Immigrants comprised 4.2% of the state’s workforce in 2008 (or 253,096 workers), according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
  • Unauthorized immigrants comprised 1.1% of the state’s workforce in 2008 (or 65,000 workers), 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.  In fact, “immigrants contribute to the economy in direct relation to their share of the population.  The economy of metro areas grows in tandem with the immigrant share of the labor force.”
  • 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.

Immigrants are integral to Ohio’s economy as students.

Immigrants in Ohio excel educationally.

  • The number of immigrants in Ohio with a college degree increased by 33.2% between 2000 and 2008, according to data from the Migration Policy Institute.
  • 40.1% of Ohio’s foreign-born population age 25 and older had a bachelor’s or higher degree in 2008, compared to 23.3% of native-born persons age 25 and older.
  • In Ohio, 71.6% of all children between the ages of 5 and 17 in families that spoke a language other than English at home also spoke English “very well” as of 2008.

UPDATED: JULY 2010

Published On: Mon, Jul 27, 2009 | Download File

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