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New Americans in the Silver State

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

Nearly 15% of registered voters in Nevada are immigrants or the children of immigrants.

  • The foreign-born share of Nevada’s population rose from 8.7% in 1990, to 15.8% in 2000, to 18.9% in 2008, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Nevada was home to 490,717 immigrants in 2008, which is roughly equal to the total population of Atlanta, Georgia.
  • 36.8% of immigrants in Nevada (or 180,554 people) were naturalized U.S. citizens in 2008—meaning that they are eligible to vote.
  • 14.8% (or 133,890) of all registered voters in Nevada are “New Americans”—naturalized citizens or the U.S.-born children of immigrants who were raised during the current era of large-scale immigration from Latin America and Asia which began in 1965—according to an analysis of 2006 Census Bureau data by Rob Paral & Associates.

Latinos make up one quarter of all Nevadans—and they vote.

  • The Latino share of Nevada’s population grew from 10.4% in 1990, to 19.7% in 2000, to 25.7% (or 668,243 people) in 2008.  The Asian share of the population grew from 2.9% in 1990, to 4.5% in 2000, to 6.0% (or 156,010 people) in 2008, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
  • Latinos comprised 11.6% (or 119,000) of Nevada voters in the 2008 elections, and Asians 3.4% (or 35,000), according to the U.S. Census Bureau.  The numbers of Latino and Asian voters exceeded Barack Obama’s margin of victory over John McCain (120,909 votes) in this electoral battleground state.
  • In Nevada, nearly three-fifths (or 58%) of the children in immigrant families were U.S. citizens in 2007, according to the Center for Social and Demographic Analysis at the University of Albany.

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

  • Immigrants comprised 24.1% of the state’s workforce in 2008 (or 333,302 workers), according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
  • Latino immigrants in Nevada paid roughly $2.6 billion in federal taxes and $1.6 billion in state and local taxes (including $500 million in sales taxes) in 2005.  The money that Latino immigrants “earn and spend in Nevada accounts for about 25% of the State’s Gross State Product,” and Latino immigrant “employment, income and spending results in the creation of 108,380 jobs in Nevada,” according to a 2007 report from the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada.
  • Latino immigrants comprised about 16% of the state’s entire workforce in 2005, and an even higher share in select industries: 81% of the agricultural workforce, 47% of the construction and mining workforce, and 22% of the entertainment and tourist services workforce, according to a 2007 report from the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada.

Unauthorized immigrants are integral to Nevada’s economy as workers and consumers.

  • Unauthorized immigrants comprised 12.2% of the state’s workforce in 2008 (or 170,000 workers), according to a report by the Pew Hispanic Center.
  • If all unauthorized immigrants were removed from Nevada, the state would lose $9.7 billion in economic activity, $4.3 billion in gross state product, and approximately 45,533 jobs, even accounting for adequate market adjustment time, according to a report by the Perryman Group.

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

  • The 2009 purchasing power of Nevada’s Latinos totaled $14.3 billion—an increase of 955.3% since 1990.  Asian buying power totaled $6.1 billion—an increase of 980.7% since 1990, according to the Selig Center for Economic Growth at the University of Georgia.
  • Nevada’s 9,741 Latino-owned businesses had sales and receipts of $1.6 billion and employed 12,874 people in 2002, the last year for which data is available.  The state’s 8,872 Asian-owned businesses had sales and receipts of $2 billion and employed 12,713 people in 2002, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Survey of Business Owners.

Immigrants are important to Nevada’s economy as students.

Naturalized citizens excel educationally.

  • In Nevada, 27.3% of foreign-born persons who were naturalized U.S. citizens in 2008 had a bachelor’s or higher degree, compared to 13.2% of noncitizens.  At the same time, only 22.6% of naturalized citizens lacked a high-school diploma, compared to 46.5% of noncitizens.
  • The number of immigrants in Nevada with a college degree increased by 136.7% between 2000 and 2008, according to data from the Migration Policy Institute.
  • In Nevada, 74.1% 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: Thu, Jul 30, 2009 | Download File

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