New Americans in the Beaver State

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

Immigrants and their children are growing shares of Oregon’s population and electorate.

• The foreign-born share of Oregon’s population rose from 4.9% in 1990 [1], to 8.5% in 2000 [1], to 9.7% in 2008 [2], according to the U.S. Census Bureau.  Oregon was home to 366,405 immigrants in 2008 [2], which is nearly the total population of Minneapolis, Minnesota [3].

• 36.1% of immigrants (or 132,238 people) in Oregon were naturalized U.S. citizens in 2008 [2]—meaning that they are eligible to vote.

• 6.5% (or 125,082) of registered voters in Oregon 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].

Nearly one-in-seven Oregonians are Latino or Asian.

• The Latino share of Oregon’s population grew from 4.0% in 1990 [5], to 8.0% in 2000 [5], to 11.0% (or 416,907 people) in 2008 [2].  The Asian share of the population grew from 2.3% in 1990 [6], to 3.0% in 2000 [6], to 3.4% (or 128,862 people) in 2008 [2], according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

• Latinos accounted for 2.1% (or 39,000) of Oregon voters in the 2008 elections, and Asians 1.8% (33,000) according to the U.S. Census Bureau [7].  

• In Oregon, more than four-in-five (or 84% of) children in immigrant families were U.S. citizens in 2007 [8], according to the Center for Social and Demographic Analysis at the University of Albany.

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

• The 2009 purchasing power of Latinos in Oregon totaled $7.0 billion—an increase of 660.9% since 1990.  Asian buying power totaled $4.7 billion—an increase of 425.0% since 1990, according to the Selig Center for Economic Growth [9] at the University of Georgia.

• Oregon’s 6,360 Latino-owned [10] businesses had sales and receipts of $1.4 billion and employed 8,272 people in 2002, the last year for which data is available.  The state’s 9,046 Asian-owned [11] businesses had sales and receipts of $2.2 billion and employed 22,714 people in 2002, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Survey of Business Owners.

Immigrants are essential to Oregon’s economy as workers.

• Immigrants comprised 12.2% of the state’s workforce in 2008 [2] (or 239,997 workers), according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Unauthorized immigrants are integral to Oregon’s economy as workers and taxpayers.

• Immigrants accounted for 12% of total economic output in the Portland metropolitan area as of 2007, according to a study by the Fiscal Policy Institute [12].  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.”

• Unauthorized immigrants comprised roughly 5.4% of the state’s workforce (or 100,000 workers) in 2008 [13], according to a report by the Pew Hispanic Center.

• Unauthorized workers in Oregon paid between $134 million and $187 million in taxes in 2005 [14], according to a 2007 study by the Oregon Center for Public Policy, including:

• $65 million to $90 million in state income, excise, and property taxes.
• $56 million to $79 million in Social Security taxes.
• $13 million to $18 million in Medicare taxes.

• In addition, Oregon employers paid between $97 million and $136 million in taxes on behalf of unauthorized workers in 2005 [14], including:

• $56 million to $79 million in Social Security taxes.
• $13 million to $18 million in Medicare taxes.
• $28 million to $39 million in state unemployment insurance taxes.

• If all unauthorized immigrants were removed from Oregon, the state would lose $3.4 billion in economic activity, $1.5 billion in gross state product, and approximately 19,259 jobs, even accounting for adequate market adjustment time, according to a report by the Perryman Group [15].

Immigrants are integral to Oregon’s economy as students.

• Oregon’s 6,648 foreign students contributed $188 million to the state’s economy in tuition, fees, and living expenses for the 2008-2009 academic year, according to NAFSA: Association of International Educators [16].

Naturalized citizens excel educationally.

• In Oregon, 33.5% of foreign-born persons who were naturalized U.S. citizens in 2008 [17] had a bachelor’s or higher degree, compared to 19.2% of noncitizens.  At the same time, only 19.6% of naturalized citizens lacked a high-school diploma, compared to 43.4% of noncitizens.

• The number of immigrants in Oregon with a college degree increased by 51.9% between 2000 and 2008, according to data [17] from the Migration Policy Institute.

• In Oregon, 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 [17].

UPDATED: JULY 2010

Published On: Fri, May 14, 2010 | Download File [18]