New Americans in the Evergreen State

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

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

• The foreign-born share of Washington’s population rose from 6.6% in 1990 [1], to 10.4% in 2000 [1], to 12.3% in 2008 [2], according to the U.S. Census Bureau.  Washington was home to 804,364 immigrants in 2008 [2], which is roughly the total population of San Francisco, California [3].

• 44.0% of immigrants (or 353,780 people) in Washington were naturalized U.S. citizens in 2008 [2]—meaning that they are eligible to vote. 

• 7.5% (or 231,755) of registered voters in Washington 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 1 in 6 Washingtonians are Latino or Asian—and they vote.

• The Latino share of Washington’s population grew from 4.4% in 1990 [5], to 7.5% in 2000 [5], to 9.8% (or 641,824 people) in 2008 [2].  The Asian share of the population grew from 4.0% in 1990 [6], to 5.5% in 2000 [6], to 6.5% (or 425,700 people) in 2008 [2], according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

• Latinos accounted for 4.8% (or 148,000) of Washington voters in the 2008 elections, and Asians 4.3% (132,000), according to the U.S. Census Bureau [7].

• In Washington, more than four-in-five (or 83% 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 tens of billions of dollars and tens of thousands of jobs to Washington’s economy.

• The 2009 purchasing power of Asians in Washington totaled $16.6 billion—an increase of 454.6% since 1990.  Latino buying power totaled $13.4 billion—an increase of 552.2% since 1990, according to the Selig Center for Economic Growth [9] at the University of Georgia.

• Washington’s 26,890 Asian-owned [10] businesses had sales and receipts of $7.1 billion and employed 44,938 people in 2002, the last year for which data is available.  The state’s 10,261 Latino-owned [11] businesses had sales and receipts of $1.5 billion and employed 15,852 people in 2002, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Survey of Business Owners.

Immigrants are integral to Washington’s economy as workers and taxpayers.

• Immigrants comprised 14.8% of the state’s workforce in 2008 [2] (or 515,102 workers), according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

• Immigrants contributed $1.48 billion in tax revenue to the Washington state economy in 2007 [12], accounting for 13.2% of all taxes paid in the state, according to a 2009 study by OneAmerica.

• Immigrants accounted for 16% of total economic output in the Seattle metropolitan area as of 2007, according to a study by the Fiscal Policy Institute [13].  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 3.5% of the state’s workforce (or 120,000 workers) in 2008 [14], according to a report by the Pew Hispanic Center.

• If all unauthorized immigrants were removed from Washington, the state would lose $14.5 billion in economic activity, $6.4 billion in gross state product, and approximately 71,197 jobs, even accounting for adequate market adjustment time, according to a report by the Perryman Group [15]. 

Immigrants are integral to Washington’s economy as students.

• Washington’s 15,943 foreign students contributed $384.8 million to the state’s economy in tuition, fees, and living expenses for the 2008-2009 academic year, according to the NAFSA: Association of International Educators [16] (NAFSA).

Naturalized citizens excel educationally.

• In Washington, 33.9% of foreign-born persons who were naturalized U.S. citizens in 2008 [17] had a bachelor’s or higher degree, compared to 28.2% of noncitizens.  At the same time, only 17.0% of naturalized citizens lacked a high-school diploma, compared to 35.5% of noncitizens.

• The number of immigrants in Washington with a college degree increased by 61.3% between 2000 and 2008, according to data [17] from the Migration Policy Institute.

• In Washington, 70.4% 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: Wed, Mar 10, 2010 | Download File [18]