New Americans in the Sunshine State

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

Immigrants and their children are a large and growing share of Florida’s electorate.

• The foreign-born share of Florida’s population rose from 12.9% in 1990 [1], to 16.7% in 2000 [1], to 18.5% in 2008 [2], according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Florida was home to 3,391,511 immigrants in 2008 [2], which is nearly the total population of Los Angeles, California [3].

• 47.1% of immigrants (or 1,598,880 people) in Florida were naturalized U.S. citizens in 2008 [2] (up from 42.9% in 1990 [1])—meaning that they are eligible to vote.

• 14% (or 1,099,736) of registered voters in Florida 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-in-5 Floridians are Latino—and they vote.

• The Latino share of Florida’s population grew from 12.2% in 1990 [5], to 16.8% in 2000 [5], to 21.0% (or 3,848,951 people) in 2008 [2]. The Asian share of the population grew from 1.2%  in 1990 [6], to 1.7% in 2000 [6], to 2.3% (or 421,552 people) in 2008 [2], according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

• Latinos accounted for 15.4% (or 1,227,000) of Florida voters in the 2008 elections, and Asians 1.1% (or 84,000), according to the U.S. Census Bureau [7].  The number of Latino and Asian voters far exceeded the margin of victory (236,450 votes [8]) by which Barack Obama defeated John McCain in Florida.

• In Florida, more than four-in-five (or 84% of) children in immigrant families were U.S. citizens in 2007 [9], according to the Center for Social and Demographic Analysis at the University of Albany.

Immigrant workers and taxpayers are integral to Florida’s economy. 

• Florida’s immigrant workers contribute an estimated $20 billion to the state in taxes each year, according to a 2007 study by Florida International University [10]:

• $10.5 billion in federal taxes
• $4.5 billion in state and local taxes
• $1.3 billion in property taxes
• $3.2 billion in sales taxes.

• Immigrants comprised 23.2% of the state’s workforce in 2008 [2] (or 2,121,988 workers), according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

• Unauthorized immigrants comprised 8.2% of the state’s workforce (or 750,000 workers) in 2008 [11], according to a report by the Pew Hispanic Center.

• Immigrants accounted for 38% of total economic output in the Miami metropolitan area and 13% of total economic output in the Tampa 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.”

• If all unauthorized immigrants were removed from Florida, the state would lose $43.9 billion in economic activity, $19.5 billion in gross state product, and approximately 262,436 jobs, even accounting for adequate market adjustment time, according to a report by the Perryman Group [13].

Latino and Asian consumers and business owners are integral to Florida’s economy.

• The 2009 purchasing power of Latinos in Florida totaled $101.2 billion—an increase of 408.9% since 1990.  Asian buying power totaled $15.5 billion—an increase of 552.5% since 1990, according to the Selig Center for Economic Growth [14] at the University of Georgia.

• Florida’s 266,688 Latino-owned [15] businesses had sales and receipts of $40.9 billion and employed 222,516 people in 2002, the last year for which data is available.  The state’s 41,258 Asian-owned [16] businesses had sales and receipts of $11.2 billion and employed 91,422 people in 2002,  according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Survey of Business Owners.

Immigrants are integral to Florida’s economy as students.

• Florida’s 30,386 foreign students contributed $806.6 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 [17].

Naturalized citizens excel educationally.

• In Florida, 27.9% of foreign-born persons who were naturalized U.S. citizens in 2008 [18] had a bachelor’s or higher degree, compared to 21.9% of noncitizens.  At the same time, only 19.9% of naturalized citizens lacked a high-school diploma, compared to 30.2% of noncitizens.

• The number of immigrants in Florida with a college degree increased by 62.9% between 2000 and 2008, according to data [18] from the Migration Policy Institute.

• In Florida, 79.9% 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 [18].

UPDATED: JULY 2010

Published On: Tue, Aug 11, 2009 | Download File [19]