Today, New American Economy (NAE) released our annual New American Fortune 500, showing that immigrants and their children are behind some of America’s biggest companies.

Since 2010, NAE has quantified what percentage of Fortune 500 companies were founded by immigrants or the children of immigrants. Over that time, the share has gone from 40 percent, in 2010, to 44 percent today. These companies generate trillions of dollars in revenue each year and employ millions of people across the globe, highlighting just how critical immigrants are to America’s economic success. Companies include household names like Apple and Costco, as well as those new to the list this year like Moody’s and Chewy.

Key Findings

• Almost half of Fortune 500 companies were founded by immigrants or the children of immigrants. In 2021, 220 companies, or 44 percent of the Fortune 500, were founded by immigrants or the children of immigrants, holding steady since last year. 
  • 105 companies were founded by immigrants and an additional 115 companies were founded by the children of immigrants. 
• These companies employ almost 14 million people. New American Fortune 500 companies employ 13.9 million people — a population that would rank as the fifth largest state in the country, just after New York. 
• These companies generate trillions in annual revenue. In FY2020, these New American Fortune 500 companies brought in more than $6.2 trillion dollars in revenue, or a sum equal to the third largest economy in the world, behind only China and the United States.  
• New York, California, Illinois, Texas, and Florida lead the way. New York, America’s original immigrant gateway, leads the pack with 31 New American Fortune 500 companies. California comes in second with 25, followed by Illinois with 23, Texas with 21, and Florida with 12.

Learn more about the New American Fortune 500 and check out our data interactive here.