New Americans in Cincinnati
Date: October 28, 2015
On October 28, 2015, Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley and Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber of Commerce CEO Jill Meyer held a press conference to acknowledge the economic and demographic contributions immigrants have made in the Cincinnati metropolitan area.
Drawing on data from a research report produced by New American Economy with the Chamber, they provided information on how immigrants have strengthened the local tax base, boosted the economy through entrepreneurship, and filled workforce gaps in the region’s high-tech industry.
The report, “New Americans in Cincinnati” finds:
- Although immigrants in metro Cincinnati made up 3.5 percent of the population in 2012, they held more than $1.5 billion in spending power and contributed over $189 million in state and local tax dollars.
- In 2012, foreign-born households contributed more than $266 million to Social Security and $62 million to Medicare.
- Immigrants also play an important role in the region’s high-tech industries, representing more than 10 percent of local STEM workers, 6.8 percent of the high-tech workforce, and 11.3 percent of all information technology workers.
- Between 2007 and 2012, the foreign-born population of Cincinnati’s metropolitan area accounted for 12.3 percent of total population growth.
- In metro Cincinnati, approximately 42.4 percent of the foreign-born population is made up of naturalized citizens.
