New American Economy has developed a series of research briefs that examine the demographic and economic contributions of immigrant communities in cities across the state of Ohio. The latest report, produced with the City of Columbus and the Columbus Chamber of Commerce, focuses on Ohio’s capital city, Columbus, and shows that immigrants positively impact the local economy through their workforce participation, entrepreneurship, tax contributions, and spending power.

The report, “New Americans in Columbus,” finds:

• Foreign-born households in Columbus have more than $2 billion in spending power and contribute over $258 million in taxes to state and local budgets.

• While the number of U.S.-born entrepreneurs decreased by 1.2 percent between 2007 and 2012, the number of foreign-born entrepreneurs increased by 41.5 percent.

• Immigrants make up a significant share of the high-tech workforce in Columbus, representing 39 percent of I.T. workers, 35.7 percent of aerospace workers, and 20.8 percent of biotech workers.

• Between 2007 and 2012, the foreign-born population of Columbus’ metropolitan area accounted for 24.6 percent of total population growth.
• While 15.6 percent of foreign-born individuals in Columbus hold advanced degrees (master’s, professional, or doctorates), only 8.4 percent of U.S.-born people are similarly qualified.

Read the full report here, and see similar reports on Cincinnati and Dayton.