New research from New American Economy shows that immigrants accounted for 40 percent of Dallas County’s business owners in 2017. The report, New Americans in Dallas County, was prepared in partnership with the North Dallas Chamber of Commerce.

In addition to their financial contributions, which included paying $2.8 billion in federal taxes and $1.3 billion in state and local taxes, the report highlights how immigrants fill crucial workforce gaps. Immigrants made up 24.5 percent of the area’s population, but represented nearly one third — 32.1 percent — of its working-age population. Additionally, immigrants had an outsize impact on key industries vital to the economic stability of Dallas County. Immigrants accounted for 31.2 percent of Dallas County’s science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) workers, 65 percent of construction workers, 41.3 percent of manufacturing workers, and 40.5 percent of hospitality workers.

Dallas County immigrants also helped strengthen the local job market by helping to preserve or create 29,457 local manufacturing jobs that would have otherwise vanished or moved elsewhere by 2017.

Key findings include: 

• Immigrants make significant economic contributions to the economy. Alongside the $2.8 billion immigrants paid in federal taxes and $1.3 billion in state and local taxes, immigrants contributed $1.9 billion to Social Security and $483.5 million to Medicare in 2017.
• Immigrants help fill workforce gaps. In 2017, 86.6 percent of  immigrants in Dallas County were of working age, in contrast to 59.3 percent of the U.S.-born population, helping to fill employment gaps across industries. They represented 31.2 percent of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) workers, 65 percent of construction workers, 41.3 percent of manufacturing workers, and 40.5 percent of hospitality workers.
• Immigrants are creating jobs in Dallas County. In 2017, Dallas County was home to 48,228 immigrant entrepreneurs with a total business income of $1.2 billion. Immigrants represented 40 percent of all business owners in the county.

The report is based on NAE’s analysis of microdata from the 2017 American Community Survey. Click here to read the full report, New Americans in Dallas County.