Importance
Ohio needs more workers and the immigrant population is growing in Ohio.
The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that Ohio’s foreign-born population grew from 513,592 in 2016 (4.4 percent of the State’s population) to 588,840 in 2021 (5 percent of the State’s population).
The Ohio foreign-born population is diverse: 41.4 percent were born in Asian countries, 19.2 percent were born in Latin American countries, 18.1 percent in African countries, 17.8 percent in European countries, and 3.5 percent in North America and Oceania countries.
54.4 percent or 585,938 are naturalized U.S. Citizens and approximately 858,731 foreign-born Ohioans speak languages other than English (7.7 percent).
According to a 2022 Migration Policy Institute report, Ohio’s foreign-born population is also highly educated. More than 41 percent have at least a bachelor’s degree, higher than the national foreign-born average of 37 percent or of the Ohio U.S.-born at 19 percent.
Nonetheless, approximately 27.9 percent of Ohio’s high-skilled foreign-born population are underemployed or unemployed.
Overview
About 5.1 percent of the state's residents are foreign-born, and 2.4 percent of U.S.-born residents live with at least one immigrant parent.
Immigrants make up 6.2 percent of Ohio's labor force and support the state's economy: accounting for 8.2 percent of entrepreneurs, 12.2 percent of STEM workers, and 22.2 percent of physicians in the state.
601,100
Number of immigrant residents
$7.3B
Immigrant tax contributions
$20.0B
Immigrant spending power
Demographics
In the United States, immigrants are more likely to be working-age than their U.S.-born counterparts. This means they are more likely to be active in the labor force, allowing them to contribute to the economy not only as consumers but also as taxpayers, helping fund social services and programs like Medicare and Social Security.
Age Group Foreign-Born Population U.S.-Born Population
0-15
16-64
65+
6.3%
79.1%
14.5%
19.9%
61.1%
19.0%
50.0%
Share of immigrants who are women
50.0%
Share of immigrants who are men
45,300
Number of immigrant children
267,200
Number of U.S.-born residents living with at least one immigrant parent
81.9%
Share of immigrants who are proficient in English
Top Countries of Origin
10.9%
India
8.3%
Mexico
4.7%
China
3.2%
Philippines
2.9%
Ukraine
Entrepreneurship
New businesses are the main driver of job growth in the United States, and immigrants found businesses at far higher rates than the U.S. population overall. Today, millions of American workers are employed at immigrant-founded and immigrant-owned companies.
8.2%
Share of entrepreneurs who are immigrants
38,200
Number of immigrant entrepreneurs
$1.0B
Total business income of immigrant entrepreneurs
7
Number of Fortune 500 companies founded by immigrants or children of immigrants
Taxes and Spending Power
Immigrant households contribute hundreds of billions of dollars in federal, state, and local taxes and hold a tremendous amount of spending power. Which gives them significant economic power, helping support local communities as consumers and taxpayers. ​Regardless of where they were born, immigrants make use of public services like education, healthcare, and public safety, and their economic contributions far outweigh the cost of any additional public services.
$27.3B
Immigrant household income
$20.0B
Total spending power
$2.7B
Immigrants’ contributions to Social Security
​
$722.8M
Immigrants’ contributions to Medicare
$2.5B
State & Local Taxes Paid
​
$4.8B
Federal Taxes Paid
​
$7.3B
Total Taxes Paid
Workforce
The growth in the immigrant population has helped to strengthen America’s labor force. As baby boomers retire, younger immigrants fill gaps in the labor market. Nationally, immigrants are more likely to hold an advanced degree than the U.S.-born. They are also more likely to have less than a high school education. As such, they are able to fill critical shortages at both ends of the skill spectrum, from high-tech positions to agriculture, hospitality, and service jobs.
378,700
Number of immigrant workers in the labor force (6.2% of workers)​​​​​​​​​​​
Education Level
Foreign-Born Population
U.S.-Born Population
Less Than High School
16.5%
7.5%
High School & Some College
39.0%
61.3%
Bachelor’s Degree
22.1%
19.1%
Graduate Degree
22.4%
​12.1%
Share of College-Educated Workers Employed in Jobs That Don’t Require a College Degree
29.7%
Foreign-Born
27.0%
PopulationU.S.-Born Population
Top Industries with Highest Share of Immigrant Workers
Top Occupations with Highest Share of Immigrant Workers
Physicians: 22.2%
Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand: 9.4%
Software Developers: 21.4%
Postsecondary Teachers: 16.0%
Miscellaneous production workers, including equipment operators and tenders: 8.8%
Science, Technology and Math
Jobs in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields are some of the most in-demand jobs in the U.S. economy. These jobs are also expected to experience some of the highest growth rates in the next decade, second only to healthcare jobs. While immigrants already play a huge part in maintaining the United States’ role as a leading innovator, immigrants will also be instrumental in helping high-tech industries meet their full potential as their needs for high-skilled STEM workers rapidly increases in the future.
Immigrants are 12.2% of the total population of STEM workers
Healthcare
As millions of baby boomers become elderly, the U.S. healthcare system is facing unprecedented demand, adding jobs faster than any other segment of the economy. Many healthcare businesses and providers are struggling to find enough workers, and in some rural areas shortages are particularly acute. Immigrants have already been filling some of our most glaring healthcare needs. They are twice as likely as the U.S.-born to work as home health aides, and twice as likely to work as physicians and surgeons.
5.5% of nurses are foreign-born
9.7% of health aides are foreign-born
Housing
Immigrant families have long played an important role in helping to build housing wealth in the United States. In recent decades, the more than 40 million immigrants in the U.S. collectively increased U.S. housing wealth by trillions of dollars. Much of this was possible because immigrants moved into neighborhoods once in decline, thus helping to revitalize communities and make neighborhoods more attractive to U.S.-born residents.
137,100
Number of immigrant homeowners
5.8%
Share of recent homebuyers who were foreign-born
$47.3B
Housing wealth held by immigrant households
$1.6B
Amount paid by immigrant households in rent
International Students
International students in the United States contribute tens of billions of dollars to the U.S. economy every year and support a significant number of U.S. jobs through their tuition payments and day-to-day spending. Research has also found that increases in the number of international students at American universities boost innovation and patent creation.
36,884
Students at Ohio colleges and universities who are international students
$1.3B
Economic contribution of international students
10,937
Jobs supported by international students
Naturalization and Voting Power
As more immigrants naturalize and become eligible to vote, they continue to gain political power. The number of immigrant voters is only projected to rise in the next decade, and in some states foreign-born voters are already capable of deciding elections.
293,600
Immigrants are eligible to vote
51.2%
Of immigrants are naturalized U.S. citizens
​308,000
Immigrants are naturalized U.S. citizens
88,400
Immigrants are eligible for naturalization
The DACA-Eligible Population
DACA-eligible people contribute billions of dollars to the U.S. economy. Removing the protections afforded to DACA recipients would likely upset local economies, communities, and schools, hurting employers and businesses that depend on these young immigrants as workers and customers.
$150.5M
DACA-eligible household income
5,600
Number of DACA-eligible residents
3,460
Number of active DACA recipients
4,676
Number of people with DACA granted
$113.7M
Total spending power
State & Local Taxes Paid
$15.6M
Federal Taxes Paid
$21.1M
Total Taxes Paid
$36.7M
Refugees
Refugees living in the United States make tremendous contributions to our economy as earners, taxpayers, and consumers. Rather than a drain on communities, refugees, with their high employment rate and entrepreneurial spirit, actually sustain and strengthen their new hometowns.
60,500
Number of likely refugees
80.1%
Share of refugees who are naturalized U.S. citizens
3,657
Number of refugees resettled in the last fiscal year
98.0%
Employment rate of likely refugees
$2.1B
Refugee household income
$1.6B
Total spending power
State & Local Taxes Paid
$200.2M
Federal Taxes Paid
$299.6M
Total Taxes Paid
$499.9M
Temporary Protected Status Holders
Recipients of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) have made enormous contributions to various industries and paid a significant amount in federal, state, and local taxes in the United States. Forcing them to leave the country not only risks putting these individuals in danger, but also threatens to significantly disrupt local economies.
$170.3M
TPS household income
$129.0M
Total spending power
State & Local Taxes Paid
$16.6M
Federal Taxes Paid​
$24.7M
Total Taxes Paid
$41.2M