New Americans in Connecticut

The Political and Economic Power of Immigrants, Latinos, and Asians in the Constitution State (Updated January 2012)

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Immigrants and their children are growing shares of Connecticut’s population and electorate.

• The foreign-born share of Connecticut’s population rose from 8.5% in 1990, to 10.9% in 2000, to 13.6% in 2010, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Connecticut was home to 487,120 immigrants in 2010, which is more than the total population of Sacramento, California.

• 46.8% of immigrants (or 228,059 people) in Connecticut were naturalized U.S. citizens in 2010—meaning that they are eligible to vote.

• 11.3% (or 199,011) of registered voters in Connecticut were “New Americans”—naturalized citizens or the U.S.-born children of immigrants who were raised during the current era of immigration from Latin America and Asia which began in 1965—according to an analysis of 2008 Census Bureau data by Rob Paral & Associates.

Roughly 1 in 6 Connecticuters are Latino or Asian.

• The Latino share of Connecticut’s population grew from 6.5% in 1990, to 9.4% in 2000, to 13.5% (or 482,905 people) in 2010.  The Asian share of the population grew from 1.5% in 1990, to 2.4% in 2000, to 3.8% (or 135,929 people) in 2010, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

• Latinos accounted for 5.5% (or 89,000) of Connecticut voters in the 2008 elections, and Asians 1.3% (21,000), according to the U.S. Census Bureau. 

• In Connecticut, 86.2% of children with immigrant parents were U.S. citizens in 2009, according to data from the Urban Institute.

• In 2009, 86.3% of children in Asian families in Connecticut were U.S. citizens, as were 94.4% of children in Latino families.

Latino and Asian entrepreneurs and consumers add billions of dollars and tens of thousands of jobs to Connecticut’s economy.

• The 2010 purchasing power of Latinos in Connecticut totaled $10.6 billion—an increase of 356.3% since 1990. Asian buying power totaled $6.4 billion—an increase of 504.1% since 1990, according to the Selig Center for Economic Growth at the University of Georgia.

• Connecticut’s 14,081 Latino-owned businesses had sales and receipts of $2.5 billion and employed 11,872 people in 2007, the last year for which data is available. The state’s 11,081 Asian-owned businesses had sales and receipts of $3.3 billion and employed 18,838 people in 2007, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Survey of Business Owners.

Immigrants are essential to Connecticut’s economy as workers.

• Immigrants comprised 16.8% of the state’s workforce in 2010 (or 326,580 workers), according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Unauthorized immigrants are integral to Connecticut’s economy as workers.

• Unauthorized immigrants comprised roughly 4.5% of the state’s workforce (or 85,000 workers) in 2010, according to a report by the Pew Hispanic Center.

• If all unauthorized immigrants were removed from Connecticut, the state would lose $5.6 billion in economic activity, $2.5 billion in gross state product, and approximately 24,119 jobs, even accounting for adequate market adjustment time, according to a report by the Perryman Group.

Unauthorized immigrants pay taxes.

• Unauthorized immigrants in Connecticut paid $120.5 million in state and local taxes in 2010, according to data from the Institute for Taxation and Economic Policy, which includes:

• $14.3 million in state income taxes.
• $31.2 million in property taxes.
• $75 million in sales taxes.

Immigrants are integral to Connecticut’s economy as students.

• Connecticut’s 9,268 foreign students contributed $288.1 million to the state’s economy in tuition, fees, and living expenses for the 2009-2010 academic year, according to NAFSA: Association of International Educators.

Immigrants excel educationally.

• The number of immigrants in Connecticut with a college degree increased by 44.8% between 2000 and 2009, according to data from the Migration Policy Institute.

• In Connecticut, 90.8% of children with immigrant parents were considered “English proficient” as of 2009, according to data from the Urban Institute.

• The English proficiency rate among Asian children in Connecticut was 85.3%, while for Latino children it was 90.4%, as of 2009.

Published On: Wed, Jan 11, 2012 | Download File