New Americans in New Hampshire

[1]The Political and Economic Power of Immigrants, Latinos, and Asians in the Granite State (Updated January 2012)

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

The foreign-born share of New Hampshire’s population rose from 3.7% in 1990 [5], to 4.4% in 2000 [5], to 5.3% in 2010 [6], according to the U.S. Census Bureau. New Hampshire was home to 69,742 immigrants in 2010 [6].

54% of immigrants (or 37,647 people) in New Hampshire were naturalized U.S. citizens in 2010 [6]—meaning that they are eligible to vote.

5.7% (or 43,084) of registered voters in New Hampshire 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 [7].

1 in 20 Granite Staters are Latino or Asian.

The Latino share of New Hampshire’s population grew from 1.0% in 1990 [8], to 1.7% in 2000 [8], to 2.8% (or 36,869 people) in 2010 [6]. The Asian share of the population grew from 0.8% in 1990 [9], to 1.3% in 2000 [9], to 2.1% (or 27,652 people) in 2010 [6], according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Latinos accounted for 1.1% (or 8,000) of New Hampshire voters in the 2008 elections, according to the U.S. Census Bureau [10].
In New Hampshire, 92.4% of children with immigrant parents were U.S. citizens in 2009 [11], according to data from the Urban Institute.

In 2009 [11], 89.2% of children in Asian families in New Hampshire were U.S. citizens, as were 96.1% of children in Latino families.

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

The 2010 purchasing power of Asians in New Hampshire totaled $1 billion—an increase of 599.7% since 1990. Latino buying power totaled $1 billion—an increase of 596.7% since 1990, according to the Selig Center for Economic Growth [12] at the University of Georgia.

New Hampshire’s 2,211 Asian-owned [13] businesses had sales and receipts of $733.4 million and employed 5,083 people in 2007, the last year for which data is available. The state’s 1,441 Latino-owned [13] businesses had sales and receipts of $189.4 million and employed 905 people in 2007, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Survey of Business Owners.

Immigrants are integral to New Hampshire’s economy as workers and taxpayers.

Immigrants comprised 6% of the state’s workforce in 2010 [6] (or 44,656 workers), according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Unauthorized immigrants comprised roughly 1.6% of the state’s workforce (or 10,000 workers) in 2010 [14], according to a report by the Pew Hispanic Center.

If all unauthorized immigrants were removed from New Hampshire, the state would lose $893.2 million in economic activity, $396.7 million in gross state product, and approximately 5,220 jobs, even accounting for adequate market adjustment time, according to a report by the Perryman Group [15].

Unauthorized immigrants pay taxes.

Unauthorized immigrants in New Hampshire paid $5.1 million in state and local taxes in 2010 [16], according to data from the Institute for Taxation and Economic Policy, which includes:

$114,119 in state income taxes.

$1.5 million in property taxes.

$3.5 million in sales taxes.

Immigrants are integral to New Hampshire’s economy as students.

New Hampshire’s 2,332 foreign students contributed $80.6 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 [17].

Naturalized Citizens excel educationally.

In New Hampshire, 36.9% of foreign-born persons who were naturalized U.S. citizens in 2009 [18] had a bachelor’s or higher degree.

The number of immigrants in New Hampshire with a college degree increased by 55.2% between 2000 and 2009, according to data [18] from the Migration Policy Institute.

In New Hampshire, 91.3% of children with immigrant parents were considered “English proficient” as of 2009 [11], according to data from the Urban Institute.

The English proficiency rate among Asian children in New Hampshire was 89.2%, while for Latino children it was 88.8%, as of 2009 [11].

Published On: Wed, Jan 11, 2012 | Download File [3]