Bringing Vitality to Main Street: How Immigrant Small Businesses Help Local Economies Grow

Immigrants were responsible for all of the net growth in Main Street business nationally and in 31 of the 50 largest U.S. metropolitan areas between 2000 and 2013. This is the main finding of a first-of-its-kind report that demonstrates the high value of immigrants to local economies, particularly as Main Street business owners, and their importance in building healthy, safe and economically viable neighborhoods. Bringing Vitality to Main Street: How Immigrant Small Businesses Help Local Economies Grow uses data from the American Community Survey and Survey of Business Owners to determine that immigrants make up about 13 percent of general populations, 16 percent of the labor force, 18 percent of business owners and 28 percent of Main Street business owners. The data also show that, between 2000 and 2013, immigrants accounted for 48 percent of overall growth of business ownership in the U.S. Based on these findings, the authors suggest that, for cities, the benefits of encouraging immigration and business ventures among such groups will spread to the greater population through economic development and neighborhood revitalization. The authors also conducted in-depth case studies of three metro areas - Philadelphia, Nashville and Minneapolis-St. Paul – and examined their policies and programs aimed at helping immigrants and their businesses. To fully maximize the potential value of immigrants and Main Street businesses, the authors recommend establishing a local governmental office to set a welcoming tone, creating culturally competent business training, promoting community-based financial assistance, and ensuring that resources and programs are available to all.

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