New Americans in Kent County
A new report from NAE shows that immigrants in Kent County contributed $3.3 billion to the county’s GDP in 2016 and paid $214 million in federal taxes and $102 million in state and local taxes. The report, New Americans in Kent County, was prepared in partnership with Samaritas, the City of Grand Rapids, the Grand Rapids Chamber, the West Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and The Right Place.
In addition to their financial contributions, the report shows the foreign-born population’s role as contributors to the workforce in Kent County, and as drivers of population growth. Although the foreign-born made up 8.0 percent of the county’s overall population in 2016, they represented 9.9 percent of its working-age population (people ages 16-64), 9.4 percent of its employed labor force, and 9.9 percent of its STEM workers. Immigrants were also responsible for a quarter of population growth in the county between 2011 and 2016.
New American Economy. (2018). New Americans in Kent County. Retrieved from http://www.newamericaneconomy.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/G4G_KentCounty.pdf