New Americans in San Diego
Immigrants contributed over $54 billion—25 percent—to the San Diego metro area GDP in 2016, according to a new research brief released by New American Economy in partnership with the City of San Diego, the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, and the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation. The report was published at the Welcoming San Diego Kickoff Summit, a convening launching a multi-sector effort to advance the civic, social and economic integration of immigrants and refugees in San Diego.
In addition to their financial contributions, New Americans in San Diego shows the critical role the foreign-born population plays in San Diego’s workforce. Immigrants make up a significant portion of several of the area’s most important industries, including science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), agriculture, manufacturing, and construction. Immigrants also account for nearly one-third of all entrepreneurs in the county. The more than 64,000 immigrant entrepreneurs in San Diego generated $1.4 billion in business income in 2016.
New American Economy. (2018). New Americans in San Diego. Retrieved from http://research.newamericaneconomy.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/02/G4G_SanDiego_V4_DIGITAL.pdf