New Americans in Chicago

A new report from New American Economy shows that immigrants represented 36 percent of Chicago’s entrepreneurs and generated $659 million in business income in 2016. The report, New Americans in Chicago, was produced in partnership with the Chicago Mayor’s Office of New Americans. The report also shows that immigrants also held nearly a quarter of the spending power among the city’s residents, earned nearly $17 billion in household income, and paid $6 billion in taxes in 2016.

In addition to their financial contributions, the report shows the foreign-born population’s role as contributors to the workforce in Chicago. Although foreign-born residents made up 20.7 percent of the city’s overall population in 2016, they represented 24.3 percent of its working-age population, 25.5 percent of its employed labor force, and 26.9 percent of its STEM workers. Immigrants in Chicago are also putting down roots in the US. Nearly half of all immigrants in Chicago were naturalized citizens in 2016.

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