- Special Report
Contributions of New Americans in Mid-Michigan
Published
New research from the American Immigration Council shows that immigrants in the mid-Michigan region play a crucial role as taxpayers, workers, consumers, and more. In 2022 alone, immigrants paid $150.3 million in federal taxes and held $407.4 million in spending power.
The new report, Contributions of New Americans in Mid-Michigan, was prepared in partnership with the Michigan Global Talent Coalition. The report focuses on mid-Michigan communities, including Arenac, Bay, Clare, Gladwin, Gratiot, Isabella, Mecosta, Midland, Osceola, and Saginaw counties.
In 2022, 12,700 immigrants lived in the region, accounting for 2.1 percent of the total population. Immigrant households earned $557.7 million and contributed $1.3 billion to the region’s gross domestic product (GDP), or 4.0 percent of total GDP for that year.
The report also features profiles of community members: Manuela Powidayko Alberici Souza, Director of the Department of Planning and Community Development in Mount Pleasant, and Pavel Konecny, President and CEO of Tri-Star Trust.
Read the press release here.
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Immigration is crucial to mitigating population decline in the mid-Michigan region. Between 2017 and 2022, the region’s total population declined by 1.4 percent while the immigrant population grew by 2.3 percent.
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Immigrants are helping the region meet its labor force demands. In 2022, immigrants in the region were 21.9 percent more likely to be of working age than their U.S.-born counterparts. Despite making up 2.1 percent of the mid-Michigan population, immigrants comprised 2.5 percent of the region’s working age population and 2.7 percent of its employed labor force.
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Immigrants contribute to the region’s economy across the skills spectrum. In 2022, 30.4 percent of mid-Michigan's immigrants held an advanced degree, and 46.4 percent possessed a bachelor’s degree or higher, while 17.1 percent had less than a high school education. This positions immigrants to support industries with and without degree requirements.
Help us fight for immigration justice!
The research is clear – immigrants are more likely to win their cases with a lawyer by their side. But very few can get attorneys.
Introducing the Immigration Justice Campaign Access Fund.
Your support sends attorneys, provides interpreters, and delivers justice.
Immigration Justice Campaign is an initiative of American Immigration Council and American Immigration Lawyers Association. The mission is to increase free legal services for immigrants navigating our complicated immigration system and leverage the voices and experiences of those most directly impacted by our country’s immigration policies to inform legal and advocacy strategies. We bring together a broad network of volunteers who provide legal assistance and advocate for due process for immigrants with a humane approach that includes universal legal representation and other community-based support for individuals during their immigration cases.