Immigrants in Connecticut

The hotel and food industry is the most common sector for Connecticut’s immigrant workers, a new report has found. By analyzing everything form earnings to countries of origins, the study has helped paint a picture of Connecticut’s immigrant work force. This growing population is more diverse, earns more and is more likely to achieve citizenship status than the foreign-born in other states. And though the state’s immigrants are more concentrated in lower-wage industries than US-born workers, the report found that the number of highly-skilled Connecticut immigrants is growing fast.

Stamford has the largest number of immigrants in Connecticut–35,000–as well as the largest share of immigrants out of its total population–30%. Norwalk had the fourth largest share of immigrants, with 20% of thepopulation, followed Greenwich’s 19%.

In the US, about 12% of the population is foreign-born, which is comparable with Connecticut’s immigrant population. But nationwide, Latin American and Caribbean immigrants account for more than half and Mexicans make up about a third of all immigrants. In Connecticut, nearly 40% of the foreign-born came from Europe, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Poland topped the list of countries of orgin, but no single nation accounts for more than 10% of the state’s immigrants.

Source: Stamford Advocate, Dec. 22, 2005
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