NEW AMERICANS IN THE GRAND CANYON STATE: Immigrants, Latinos, and Asians are an Economic Powerhouse in Arizona

With all the anti-immigrant, close the border rhetoric in Arizona, one might think that immigrants were hurting the state’s economy.  Not so, says the Immigration Policy Center, which has compiled research (Download New%20Americans%20in%20the%20Grand%20Canyon%20State%202009[2]) showing that immigrants, Latinos, and Asians are an integral part of Arizona’s economy and tax base, as well as a growing share of voters in the state. As workers, taxpayers, consumers, and entrepreneurs, immigrants and their children are an economic powerhouse. As voters, they are a growing political force.

As the state works towards economic recovery, immigrants and their children will continue to play a key role in shaping the economic and political landscape of the Grand Canyon State. Highlights from Arizona include:

• Immigrants make up 15.6% of Arizona’s total population.

• New American voters (immigrants and the children of immigrants) comprise 10.6% of all registered voters in Arizona.

• Latinos made up 11.7% of Arizona voters in the 2008 election.

• The purchasing power of Arizona’s Latinos and Asians totaled $37.1 billion in 2008.

• Immigrant-headed households accounted for $10.5 billion in consumer spending power and contributed $776 million in tax revenue in 2004.

• If all unauthorized immigrants were removed from Arizona, the state would lose $26.4 billion in expenditures, $11.7 billion in economic output, and about 140,000 jobs.

There is no denying the contributions immigrants, Latinos, and Asians make and the important role they play in Arizona’s political and economic future.

KJ