WASHINGTON, June 11, 2020—The American Immigration Council released new data on Wisconsin’s immigrant population and their contributions to the state. The Wisconsin state fact sheet includes data on population size, occupation, and tax contributions, as well as data on undocumented immigrants and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients in the state.
While the COVID-19 pandemic exposed the critical role immigrants are playing on the front lines and in stimulating our economic recovery, it remains crucial for the public to understand the broad range of contributions immigrants make to communities in Wisconsin.
The Council’s fact sheet, Immigrants in Wisconsin, shows that 5% of the state’s residents are immigrants. Across sectors, foreign-born residents support Wisconsin’s economy and are vital to the labor force. For example, 15% of all Wisconsin farmers, fishers, and foresters are immigrants, as are 13% of residents working in the computer and math sciences.
The fact sheet also reveals that immigrants in Wisconsin represent roughly 6% of the state’s labor force and paid $1.7 billion in federal taxes and $968.3 million in state and local taxes in 2018. As consumers, immigrants spent $7.1 billion on Wisconsin’s economy in 2018. Immigrant entrepreneurs in Wisconsin generated $295.9 million in business revenue in 2018.
As of 2019, Wisconsin was home to 6,640 active DACA recipients, and 58% of DACA-eligible immigrants in the state had applied for DACA. Wisconsin DACA recipients and DACA-eligible individuals paid an estimated $15.9 million in state and local taxes in 2018.
Undocumented immigrants comprised 1% of Wisconsin’s total population and 2% of the state’s workforce in 2016. Undocumented immigrants in Wisconsin paid an estimated $156.9 million in federal taxes and $101.1 million in state and local taxes in 2018.
Drawing from U.S. Census data and other sources, the Council developed 50 state fact sheets—including infographics—that provide the latest demographic and economic contributions of immigrants in each U.S. state and can be accessed here.
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