Immigrants in the Illinois Workforce
Immigrants are an integral part of the Illinois workforce in a range of occupations. Immigrants in the Illinois workforce have contributed billions of dollars in taxes, and immigrant entrepreneurs in Illinois generate billions of dollars in business revenue. The American Immigration Council has compiled state by state immigration data and states. Following is an excerpt from AIC Immigrants in Illinois Fact Sheet, you can download the complete report with citations here.
Immigrants in the Illinois Workforce
One in six workers in Illinois is an immigrant, together making up an important part of the state’s labor force in a range of industries.
- 1.2 million immigrant workers comprised 17.9% of the labor force in 2015.
- Immigrant workers were most numerous in the following industries:
|
Industry |
Number of Immigrant Workers |
|---|---|
|
Manufacturing |
229,025 |
|
Health Care and Social Assistance |
156,964 |
|
Accommodation and Food Services |
138,107 |
|
Retail Trade |
121,769 |
|
Administrative & Support; Waste Management; and Remediation Services |
97,043 |
|
Analysis of the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2015 American Community Survey 1-year PUMS data by the American Immigration Council. |
|
- The largest shares of immigrant workers were in the following industries:
|
Industry |
Immigrant Share (%) |
|---|---|
|
Administrative & Support; Waste Management; and Remediation Services |
27.2 |
|
Manufacturing |
25.6 |
|
Accommodation and Food Services |
24.5 |
|
Construction |
22.3 |
|
Other Services (except Public Administration) |
20.3 |
|
Analysis of the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2015 American Community Survey 1-year PUMS data by the American Immigration Council. |
|
Immigrants are an integral part of the Illinois workforce in a range of occupations.
- In 2015, immigrant workers were most numerous in the following occupation groups:
|
Occupation Category |
Number of Immigrant Workers |
|---|---|
|
Production |
159,976 |
|
Transportation and Material Moving |
126,768 |
|
Food Preparation and Serving Related |
111,804 |
|
Office and Administrative Support |
109,283 |
|
Sales and Related |
103,265 |
|
Analysis of the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2015 American Community Survey 1-year PUMS data by the American Immigration Council. |
|
- The largest shares of immigrant workers were in the following occupation groups:
|
Occupation Category |
Immigrant Share (%) |
|---|---|
|
Building and Grounds Cleaning & Maintenance |
34.5 |
|
Production |
32.1 |
|
Computer and Mathematical Sciences |
27.4 |
|
Food Preparation and Serving Related |
24.5 |
|
Life, Physical, and Social Sciences |
24.3 |
|
Analysis of the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2015 American Community Survey 1-year PUMS data by the American Immigration Council. |
|
- 5% of Illinois’ workforce consisted of undocumented immigrants in 2014.
Immigrants in Illinois have contributed billions of dollars in taxes.
- Immigrant-led households in the state paid $9.8 billion in federal taxes and $5.2 billion in state and local taxes in 2014.
- Undocumented immigrants in Illinois paid an estimated $758.9 million in state and local taxes in 2014. Their contribution would rise to over $917.4 million if they could receive legal status.
- DACA recipients in Illinois paid an estimated $131 million in state and local taxes in 2016.
As consumers, immigrants add tens of billions of dollars to Illinois’ economy.
- Illinois residents in immigrant-led households had $40.1 billion in spending power (after-tax income) in 2014.
Immigrant entrepreneurs in Illinois generate billions of dollars in business revenue.
- 119,404 immigrant business owners accounted for 21.3% of all self-employed Illinois residents in 2015 and generated more than $2.5 billion in business income.
- In 2015, immigrants accounted for 20.3% of business owners in the Chicago/Naperville/Joliet metropolitan area (which stretches from Wisconsin to Indiana through Illinois) and 6.5% of business owners in the St. Louis metro area (which straddles Illinois and Missouri).
The immigration attorneys at Godoy Law Office in Chicago and Lombard can help you with your immigration case. If you need help with an immigration issue, please contact our office or call us at 855-554-3639.