- Press Release
New Report Shows Immigrants Play a Critical Role in Mid-Michigan’s Population Growth, Workforce, and Economy
Immigrants contributed $1.3 billion, or 4.0 percent, of the region's total GDP in 2022
Michigan, April 1, 2025—A new report, Contributions of New Americans in Mid-Michigan, released by the American Immigration Council - in partnership with the Michigan Global Talent Coalition - underscores the crucial role immigrants play in the region’s economy. 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 mid-Michigan region, representing 2.1 percent of the population. In that same year, immigrants in the region held $407.4 million in spending power, paid $103.5 million in federal taxes, and paid $46.8 million in state and local taxes.
“This report quantifies the important contributions immigrants are making across mid-Michigan and why they are a crucial component for the region’s economic growth," said Rich André, Director of State and Local Initiatives at the American Immigration Council. “Many of mid-Michigan's immigrants hold advanced degrees or have specialized training that would qualify them to fill gaps in the region’s workforce in fast-growing industries like healthcare. Policymakers and business leaders can use the data in this report to inform hiring, talent attraction and retention, and economic development efforts in the region."
“This report breaks new ground in creating a true portrait of immigrants in mid-Michigan,” said Steve Tobocman, Executive Director of Global Detroit, who highlighted the high education rates of immigrants in mid-Michigan. Over 46 percent of mid-Michigan’s immigrants are college-educated and over 30 percent have an advanced degree.
“In fact, the college education rates of Mid-Michigan's immigrant communities are on par with the college education rates of Seattle, Austin and North Carolina's research triangle and higher than New York, Chicago and Atlanta. The reality shown by today’s data release stands in stark contrast to the negative stereotypes often demagogued by politicians and media who seek to sensationalize immigration,” Tobocman said.
The new research report, Contributions of New Americans in Mid-Michigan, finds:
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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.
Read the full research brief here.
Efforts to better leverage the economic and talent contributions of the New Americans referenced in the report will be on display at the Global Talent Summit on April 22 at Central Michigan University. The event is designed to connect mid-Michigan employers looking to fill unmet skilled talent positions with international students from the region. The Mid-Michigan Global Talent Summit is sponsored by Global Detroit, the Great Lakes Bay Regional Alliance and Mid-Michigan Development Corporation. For more information, visit: https://mmdc.org/event/23969518-2025-04-22-global-talent-summit/.
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