New Americans in Utah

New research from the American Immigration Council highlights the key role that new Americans are playing in Utah as participants in the state’s workforce and as taxpayers, consumers, entrepreneurs, international students, and more. This research brief, prepared in partnership with EDCUtah, uses American Community Survey data to show the demographic and economic contributions that immigrants  are making across the Beehive State.

Key findings from the brief include: 

• New Americans are driving Utah’s population growth. Between 2000 and 2019, the number of immigrants in Utah increased by 63.7 percent, and immigrants were responsible for 11.6 percent of the state’s population growth during the same period.
  
• New Americans are punching above their weight in fast-growing industries. New Americans represented 8.4 percent of Utah’s population, but 10.1 percent of STEM workers, and 12.8 percent of physicians in 2019, helping to fill critical shortages in fast-growing industries.
• New Americans contribute as taxpayers and consumers. In 2019, new Americans contributed $1.1 billion in federal taxes and $572.7 million in state & local taxes, and held $5.4 billion in spending power, which supports the local economy.
• International students support jobs: 8,553 international students enrolled in Utah’s colleges and universities contributed $207.5 million to the U.S. economy and supported 2,191 jobs during the 2020-21 school year.