Just as we came together from different places and races to build Kentucky in the past, immigrants play a vital role in Kentucky now, and are a critical part of Kentucky’s future wellbeing.
In partnership with the Immigration Research Initiative (IRI), KyPolicy is releasing a fact sheet demonstrating the significant economic contribution immigrants make in the commonwealth.
“Immigrants bring so much more to Kentucky than their economic contributions,” said Dustin Pugel, Policy Director for KyPolicy. “But misinformation used to demonize our neighbors makes it necessary to quantify the contributions of Kentucky’s immigrant population.”
Kentucky is home to nearly 180,000 immigrants who work in low-wage, middle-wage and higher-wage jobs across all sectors of the economy. All told, 5% of working Kentuckians are immigrants.
And their role in the economy is only growing. In 2000, immigrants were 2% of Kentucky’s population, 2% of its workforce and 2% of its business owners. In 2022, those numbers were all up, with immigrants making up 4% of the state’s population, 5% of its workers and 7% of its business owners.
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