Immigrants in Maryland

Immigrants, Latinos, and Asians account for growing shares of the economy and electorate in Maryland. Immigrants (the foreign-born) make up roughly 1 in 7 Marylanders, and nearly half of them are naturalized U.S. citizens who are eligible to vote. “New Americans”—immigrants and the children of immigrants—account for about 1 in 8 registered voters in the state. Immigrants are not only integral to the state’s economy as workers, but also account for billions of dollars in tax revenue and consumer purchasing power. Moreover, Latinos and Asians (both foreign-born and native-born) wield $34.2 billion in consumer purchasing power, and the businesses they own had sales and receipts of $15.6 billion and employed more than 96,000 people at last count. As high-skilled workers, immigrants accounted for more than one-quarter of all scientists in the state, and more than one-fifth of all health care practitioners. Immigrant, Latino, and Asian workers, consumers, and entrepreneurs are integral to Maryland’s economy and tax base—and they are an electoral force with which every politician must reckon.