THE POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC POWER OF IMMIGRANTS IN THE GOLDEN STATE
California has been a major “gateway” for
immigrants to this country since it became
a state in 1848 and is home to the largest numbers of immigrants, Latinos, and Asians
in the country. As a result, California exemplifies the enormous political and
economic clout of immigrants and accounts for innumerable stories of
immigrant success
in climbing the socioeconomic ladder over time. Today, more than one quarter of
Californians are immigrants (foreign-born), and more than half of Californians are
Latino or Asian. Immigrants and their adult children account for roughly one in four
of the state’s registered voters.
Latino and Asian entrepreneurs (both foreign-born
and native-born) own more than one-quarter of all businesses in the state, while
Latino and Asian consumers account for nearly one-third of the state’s total
purchasing power. Latino immigrants in California experience pronounced upward
mobility over time in terms of mastering English and owning their own homes. And most
native-born Californians have experienced wage gains from the presence of immigrants
in the state’s labor market.
MORE THAN ONE QUARTER OF CALIFORNIANS ARE IMMIGRANTS
◾The foreign-born share of California’s population rose from 21.7% in 1990, to 26.2%
in 2000, to 26.9% in 2013, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. California was home
to 10.3 million immigrants in 2013, which is greater than the total population of Michigan.
◾48.6% of immigrants (or 5 million people) in California were naturalized U.S.
citizens in 2013 (up from 31.2% in 1990)—meaning that they are eligible to vote.
◾Unauthorized immigrants comprised roughly 6.3% of the state’s population
(or 2.5 million people) in 2012, according to a report by the Pew Research Center.
◾30.7% (or 4.7 million) of all registered voters in California are “New Americans”—
naturalized citizens or the U.S.-born children of immigrants who were raised during
the current era of large-scale immigration from Latin America and Asia which began
in 1965—according to an analysis of 2012 Census Bureau data by the American Immigration
Council.