Immigrants are crucial to Colorado’s economy

Immigrants make up more than a tenth of Colorado’s labor force (12%), according to a FWD.us analysis of the most recent U.S. Census Bureau data, more than doubling the share from three decades ago. With more than 400,000 workers, Colorado has one of America’s largest immigrant workforces. 

Colorado benefits from the contributions of immigrants to grow its economy, and the immigrant labor force cannot be taken for granted. Immigrants in Colorado’s workforce contribute an estimated $23.1 billion to the Colorado economy annually in personal income, making up nearly 1 in 10 of all spending-power dollars in the state. Lawmakers in Denver should prioritize pro-immigrant policies that support families, and that further expand immigrants’ ability to contribute to Colorado’s economy.

FWD.us analysis shows that immigrants in Colorado make up significant shares of workers in industries like construction (21%), agriculture (17%), transportation and utilities (16%), business services (12%), manufacturing (12%), and leisure and hospitality (12%). Immigrants make up even larger shares of more specific industries, like 58% of taxi services, 45% of building services, and 39% of bakery manufacturing. 

Colorado’s total immigrant workforce is highly integrated into Colorado’s society. Some 94% of immigrants in Colorado speak English, about 53% are homeowners, and 77% have lived in the U.S. since 2015 or earlier. More than 14% of Colorado’s population lives in a household with at least one immigrant. 

Immigrants of many different backgrounds and various legal statuses make up the total labor force in Colorado. Nearly 170,000 workers are naturalized U.S. citizens, an estimated 90,000 are lawful permanent residents, and 27,000 are members of the workforce with nonimmigrant status, like H-1B visa workers, or other temporary immigrant visas. Together, these U.S. citizens and people with some form of legal status make up 8% of Colorado’s total labor force.