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Immigrants are crucial to Georgia’s economy

FWD.us analysis reveals the state’s contributions of immigrants for a robust economy and a strong labor force.

March 27th, 2025

"Georgia benefits from the contributions of immigrants to grow its economy, and the immigrant labor force cannot be taken for granted."

Immigrants make up nearly a fifth of Georgia’s labor force (16%), according to a FWD.us analysis of the most recent U.S. Census Bureau data, quadrupling the share from three decades ago. With more than 900,000 workers, Georgia has America’s eighth-largest immigrant labor force, after more populated states like California, Texas, Florida, and New York and more moderately populated states like Illinois, New Jersey, and Washington.

Source: FWD.us analysis of 1950 to 2000 decennial Census data, 2010 and 2023 American Community Survey data, with projections for 2024

Georgia benefits from the contributions of immigrants to grow its economy, and the immigrant labor force cannot be taken for granted. Immigrants in Georgia’s workforce contribute an estimated $48 billion to the Georgia economy annually in personal income, making up more than 1 in 10 of all spending power dollars in the state. Lawmakers in Atlanta should prioritize pro-immigrant policies that support families, and that further expand immigrants’ ability to contribute to the state's economy.

“Immigrants make up nearly a fifth of Georgia’s labor force (16%), and contribute an estimated $48 billion to the Georgia economy annually.”

FWD.us analysis shows that immigrants in Georgia make up significant shares of workers in industries like construction (30%), business services (18%), manufacturing (17%), leisure and hospitality (13%), and health services (13%). Immigrants make up even larger shares of more specific essential industries, like 53% of crop production, 46% of taxi services, and 31% of building services.

Source: FWD.us analysis of 2023 American Community Survey data, with projections through 2024

Georgia’s total immigrant workforce is highly integrated into Georgia’s society. Some 89% of immigrants in Georgia speak English, about 60% are homeowners, and 77% have lived in the U.S. since 2015 or earlier. About 2.4 million Georgians, or more than a fifth of Georgia’s population, live in a household with at least one immigrant.

“FWD.us estimates that nearly 300,000 workers in Georgia are immigrants without legal status or with temporary protections, representing about 5% of the total workforce.”

Immigrants of many different backgrounds and various legal statuses make up the total labor force in Georgia. About 400,000 workers are naturalized U.S. citizens, an estimated 170,000 are lawful permanent residents, and 70,000 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 11% of Georgia’s total labor force.

Additionally, FWD.us estimates that nearly 300,000 workers in Georgia are immigrants without legal status or with temporary protections, representing about 5% of the total workforce, one of the higher levels among U.S. states. An estimated 90,000 had a protected status as of the end of 2024, such as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), Temporary Protected Status (TPS), an active asylum claim, or other deportation-deferred status, with individuals waiting in an immigration backlog. Most of these individuals work in Georgia with lawful work authorization.

With such a large share of Georgia’s workforce, workers without legal status or having temporary protections have become critical to the labor infrastructure of the state. These immigrants are particularly concentrated in agricultural occupations (53% of all agricultural jobs), construction jobs (24%), and among building grounds and maintenance workers (15%).

Immigrant workers without legal status or with temporary protections are also highly integrated into Georgia’s communities and society, with 38% owning homes. Through their wages, they contribute more than $10.5 billion to the economy annually, with more than $2.5 billion in combined federal, state, and local taxes.

Immigrants help power major sectors of the state’s workforce, driving innovation, creating American jobs, and boosting economic growth. If Georgia wants to continue being a leading global economy, then we need to enact policies that build a vibrant, inclusive, welcoming environment for immigrants of all backgrounds. Doing so is critically important for Georgia’s economy. It is also the right thing to do.

Figures are based on U.S. Census data for 1950 to 2000 and American Community Survey (ACS) data for 2010 and 2023. Unless otherwise specified, statistics represent analysis from the 2023 ACS, with projections and adjustments to provide figures as of September 30, 2024. See FWD.us’ methodology on how immigrant status is assigned to the 2023 ACS and projections made through the end of fiscal 2024.