PRESS RELEASE

As cities around the country celebrate Citizenship Day and Welcoming Week, the City of Long Beach in partnership with New American Economy (NAE) released a report revealing that in 2016, immigrants in the City of Long Beach had a significant impact on the local economy. The report advances the economic inclusion goals of the City’s Blueprint for Economic Development by making available important baseline information for the local immigrant community that can be used to help inform the implementation of programs and services.

A full research brief of the “New Americans in Long Beach: A Snapshot of the Demographic and Economic Contributions of Immigrants in the Long Beach Area” report is available at http://bit.ly/NAinLB.

“We would like to thank our partners, New American Economy, for their collaboration on this significant report,” said Mayor Robert Garcia. “Long Beach is proud of our diverse community. The City’s Economic Development Blueprint and reports like this are steps we are actively taking to continue making our city a place for all.”

The “New Americans in Long Beach” report finds that:

• Immigrants in the Long Beach area paid more than $1 billion in taxes in 2016. Immigrant households earned $3.4 billion in income in 2016. Of that, $833.4 million went to federal taxes and $280.7 million went to state and local taxes, leaving them with $2.3 billion in spending power.
• Immigrants made up more than a quarter of the population and played an exceptionally large role in the labor force. In 2016, the foreign-born accounted for 26.6 percent of the total population, 32.6 percent of the working age population, and 32.1 percent of the employed labor force.
• Immigrants in Long Beach are more likely to be entrepreneurs. While making up 26.6 percent of the population, immigrants account for 35.9 percent of entrepreneurs in the Long Beach area and are 18.5 percent more likely than their U.S.-born counterparts to be business owners. The more than 8,400 immigrant entrepreneurs in Long Beach in 2016 generated $162.1 million in business income. 
• Immigrants were responsible for the creation or preservation of 5,895 local manufacturing jobs. Immigrants, who represent 49 percent of all manufacturing workers in the Long Beach area, help keep manufacturing jobs on U.S. soil by bolstering the local workforce, allowing companies to stay and create jobs in the area.

The City of Long Beach was also recently recognized by New American Economy in their Cities Index, which measures the largest 100 cities in the United States on how well they are integrating immigrants. Long Beach received high marks in the categories of Economic Empowerment, Inclusivity, and Legal Support.

“As cities around the country celebrate the launch of the first-ever Cities Index measuring local efforts to welcome immigrants, the research out of Long Beach underscores why communities are prioritizing this work,” said Kate Brick, Director of State and Local Initiatives at New American Economy. “Immigrants in Long Beach, and across the United States, are making critical contributions to the local economy, and are key players in these cities’ success stories.”

Long Beach is one of 25 communities selected for the 2017-2018 Gateways for Growth Challenge, a competitive opportunity from New American Economy and Welcoming America where local communities receive tailored research on the contributions of immigrants, direct technical assistance to develop multi-sector plans for welcoming and integrating immigrants, or matching grants.

On April 4, 2017, City Council approved the City’s Draft Blueprint for Economic Development that informs the City’s overall economic development work plan for the next ten years by defining priorities that lead to the creation of businesses, well-paying jobs, and economic inclusion for all residents.

About the City of Long Beach

Home to approximately 480,000 people, the multiple award-winning and innovative City of Long Beach offers all the world-class amenities of a large metropolitan city while maintaining a strong sense of individual and diverse neighborhoods nestled together along the California coast. As a full-service charter city, Long Beach is home to the Queen Mary, Aquarium of the Pacific, several museums and theaters, a highly-rated school district, Long Beach Airport, the Port of Long Beach, as well as many award-winning City departments such as Health, Parks, Recreation and Marine, Development Services and more. The City also has a highly-respected university and city college, two historic ranchos, five hospitals, five golf courses, 170 parks, miles of beaches, marinas, bike paths, and a Bike Share program.

For more information about the City of Long Beach, visit http://longbeach.gov/. Follow us on social to keep up with the latest news: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

About Economic Development

The mission of the City’s Economic Development Department is to create economic opportunities for workers, investors, and entrepreneurs. This includes making it easier to start and grow a business, streamline the process for property development, and provide businesses with a skilled workforce. The Department includes Property Development, Business Development, and the Pacific Gateway Workforce Investment Network. For more information on the Economic & Property Development Department, please visit http://www.longbeach.gov/economicdevelopment/ or follow us on Twitter @LBEconDev and Facebook.

About New American Economy