Immigrants are crucial to Colorado’s economy

Immigrants make up one in seven workers in Colorado’s labor force (14%), more than doubling the share from three decades ago, according to a FWD.us analysis of the most recent U.S. Census Bureau data.¹ With some 480,000 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 $29 billion to the Centennial State’s economy annually in personal income, making up about 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 immigrant population is highly integrated into the state’s communities. Some 92% of immigrants in Colorado speak English, about 55% are homeowners, and 74% have lived in the U.S. for a decade or longer. Some 21% of Colorado’s population lives in a household with at least one immigrant.

Some 190,000 immigrant workers in Colorado are naturalized U.S. citizens, an estimated 90,000 are lawful permanent residents, and 35,000 have a 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 9% of Colorado’s total labor force.