Immigrants are crucial
to Texas’ economy

Immigrants now make up nearly a quarter (23%) of Texas’ labor force, according to a FWD.us analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data, nearly double the share from three decades ago.¹ With more than 3.3 million workers, Texas has America’s second-largest immigrant labor force after California.

Texas depends on immigrants to grow its economy, and the immigrant labor force cannot be taken for granted. Immigrants in Texas’ workforce contribute an estimated $119 billion to the Texas economy annually in personal income, making up nearly 1 in 5 of all wage dollars in the state. Lawmakers in Austin should prioritize pro-immigrant policies that support families, and that further expand immigrants’ ability to contribute to Texas’ economy.

Use our interactive table below for the immigrant share of critical industries.

Texas’ total immigrant workforce is highly integrated into Texas’ society. Some 71% of immigrants in Texas speak English, about 59% are homeowners, and 79% have lived in the U.S. since 2010 or earlier. About 9 million Texans, or roughly a third of Texas’ population, live in a household with at least one immigrant.

Immigrants of many different backgrounds and various legal statuses make up the total labor force in Texas. More than 1.1 million are naturalized U.S. citizens, an estimated 900,000 people are lawful permanent residents, and 140,000 individuals are members of the workforce with nonimmigrant status, like H-1B visa holders, or other temporary immigrants. Together, these U.S. citizens and people with some form of legal status make up 15% of Texas’ total labor force.