Foreign-born individuals make up a significant proportion of Massachusetts’ workforce, with 1 in 5 workers being foreign-born.

Immigrants play a vital role in supporting key industries including healthcare, transportation, manufacturing, hospitality and food services, and science, with 29.3% of STEM workers in Massachusetts being immigrants.

29.3%

Massachusetts’ foreign-born population tends to be college educated with approximately 41.2% of foreign born individuals in Massachusetts having a bachelor’s degree or higher.1

41%

Immigrant business owners make a significant contribution to Massachusetts’ economy. With 91,400 immigrant entrepreneurs in the state, together they generate $1.6 billion in business income.

$1.6B

Nationally, 224 of Fortune 500 companies were founded by immigrants or children of immigrants. On a state level, 17 of the Fortune 500 companies were founded in Massachusetts, 8 of which were founded by immigrants or children of immigrants. These businesses include General Electric, TJX, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Moderna, Global Partners, Boston Scientific, Wayfair, and Biogen.2

47%

In 2023, immigrants in Massachusetts had $51.8 billion in spending power (an increase of over $13 billion from 2019), with refugees and temporary protected status holders having $2.5 billion and $463.5 million in spending power, respectively.

Immigrant spending power in billions

In 2023, immigrants in Massachusetts paid a total of $20.4 billion in taxes (an increase in 6 billion from 2019), with $6.6 billion spent on state and local taxes. 

Immigrants paid taxes in billions

Sources:

  1. Unless otherwise noted, data was gathered from American Immigration Council, https://map.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/locations/massachusetts/# 
  2. New American Fortune 500 in 2023. (2023, August 29). American Immigration Council. https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/new-american-fortune-500-2023
We were honored to open the program with remarks from Jim Cantwell, State Director for the Office of Senator Ed Markey, and virtual remarks from Congresswoman Katherine Clark, represented at the event by the District Director, Wade Blackman. Their leadership helped ground the discussion in the urgency of this moment.We are especially grateful to Dr. Mark Melnik, Director of Economic and Public Policy Research at the Donahue Institute at UMass, who set the stage with essential economic data highlighting the indispensable role immigrant workers play across Massachusetts’ economy.Our panel discussion, expertly moderated by Colette Phillips, President of Colette Phillips Communications, brought together business leaders representing key sectors across the Commonwealth:
  • Eric Paley, Secretary of Economic Development, Executive Office of Economic Development
  • Pedro Arce, Senior Vice President of Innovation, M&T Bank
  • Greg Reibman, CEO and President, Charles River Chamber of Commerce
  • Lisa Gurgone, CEO, Mystic Valley Elder Services
 
Together, panelists shared candid insights from healthcare, elder care, hospitality, transportation, and financial services, reinforcing a shared reality: immigrant workers are essential across industries, and workforce stability is a business imperative.
 
Finally, we closed with powerful remarks from Molly Carey, MIRA Coalition Board Chair and Partner at Fragomen, who announced the launch of our Massachusetts Businesses for Immigration Pledge — a call for business leaders to step forward together, in coalition, and be vocal about the policies needed to ensure a strong, inclusive economy.
As highlighted in the Boston Business Journal:“Meaningful change hasn’t happened with silence… We’re inviting you to do that with us and really set the standard for what responsible business leadership looks like.”— Molly Carey, Chair, MIRA Coalition BoardRead the full piece here

We are thrilled to celebrate our first pledge champions — Fragomen, Charles River Chamber of Commerce, One Percent for America, Colette Phillips Communications, and BlueHub Capital — who have stepped forward and put their values into action. Their leadership sets a powerful example, and we hope it inspires others to join in support of a strong, inclusive workforce.


Media coverage:

MIRA Coalition launches pledge urging Mass. businesses to support immigrant workers – Boston Business Journal

MIRA Coalition comienza una iniciativa que insta a las empresas de Massachusetts a apoyar a los trabajadores inmigrantes – La Planeta

MIRA head Liz Sweet looks to business community for immigrant support – Boston Globe