Recognizing the essential role immigrants play in Georgia matters now more than ever, as radical ideas for unprecedented and unsparing mass deportations take shape on the campaign trail and in Washington.
Immigrants in Georgia make up a significant share of the population, are essential to key industries, and vital to the state’s economic strength.
Immigrants account for more than 10% of Georgia’s population, totaling more than 1.1 million people, but they compromise 14.3% of the workforce and make up large sections of key industries:
- In 2022, immigrants in Georgia comprised 14.3 percent of the total workforce.
- In 2022, 20.7 percent of Georgia’s self-employed entrepreneurs were immigrants.
- Georgia had 111,000 immigrant entrepreneurs.
- Georgia’s immigrant entrepreneurs made $3.4 billion in total business income.
- Foreign-born Georgians own an estimated 31% of all “main street businesses.”
- In 2018, immigrants contributed $24.4 billion to Georgia’s GDP.
- Immigrants make up large sections of key industries in Georgia, including construction, manufacturing, and health care.
Immigrants have contributed billions in tax revenue to Georgia and added billions to Georgia’s economy. According to the American Immigration Council:
- Georgia’s immigrants had $52.2 billion in household income and have an estimated $38.6 billion in spending power.
- Immigrants contributed $4.6 billion in combined state and local taxes, and $8.9 billion in federal taxes.
- A study by the American Immigration Council found that unauthorized immigrants in Georgia contribute $423.1 million in combined state and local taxes annually.
Georgia’s STEM occupations depend on immigrants, representing over one-fifth of all STEM workers.
- 21.4 percent of Georgia’s STEM workers were immigrants in 2022.
- 26 percent of Georgia’s software developers were immigrants in 2015.
- 23 percent of Georgia’s doctors were immigrants in 2015.
The individual stories behind the numbers highlight the dedication of Georgia immigrants as they work to grow their businesses, strengthen Georgia’s economy, and create opportunities for their families.
Nimota Salami, A Nigerian Immigrant, Owned A Successful Nigerian Sauce And Food Business In Atlanta
“Before she immigrated from Nigeria, she studied catering and hotel management at Kwara State Polytechnic and worked professionally as a hotel caterer and manager. When she moved to Chicago, she gave up her job to pursue nursing as a means to support herself financially. She never gave up the hope that she would eventually work in the food industry again. Eventually, from the inspiration of a friend, she started testing out her own West African sauces. From there, Royal Nigerian Foods was born in 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia.”
“Fady Bishay, originally from Egypt, arrived to the U.S. in 2013 as a teenager seeking asylum. In search of safety and an opportunity to provide for himself and his loved ones, he knew he would have to work hard to forge his own version of the American dream. Since Fady was old enough to work, he has hustled from gig to gig, building up his resume with the needed skills and resourcefulness to make it as a businessman. Before long, he became a professional entrepreneur and in 2021 started his business, The Legend of Design LLC, a mall kiosk retailer of Crocs shoe charms (jibbitz) with multiple locations in Georgia and Texas.”
“By the beginning of 2022, Raman was ready to formalize his growing operation and take it to the next level. He got in touch with the IRC in Atlanta’s Microenterprise Development (MED) Program and with the support of our Business Counselors, Raman created a business plan for Shared Yards Permaculture, focused on working with landowners to use their yards to produce vegetables and flowers. He also worked with IRC Business Counselors to explore additional revenue streams—these included harvesting and selling marigold flowers to the local Mexican and Hindu communities for the Day of the Dead and Diwali holidays respectively, selling seeds and potted seedlings at local markets, and building a greenhouse to provide a wider array of services. Raman also successfully secured a low-interest small business loan from the IRC’s Center for Economic Opportunity and after a year of running Shared Yards Permaculture and collaborating closely with homeowners, has expanded his work to three yards.”
“Barwin and Yaser moved to Clarkston, GA with their family in 2016. Barwin, mother of 5, finds no greater joy than bringing the delicious flavors of her native country, Syria, to her new home.”
“We established our business in March 2020- right when the pandemic hits the US. Despite this however, we decided to go for it and pursue our dream of establishing a business in the US. We came as refugees in 2014 and have been actively involved in many different events and achieved many that we couldn’t think we’d achieve. Opening a business is not only one of our biggest accomplishments yet- it’s also something that we are able to pass down to generations.”
