This report by New American Economy (NAE), prepared in partnership with
the New Jersey Business Immigration Coalition, the Princeton Mercer Regional Chamber of Commerce, and the Mercer County Office of Economic Development, underscores the critical role immigrants in Mercer County play in the community’s labor force, business creation, and STEM innovation. Between 2014 and 2019 the Mercer County population decreased by 0.4 percent, while the immigrant population grew by 9.8 percent. Without growth in the immigrant population, the total population in Mercer County would have decreased even more, by 2.5 percent. In 2019 alone, immigrants in Mercer County held $2.8 billion in spending power, and paid over $916 million in federal taxes and $415 million in state and local taxes. Despite making up 23.1 percent of the area’s overall population, immigrants represent 43.4 percent of construction workers, 43.2 percent of manufacturing workers, and 39.3 percent of professional service workers.
New Americans in Mercer County
New American Economy, July 2021