If we are interested in diversity and inclusion as active drivers of thriving communities, then we must develop our understandings of the economic and demographic impact that immigrants have on the changing landscape of our region. Because we have reliable data, we know that immigrants contribute billions in spending power to our region and our state. We understand that immigrants and their families contribute millions of dollars every year to our tax base and social welfare systems like Social Security and Medicare. And we know that the start up and small business community is anchored by the entrepreneurial activities of our foreign born residents.
Further, we can project what our nation and city will look like over time based on the data we gather now. We know, for instance, that a full quarter of our nation's young people identify as Latino. And while our minds often drift southward when we think of immigration, because of the data we know that most immigrants currently settling in the Cincinnati Metro Region are actually coming from Europe, Africa and Asia.