Share the Facts
Separating Myth from Fact
Misinformation about immigrants and refugees spreads quickly. Here’s what trusted, nonpartisan research actually shows.
$652B
Paid in taxes by immigrants in 2023
1 in 5
New U.S. businesses started by immigrants in 2023
59%
Of U.S. billion-dollar companies are founded by immigrants
80%
Of Cincinnati-region immigrants are working age
Facts That Dispel Common Myths
Select each myth to see the facts and the research behind them.
Myth 1 • Immigrants take American jobs.
FACT: Immigrants don't just fill jobs - they create them.
Research shows immigration contributes to economic growth, with immigrants playing an outsized role in entrepreneurship and job creation. Immigrants are more likely than U.S.-born neighbors to start businesses at all scales and create jobs . In 2023, immigrants started nearly 1 in 5 new businesses . From Main Street shops that add vibrancy to our neighborhoods to cutting-edge tech and life-science startups, immigrant and international-student entrepreneurs are creating jobs and filling crucial workforce needs.
In Greater Cincinnati, 80% of immigrants are of working age compared with 62% of US-born neighbors.
Sources: Massachusetts Institute of Technology · Gusto insights · Forbes · National Foundation for American Policy · Center for American Progress
Myth 2 • Immigrants don't pay their fair share.
FACT: Immigrants pay hundreds of billions in taxes—approximately $652 billion in 2023.
Immigrants pay nearly $652 billion in federal, state, and local taxes , while also contributing $216 billion to Social Security and nearly $59 billion to Medicare.
Undocumented immigrants alone paid nearly $97 billion in federal, state, and local taxes in 2022, including $25.7 billion toward Social Security and $6.4 billion toward Medicare, yet will not see any benefits from those two systems.
Sources: American Immigration Council · Immigration Research Initiative
Myth 3 • More immigrants means more crime.
FACT: Research shows immigration does not make communities more dangerous.
A growing volume of research demonstrates that immigrants not only commit fewer crimes, but also do not raise crime rates in the U.S. communities where they settle. Despite the rhetoric, immigrants do not commit more crimes in the U.S.
Also, research at the city level suggests that increases in immigration can be associated with declining homicide rates, with the largest effect on municipalities with long histories of immigration, as well as reductions in property crimes and robbery.
Sources: American Immigration Council · Migration Policy Institute
Myth 4 • Welcoming immigrants only benefits newcomers.
FACT: Welcoming communities benefit everyone.
Regions that attract and retain diverse talent are better positioned to grow businesses, strengthen neighborhoods, fill workforce needs, and create economic opportunity for all residents.
Data time and time again demonstrate the importance and success of this strategy. A recent study by Brookings , for example, examined the relationship between immigration and regional economic performance over the past decade. It demonstrated how “economic growth was stronger in regions with rising foreign-born shares ”. Additionally, “metro areas with larger increases in the foreign-born share of their working-age population saw stronger growth in gross metropolitan product (GMP) and employment between 2014 and 2024, as well as in key prosperity metrics such as productivity and wage growth”.
Sources: Brookings Institution
Our Sources
American Immigration Council · Brookings Institution · Center for American Progress · Forbes · Gusto insights · Immigration Research Initiative · Massachusetts Institute of Technology · Migration Policy Institute · National Foundation for American Policy
Help Spread the Facts
Share accurate, fact-based information and help turn strangers into neighbors across Greater Cincinnati.