Colorado Immigration Ratings

Hispanic Population

968,000

% of State Population

20%

Undocumented Residents

240,000

View Ratings Information

Immigrants, Latinos, and Asians account for large and growing shares of the economy and electorate in the swing state of Colorado. One in ten Coloradans is an immigrant, and one in five is Latino. Nearly one-third of immigrants in Colorado are naturalized U.S. citizens who are eligible to vote.

“New Americans”—immigrants and the children of immigrants—account for 5.4% of all registered voters in the state. Latinos and Asians wield nearly $26 billion in consumer purchasing power. At last count, businesses owned by Latinos and Asians had sales and receipts of $7.6 billion and employed more than 53,000 people. Immigrant, Latino, and Asian workers, consumers, and entrepreneurs are integral to Colorado’s economy and tax base —and they are an electoral force with which every politician must reckon.

U.S. Senatorial Voting Record:
Immigration Legislation Immigration Reform

Senator Bennet (D)

Senator Udall (D)

	HS News Grading
Votes	Bennet	Udall
Border Security- Vote to Deny funding to complete 700 miles of border fence.(S.Amdt 1399 to S.Amdt 1373 to HR 2892)	A	A
Deportation- Vote for Funding of Sanctuary Policies for Unauthorized Immigrants.(SAmdt.2630 to HR 2847)	A	A
Workforce- Vote to NOT mandate that all companies with federal contracts verify all employees through E-verify(S.Amdt 1371 to S.Amdt 1373 to HR 2892)	A	A
Workforce-Vote Not to extend E-Verify for six years (S.Amdt 604 to HR 1105)	A	A
Co-Sponsored DREAM ACT- Development Relief, and education for Alien Minors Act of 2009( S. 729)	A	A
Overall State Grade:	A

The Immigration Policy Center (IPC) is the research and policy arm of the American Immigration Council. IPC's mission is to shape a rational conversation on immigration and immigrant integration. Through its research and analysis, IPC provides policymakers, the media, and the general public with accurate information about the role of immigrants and immigration policy on U.S. society. IPC reports and materials are widely disseminated and relied upon by press and policy makers. IPC staff regularly serves as experts to leaders on Capitol Hill, opinion-makers and the media. IPC, formed in 2003 is a non-partisan organization that neither supports nor opposes any political party or candidate for office.

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State Facts

Immigrants and their children are growing shares of Colorado’s population and electorate.

The foreign-born share of Colorado’s population rose from 4.3% in 1990, to 8.6% in 2000, to 10% in 2007, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Colorado was home to 485,170 immigrants in 2007, which is roughly equal to the total population of Sacramento, CA.
31.5% of immigrants (or 152,957 people) in Colorado were naturalized U.S. citizens in 2007—meaning that they are eligible to vote.
5.4% (or 122,867) of all registered voters in Colorado were “New Americans”— naturalized citizens or the U.S.-born children of immigrants who were raised during the current era of immigration from Latin America and Asia which began in 1965—according to an analysis of 2006 Census Bureau data by Rob Paral & Associates.

1 in 5 Coloradans are Latino—and they vote.

The Latino share of Colorado’s population grew from 12.9% in 1990, to 17.1% in 2000, to 19.9% (or 967,442 people) in 2007. The Asian share of the population grew from 1.7% in 1990, to 2.2% in 2000, to 2.7% (or 131,261 people) in 2007, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Latinos comprised 8.4% (or 195,000) of Colorado voters in the 2008 elections, and Asians 2.1% (or 48,000), according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The number of Latino and Asian voters exceeds the margin of victory (214,987 votes) by which Barack Obama defeated John McCain.

Latino and Asian entrepreneurs and consumers add billions of dollars and tens-of-thousands of jobs to Colorado’s economy.

The 2008 purchasing power of Colorado’s Latinos totaled $21 billion—an increase of 427.3% since 1990. Asian buying power totaled $4.8 billion—an increase of 521.1% since 1990, according to the Selig Center for Economic Growth at the University of Georgia.
Colorado’s 24,054 Latino-owned businesses had sales and receipts of $5.1 billion and employed 32,465 people in 2002, the last year for which data is available. The state’s 10,910 Asian-owned businesses had sales and receipts of $2.5 billion and employed 21,343 people in 2002, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Survey of Business Owners.

Immigrants are integral to Colorado’s economy as workers.

Immigrants comprised 11.4% of the state’s workforce in 2007 (or 303,048 workers), according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Unauthorized immigrants comprised 5.4% of the state’s workforce (or 150,000 workers) in 2008, according to a report by the Pew Hispanic Center.
If all unauthorized immigrants were removed from Colorado, the state would lose $8.0 billion in expenditures, $3.6 billion in economic output, and approximately 39,738 jobs, even accounting for adequate market adjustment time, according to a report by the Perryman Group.

Unauthorized immigrants pay taxes.
Unauthorized immigrants in Colorado paid between $159 million and $194 million in state and local taxes in 2005, according to a study by the Bell Policy Center,22 which includes:

$24 million to $30 million in state income taxes.
$10 million to $13 million in property taxes.
$125 million to $151 million in sales taxes.
In addition, Colorado employers paid between $12 million and $15 million in unemployment insurance taxes to the state on behalf of unauthorized workers in 2005, according to the same study. Unauthorized workers are prohibited by state law from collecting unemployment insurance benefits.

Naturalized Citizens Excel Educationally.

In Colorado, 34.4% of foreign-born persons who were naturalized U.S. citizens in 2007 had a bachelor’s or higher degree, compared to 18.8 % of noncitizens. At the same time, only 20.1% of naturalized citizens lacked a high-school diploma, compared to 42.9% of noncitizens.
The number of immigrants in Colorado with a college degree increased by 44.5% between 2000 and 2007, according to data from the Migration Policy Institute.
In Colorado, 67.8% of all children between the ages of 5 and 17 in families that spoke a language other than English at home also spoke English “very well” as of 2007.