About Massachusetts
“Massachusetts, it’s all here” is the state motto. Massachusetts is home to Plymouth Rock, the Salem witch trials of 1962, the American industrial revolution, and the celebration of the first Thanksgiving in 1621. Massachusetts’s economy is primarily based in agriculture and industry. The main agricultural commodities produced include: seafood, nursery stock, dairy products, cranberries, and vegetables. The main industrial sectors include: machinery, electric equipment, scientific instruments, printing, publishing, and tourism.

Immigration to Massachusetts
As of 2006, FAIR estimates indicate that the immigrant population of Massachusetts is 938,590 which equates to approximately 14.5% of the state’s total population. The majority of immigrants are from China (10%), including Hong Kong and Taiwan, former Soviet Union (8%), Dominican Republic (8%), Haiti (6%), India (5%), and Vietnam (5%). 67.8% of all immigrant settlements in Massachusetts are comprised of an average of 31 different nationalities, ranking the state as the seventh most popular location for immigrants.

There has been an increase in the foreign-born population both through new immigrant residents in the state as well as through the children born to immigrants. It is estimated the immigrant population and immigrant births are adding nearly 49,400 persons to Massachusetts each year, equating to 29.2% of the state’s overall population increase.

The 2000 Census reports that 772,983 immigrants reside in Massachusetts, marking the state home to the 15th highest immigrant population in the US. This is an increase of 34.7% over the 1990 foreign-born population figure, recorded at 573,733 immigrants. This increase is significantly higher than the 2.5% increase in the native-born population for the state of Massachusetts. An indication of the change in the immigrant population in Massachusetts may be seen from the 2000 Census. Data indicate that the share of non-English speakers at home increased to 18.6% up from 15.2% recorded in 1990. Additionally, 41.2% of those who said they spoke a language other than English at home also said they spoke English less than very well.

Massachusetts’s naturalization rate of 45.7% is slightly higher than the national average of 40.1% based upon data recorded during the 2000 Census. The data collected in the 2000 Census shows a significant drop in the 43.7% naturalization rate recorded in 1990, indicating an influx of new immigrants including illegal immigrants.

A study was compiled by Professor Andrew Sum of Northeastern University's Center for Labor Market Studies with the backing of the Massachusetts Institute for a New Commonwealth (MassINC), a local think-tank for economic issues. Data from this study indicate that the majority of the Massachusetts immigrant workforce only has attained a high school level of education. Immigrant family households were thirty-three percent headed by unmarried females, and approximately forty-one percent of the immigrant family householders did not hold a high school degree.

Illegal Immigration to Massachusetts
As of 2007, FAIR estimates the state’s illegal alien population to be around 250,000 persons, or almost four percent of the state's overall population. The annual fiscal cost to Massachusetts taxpayers for emergency medical care, education and incarceration projected by FAIR is currently $580 million. This figure is estimated to rise to $992 million per year in 2010 and $1.7 billion per year in 2020.

Massachusetts Immigration Statistics

• Massachusetts receives an average of 1800 refugees per year
• FAIR estimates indicate that Massachusetts' illegal alien population is around 83,000 persons
• The Center for Immigrant Studies estimates that 12.7% of mothers of children ages 4 and below are immigrants and 32.4% of foreign-born children live near or below the poverty level