Global Greater Boston: Immigrants in a Changing Region

By Kelly Harrington and Luc Schuster, Boston Indicators, and Anthony Capote, Immigration Research Initiative

February 14, 2024

For as long as it’s been a city, immigrants have been central to Boston’s identity. For this new report Boston Indicators partnered with Immigration Research Initiative to analyze who makes up immigrant communities in Greater Boston, quantify what they contribute to our regional economy, and detail the immigration pathways they take to get here. This research finds, for instance, that where in the world immigrants come from has changed significantly over the last generation and top countries of origin vary by municipality, as the map below shows. We also find that the longer immigrants are in the U.S., the more their economic standing improves and the greater their contributions become.

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