Immigrants in Utica

There are 21,000 immigrants living in the Utica-Rome metro area, making up eight percent of the total metro area population. The majority of the immigrants in the metro area live in the city of Utica, where people born in another country make up more than one out of every five residents, 21 percent of the city population.

Immigrants come to Utica from around the world, many of them coming as refugees welcomed by The Center, a refugee resettlement agency with a national reputation. And, indeed, Utica itself is known around the country as an area that has successfully integrated immigrants and refugees into the community.

While immigrants are an important part of the cultural and social life of the region, they are also an important part of the economy. Immigrants make up a slightly higher share of the labor force than their share of the population—largely reflecting the fact that immigrants are concentrated in prime working age. And, immigrants are highly entrepreneurial. Immigrants may bring foods, products, and services that could be of interest to consumers in the U.S. Immigrants may also turn to entrepreneurship if lack of language skills, discrimination by employers, or other factors make it hard to get a regularly paid job. Whatever the reasons, immigrants make up 11 percent of all business owners in the Utica-Rome metro area, serving customers, filling in business needs, and spurring growth in the local economy.

IMMIGRANTS ARE IMPORTANT TO THE UTICA-ROME METRO AREA