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New study finds that immigrants bring billions into Santa Clara County

According to a report from the American Immigration Council and Santa Clara County Office of Immigrant Relations, a little over half of the county’s business owners are immigrants, despite comprising less than half of the county’s population.

September 19, 2023 • 
Alyson Chuyang
A plate of Ethiopian curries and sauces atop injera bread, on a decorative plate.

LeYou Ethiopian is an immigrant-owned business that has been recently gaining popularity.

Photo via @sjfoodies

Here’s a number for you: $255 billion.

That’s the amount that ~765,800 immigrants contributed to Santa Clara County’s (SCC) gross domestic product in 2021, according to a New Americans in SCC report. In the same year, it was reported that 50.3% of SCC’s business owners were immigrants, while comprising only 40.6% of the county’s population.

This may not come as a surprise — just last December, a study found that San Jose ranked No. 1 as the top US metro area where immigrants look for a better life.

Looking for an easy way to support immigrant business?

Check out Eat San José, a project aimed at spotlighting the richness of our city’s immigrant community through food. More than 50 immigrant-owned restaurant can be found on an interactive map — some with an accompanying story about the restaurateurs.