TYLER, Texas (KLTV) – The American Immigration Council, along with the Tyler Hispanic Business Alliance, provided recent data from internal research and the city’s 2012 to 2021 censuses. The new report highlights the crucial role Hispanic Americans in Tyler play in the city’s labor force, population growth, and economy.
When it comes to population growth, 38,800 Hispanic Americans lived in the Tyler metro area in 2012. That number grew by 26.4 percent in 2021, with a bigger population of 49,100.
And out of that, nearly 24,000 Hispanic Americans are active in the labor force, making up 21.2 percent of the city’s labor force.
“And they are contributing in a huge way to the economy and the workforce, especially with it being a quarter of the entire labor force that active there in Tyler being of Hispanic origins.” said Chelsie Kramer, the Texas State Organizer for the American Immigration Council.
Nancy Rangel with the Tyler Hispanic Business Alliance said many Hispanics were able to meet that need as individuals took on more bilingual jobs.
“So that they can not only learn about their products and services and be able to sell that to customers or clients that may come in to these organizations, companies, and corporations.”
Another key point is Hispanic households earned $811.7 million in income in 2021, contributing $101.9 million which went to federal taxes, $72.1 million to state and local taxes, and $637.7 million left in spending power.
Data also shows Hispanic Americans in the Tyler metro area hold substantial voting power with more than 18,900 Hispanic voters in 2021, including nearly 2,800 naturalized citizens.
Rangel said this growth would not be possible without community support. “A lot of our community that embraces the Hispanic community and is able to support them, just like they support the Tyler HBA, so that we are also a part of the community because we all want to see a better city of Tyler, a better county, and a better region overall.”
But with understanding this data and what this means looking ahead, Kramer said it gives city leaders the ability to attract more people to the area.
“Being able to make sure that their integrating the different populations that are in the city, making sure that everybody feels welcomed and understands the opportunity that are available.”
To learn more about the full report, click here.
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