Data
Links to Accurate Information about Immigrants and Refugees
- Eligible to Naturalize Interactive Map (University of Southern California Center for the Study of Immigrant Integration)
- Eligible to Naturalize Population Map and Charts (New Americans Campaign)
- The State of New American Citizenship (2019) (Boundless)
- Washington State DACA Fact Sheet (2017) (FWD.us)
Immigrants and Crime
- Do Deportations Lower Crime? Not According to the Data (2019) (The Marshall Project)
- Illegal Immigrants and Crime - Assessing the Evidence (2019) (Cato Institute)
- Is There a Connection Between Undocumented Immigrants and Crime (2019) (The Marshall Project)
- Sanctuary Jurisdictions in Florida Do Not Have Higher Crime Rates (2019) (Cato Institute)
- Is Illegal Immigration Linked to More or Less Crime? (2018) (FactCheck.org)
- Immigrants are less likely to commit crime than native-born citizens (2018) (Cato Institute)
- Immigration and Crime: Assessing a Contentious Issue (2018) (Annual Review of Criminology)
- The Effects of Sanctuary Policies on Crime and the Economy (2017) (Center for American Progress)
Immigrants and Use of Public Benefits
Immigrant Integration
- Cities Index, an interactive guide ranking 100 largest U.S. cities on immigrant integration metrics (2018) (New American Economy)
- Civic Engagement Data for Immigrants and Refugees Living in Seattle/King County (2018) (Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs)
- The Integration of Immigrants into American Society (2015) (The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine)
Immigrant Statistics
- Frequently Requested Statistics on Immigrants and Immigration in the United States (2018) (Migration Policy Institute)
- Mapping Immigration Infographics (2014-2017) (Department of Homeland Security)
- Metropolitan areas with the largest number of residents born in "banned countries," 2011-2015 (The Brookings Institute)
- New milestone in King County: Immigrant population tops 500,000 (2019) (The Seattle Times)
- Seattle Immigrant and Refugee Data Sheet (Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs)
- Seattle/King County Foreign-born Population Map (2015) (The Seattle Times)
- Voices of Seattle's East African Communities: An Overview of Community Issues and Opportunities (2016) (Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs)
Unauthorized/Undocumented Immigrants
- 20 U.S. metropolitan areas with the largest number of unauthorized immigrants (2014) (Pew Research Center)
*If you need more specific information on refugee placement in Washington State, we recommend going to the Office of Refugee and Immigrant Assistance Data page of the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services.
- Civic Engagement Data for Immigrants and Refugees Living in Seattle/King County (2018) (Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs)
- Interactive map showing the global refugee crisis (2017) (Mashable)
- King County Refugee Population Map (2015) (The Seattle Times)
- Seattle Immigrant and Refugee Data Sheet (Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs)
- U.S. Annual Refugee Resettlement Ceilings and Numbers of Refugees Admitted, 1980-Present (Migration Policy Institute)
- Where Seattle's refugees come from and other things you should know (2016) (KUOW)
- Breaking Barriers and Building Bridges: Career Pathways to Economic Stability & Quality Jobs for Seattle's Immigrant and Refugee Workers & Professionals (2017) (Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs)
- Costs of Brain Waste among Highly Skilled Immigrants in Washington State (2016) (Migration Policy Institute)
- Economic Benefits of Diversity and Inclusion and Costs of Discrimination and Isolationism Fact Sheet (2017) (Office of Economic Development)
- Economic Impact of Naturalization on Immigrants and Cities (2015) (The Urban Institute)
- Effects of Sanctuary Policies on Crime and the Economy (2017) (Center for American Progress)
- Map the Impact, an interactive guide highlighting the significant economic contributions of immigrants (2016) (New American Economy)
- Reducing Brain Waste: Creating Career Pathways for Foreign-Educated Immigrants in Washington State (2015) (OneAmerica)
Seattle City Council requested that OIRA conduct a study to explore the feasibility of establishing services in the city of Seattle for internationally-educated immigrants and refugees who are seeking professional occupations in the U.S. This report examines the state of the immigrant and refugee workforce and explores a range of issues including underemployment, the occupational and wage structure of the Seattle-King County workforce, and changing patterns of job mobility.
Breaking Barriers and Building Bridges
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Through an analysis of existing data, community-centered focus groups, and a series of one-on-one interviews, the Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs (OIRA) commissioned this report titled, "Voices of Seattle's East African Communities." Consultant Aileen Balahadia facilitated this community-driven process with these goals:
- To inform and guide OIRA and the City of Seattle in order to better analyze policy and to improve services and support to the city's diverse East African communities.
- To inform and guide community-based organizations (CBOs) serving East African individuals in their ability to more efficiently and effectively serve their communities, particularly in today's nonprofit climate.
- To educate and inform community, public, and private partners of the current issues and opportunities in East African communities.
The report serves as a common framework from which both the community and the City of Seattle can work towards collective action. The white paper will inform city departments as they develop unique workplans specific to East African community needs.
 The entire 78-page report. |
 The 8-page executive summary of the report. |
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This data snapshot of Seattle's immigrant and refugee community lists a number of important statistics regarding the city's new arrivals and new Americans.
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The Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs (OIRA) worked with Latino Decisions in 2016 to develop and launch the Seattle Votes Survey campaign, which anonymously collected civic engagement data from 5,566 immigrant and refugee residents, the first such data for any city in the U.S. and one of the largest data sets in the country. The reports and links to data are below:
Report on the entire dataset:
Seattle Votes Survey Results: Immigrant Civic Engagement in Seattle-King County
Reports disaggregated by immigrant/refugee community subsets:
Seattle Votes Survey Results: Asian American Community
Seattle Votes Survey Results: East African Community
Seattle Votes Survey Results: Latino Community
NOTE: As of June 4, 2018, the Latino Community report is revised from the original version. Tania Hino's interview contained incorrect information in the original report.
Seattle Votes Slideshow Presentation:
OIRA Presentation Seattle Votes 2018 FINAL.pdf
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Seattle Votes Survey raw data:
data.seattle.gov/Community/Seattle-Votes-Survey-Data-from-5-224-immigrant-and/y5cf-gy2p
Released in 2015, the City of Seattle Immigrant Voting Task Force Report examined the issues that affect civic and political participation by immigrant communities in the City of Seattle. The City is working to ensure that immigrant residents are part of our vibrant democracy and is using innovative and community-driven ideas to overcome challenges to civic participation. This inclusive approach is highlighted in the creative and practical recommendations developed by the Immigrant Voting Task Force. This report led to the Seattle Votes Campaign, see above.
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