Study: Immigrants increasingly important to U.S. economic growth

Immigrants have started nearly half of America’s top 50 venture-funded companies, and are key members of management or product development teams in more than 75% of the country’s leading companies, according to a new report released by the National Foundation for American Policy, an Arlington, Va.-based policy research group. “Immigrants are increasingly important in driving growth and innovation in America, as evidenced by the role played by foreign-born founders and key personnel in the nation’s breakthrough companies,” says the report’s author, Stuart Anderson, who is also NFAP executive director. The research finds that among the top venture-backed companies, immigrant founders have created an average of approximately 150 jobs in the United States per company. You can check out the full 21-page report here for the complete findings.