Clark County Saw an Increase in Foreign-Born Residents in the Past 10 Years
Monday, April 20th, 2015 -- 10:18 AM
(The Daily Yonder, Tim Marema and Roberto Gallardo) -Like most of the United States, Clark County saw an increase in the number of foreign-born residents over the last decade.From 2000 to 2012, the number of Clark County residents who were born in a foreign country grew by 498 people to an estimated 898, according to U.S. Census data. The percentage of county residents who are foreign born also increased during the period, from 1.2 percent to an estimated 2.6 percent.
The findings could be important locally because a new study by the Daily Yonder indicates rural counties with a higher percentage of immigrants are doing better economically. The research showed that counties with a higher percentage of their population born in foreign countries generally had a higher per capita market income and more jobs. These same counties also tended to have lower rates of unemployment and better poverty than counties with a smaller proportion of immigrants.
In Clark County, the economic results were mixed throughout the period of the study. Total employment grew by 5.1 percent to an estimated 17,880 full and part-time jobs, unemployment rose by 3.0 percentage points to 7.2 percent and the percentage of people living below the federal poverty line grew from 10.9 in 2000 to an estimated 16.7 in 2012.
The county's overall 2012 population estimate was 34,600, an increase of 3.1 percent over the past decade.
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