A new report by the Ohio Legal Assistance Foundation sheds some light on immigrants living in the Dayton region.
Here are some of the highlights of the data, which comes from the U.S. Census:
About 4.3 percent of Montgomery County’s population is foreign born, or 23,030 residents. Out of Ohio’s 13 largest counties, Montgomery County has the third-lowest percentage of foreign-born residents.
A greater share of immigrants in Montgomery County (38.9 percent) have earned a bachelor’s degree or higher educational credentials than the native-born population (25.5 percent). That also holds true in Ohio’s other 12 largest counties.
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About 60.7 percent of the county’s immigrants are either employed or unemployed but actively looking for work. That compares to about 61.8 percent of the native-born population that is in the labor force.
Immigrants in the county have higher rates of poverty but lower rates of unemployment than non-immigrant residents.
Ohio’s immigrants are less likely to divorce or separate than native-born families in the state.
In Montgomery County, more than two-thirds of immigrant households have married couples. About half of native-born households contain a married couple.
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Foreign-born Ohio residents are less likely to be insured and more likely to live in married households with children.
Most Dayton residents have said they are OK with having immigrants as neighbors.
Last year, a citywide survey last year found that 56 percent of residents said they agree or strongly agree with the statement, “I would be supportive if an immigrant family moved in next door to me.”
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