Immigration in Johnson County

Immigrants from all over the world call Johnson County home, including non-citizens and naturalized citizens. Almost 48,000 Johnson county residents, or 8% of Johnson County’s current population, came to the United States from another country, according to data from the U.S Census Bureau. Approximately half of all immigrants in the community are naturalized U.S. citizens. Growth in the immigrant population has outpaced growth in the general population by more than three times over the past decade. The Migration Policy Institute (MPI) estimates that Johnson County has the largest number of immigrants in the five-county, bi-state Kansas City region.

Percent Change in Population and Immigrants, 2005-2015

50%

45%

40%

35%

30%

25%

20%

15%

10% 5% 0% Total Population U.S. Citizens Immigrants (Includes Naturalized Citizens and

Non-Citizens)

Johnson County’s current immigrant population come from all parts of the world. The majority are from Asian countries which include Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam. There are also many immigrants from Latin American countries which include Mexico, Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. Johnson County is home to a significant concentration of immigrants from Kenya as well; 51% of the Kansas City region’s Kenyan population live in Johnson County, according to MPI. Most immigrants arrived in the United States between 2000 and 2009.

Place of Birth for Immigrants in Johnson County

Oceania North America Africa Europe Latin America Asia

1 Characteristics of Johnson County’s Immigrant Population

Immigrants in Johnson County are contributing to the community in various ways, as indicated by five-year trend data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Nearly half of immigrants have a college degree or higher. The majority of immigrants are working-age adults, and seventy percent of immigrants in the labor force are employed, mostly as private wage and salary workers. The average annual earnings for immigrant households is approximately $87,000. More than half of immigrants are homeowners.

Age Distribution of Immigrants in Johnson County 50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0% Under 5 5 to 17 18 to 24 25 to 44 45 to 54 55 to 64 65 to 74 75 to 84 85 years years years years years years years years years and over

Although immigrants represent only 8% of the Johnson County population, they represent more than 17% of the poverty population. The poverty rate for immigrants is 11%, which is almost triple the poverty rate for native-born residents of Johnson County. Despite the rates of poverty among immigrant populations, reliance on the public safety net is low. Only 8% of immigrants receive public food assistance, and less than 13% are enrolled in public health insurance.

In addition to immigration status, language spoken at home correlates with experiencing poverty. Eighty-four percent of immigrants (age 5 and over) speak a language other than English at home, but 43% report speaking English “very well”. Those for whom English is not the primary language are more than three times as likely to experience poverty as those who only speak English.

Poverty Rate By Language Spoken at Home Age 5 and Over 14%

12%

10% 8%

6%

4% 2%

0%

English Spanish Other Language

Blue Valley, Shawnee Mission and Olathe school districts report the highest number of different languages (75 -84 languages) identified as students’ primary home language in Johnson County. Some of the more common languages include Spanish, Telugu, Chinese, Urdu, Mandarin, Arabic and Korean.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2015 American Community Survey, 5-year and 1-year estimates; Capps and Ruiz Soto. 2016. Immigration to the Heartland: A profile of immigrants in the Kansas City Region. Washington, DC: Migration Policy Institute