300,000 Michigan Kids are from Immigrant Families

Community College Programs Key to Their Success

According to the “High School Kids in Immigrant Families” study commissioned by Global Detroit, 300,000 Michigan kids live in immigrant families, where at least one person was born outside the U.S. Of these, 70,000 are Michigan high school students — 15% of all Michigan high schoolers — including 17,000 in each graduating class over the next four years. Conducted by the Immigration Research Initiative (IRI) and the Michigan League for Public Policy (MLPP), and funded by Global Detroit, the study reinforces the need to create pathways for immigrants seeking postsecondary education and brings to light the increasingly important role community colleges play in serving international, immigrant, refugee, and first-generation students.

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International Student Talent in the Michigan Workforce

A Growing Solution to the STEM Talent Gap

The number of international student graduates entering the Michigan workforce has grown exponentially in the last two decades and offers Michigan employers a significant opportunity to expand their talent pools, especially around high-skilled STEM positions. This report uses data that has never been assembled before to analyze all the international students attending Michigan colleges and universities and/or working on OPT in Michigan from 2004-2016, and draws important conclusions about the potential for international students to meet Michigan’s growing talent needs and shortages, especially around high-skilled STEM posision. This study was created in partnership with One Magnify and Pew Research Center, and was generously sponsored by Fakhoury Global Immigration and OpTech LLC. (Sept 2022)

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Global EIR Pilot Program Evaluation 

Pilot Program External Assessment prepared by Growth Capital Network.

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Building Inclusive Cities

Immigration and Neighborhood Change in Detroit

This report details the results of a two-year study of the impacts of rapid immigration growth in two Detroit neighborhoods, concluding that welcoming and supporting immigrants is a concrete, highly effective strategy to stabilize and revitalize disinvested neighborhoods with tangible benefits to both new and long-term residents. One of the first studies ever to look at the impacts of rapid immigration growth on neighborhoods and long-term residents, the findings could be applied to many post-industrial cities across the U.S. The study was conducted by Global Detroit in partnership with Alan Mallach and Data Driven Detroit. (Summer 2021)

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Immigrant Housing in Detroit

According to survey research, immigrant Detroiters are every bit as eager to become homeowners as non-immigrant residents. This study sheds light on barriers that may explain lower homeownership rates among immigrant Detroiters, including significantly less awareness of credit scores and lower usage of bank accounts. The study indicates that building more inclusive financial literacy, budgeting, banking, and homeownership programs will pay tremendous dividends for increasing homeownership in Detroit. (2018)

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The Economic Impact of Refugees in Southeast Michigan

Michigan has been the fourth largest destination state for refugees over the last decade. Global Detroit’s research documents that these new Michiganders have been a source of strength to the Michigan economy.  The study conservatively estimates total annual economic impact of refugees to be between $229.6 million and $295.3 million in new spending, along with between 1,798 and 2,311 new jobs, in 2016 alone, from the over 21,000 refugees in resettled into Macomb, Oakland, Washtenaw and Wayne Counties between 2007-2016. (2017)

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Global Detroit Founding Research Report

In 2010, Global Detroit was launched with a thorough study and action plan developed with funding from the New Economy Initiative, Detroit Regional Chamber and Skillman Foundation and with a 34-member steering committee. Based on more than 100 interviews with economic, community and industry leaders both in Southeast Michigan and experts across the country, the study focused on 11 strategies to build a strong regional economy through the intentional inclusion of immigrants and global talent. The study was the foundation upon which Global Detroit and related immigrant-inclusive economic development programs were launched.

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