In 2017, New Jersey was home to over 2 million immigrant residents, making up 22.8 percent of the state’s population. This presentation further explores the many economic impacts immigrants have made in New Jersey and across the United States, calculating their spending power and tax contributions, their influence on the labor market, and their role in starting new businesses in the U.S. Time will be allotted to discuss current issues in immigration reform and answer questions about immigrant economic and cultural contributions to our society.

Steven Hubbard, Ph.D. is a data scientist at the New American Economy where he conducts research and data visualization projects related to how immigration impacts our economy. Most recently, he was a Zolberg Fellow at The New School and International Rescue Committee where he conducted research on Syrian refugees living in Jordan. With a deep interest in photography, he recognizes the importance of visualization to communicate complex data problems and facilitate data driven decision making. Hubbard has over 20 years of experience in college teaching, research, and administration at New York University, The University of Iowa, and Hamline University. Dr. Hubbard started his professional career as a city planner for local governments in rural southwest Iowa.