46 Percent of U.S. Innovators Are Immigrants or Children of Immigrants, Study Shows, Underscoring How Attracting the World’s Best and Brightest Contributes to U.S. Economic Growth

WASHINGTON—The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), the leading U.S. science and tech policy think tank, today released the following statement from its president, Robert D. Atkinson, regarding President Trump’s expected executive order on the H-1B visa:

As President Trump continues to weigh possible reforms to the H-1B visa system, we urge him to consider the vital role that high-skilled immigrants play in the U.S. economy.

A 2016 ITIF study found that:

• Nearly half (46 percent) of the U.S. innovators responsible for America’s most consequential innovations are immigrants or the children of immigrants.
• More than one-third (35.5 percent) of these U.S. innovators were born outside the United States, even though this population makes up just 13.5 percent of all U.S. residents.
• Another 10 percent of innovators were born in the United States but have at least one parent born abroad.
• More than 17 percent of these innovators are not U.S. citizens, yet they are making invaluable contributions to U.S. innovation.

For more on this issue, see: “The Demographics of Innovation in the United States.”