Study shows Gwinnett’s immigrant population booming
The adult immigrant population of Gwinnett County has more than quadrupled in the last 25 years, a new study shows.
In 1990, just 6 percent of Gwinnett County adults were born in another country, according to an analysis of U.S. Census data by the Center for Immigration Studies, which advocates for tighter immigration policies. By 2014, 32 percent of adults were immigrants, the analysis found.
Gwinnett is one of 232 counties nationwide where the adult immigrant population has quadrupled or more during that time. Two other Georgia counties – Stewart and Echols – also met the threshold.
The center said it focused on adults (age 18 and older) because they “begin to reshape the culture in receiving communities as soon as they arrive.
“Census Bureau data, which includes legal and illegal immigrants, shows that growth in the adult immigrant population in some counties has been nothing short of astonishing, while other areas have seen little growth,” the study found. “The findings make clear that Washington may set immigration policy, but it is local communities that feel the impact.”
You can read more about the study – and see how immigration has changed counties across the nation – here.
About the Author
David Wickert writes about the state budget, finance and voting issues. Previously, he covered local government and politics in Gwinnett and Fulton counties. Before moving to Atlanta, he worked at newspapers in Illinois, Tennessee, Virginia and Washington.
