Report: North Carolina Hispanics contribute billions [View All]

[Thom Little]

North Carolina's fast-growing Hispanic community is almost 20 percent larger than government estimates, nearly half illegal and contributes billions to the state's economy, according to research released today.

Researchers at UNC Chapel Hilll's Kenan Institute also said the state spent $61 million -- $102 per Hispanic -- more than it received in taxes to provide key social services.

That net taxpayer cost has to be viewed in the context of the much larger economic contribution Hispanics make as they buy goods, create demand for services and fill low-wage jobs, said John Kasarda, Kenan Institute director and one of two lead researchers on the eight-month project.

......

"This study quantifies for the first time the enormous economic contributions made by our state's Hispanic population, as well as pointing to a wide range of public policy issues and business opportunities to be explored," Thad Woodard, CEO of the N.C. Bankers Association, said in a news release today. "North Carolina policymakers and business leaders now have a wealth of data and information on which to make decisions about both challenges and opportunities offered by this increasingly significant segment of our state's population and economy."



http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/business/13539986.htm