Illegal Immigrants Help Drive Utah's Population Growth

None by KCPW

(KCPW News) Plentiful jobs and a shortage of workers attracted tens of thousands of people to Utah last year. And many of them are undocumented, according to U of U researcher Pam Perlich:

"They are a large percentage of the in-migrants that are coming to the state," says Perlich. "About 20-percent of the state's net migration increase is coming from international sources, and about half of that flow is undocumented. So you can do the math."

That math adds up to approximately four and a half thousand illegal immigrants arriving in Utah last year. The Utah Population Estimates Committee puts the state's total population at 2.7 million, which is a three-percent increase. Perlich says Hispanics account for 25-percent of that increase, both through immigration and births. She adds that most of the state's population projections underestimate the actual number of undocumented workers in Utah because they are based on U.S. Census data from 2000, which undercounted illegal immigrants.

Click here to listen to a longer conversation with Pam Perlich on KCPW's Midday Metro.

Email to a friendPosted in KCPW Newsroom. Copyright 2008 KCPW