America has always been “a nation of immigrants” to quote the title of John F. Kennedy’s famous book. Yet the role of immigrants in U.S. competitiveness has become increasingly contentious, especially in light of the recent presidential election. Our research attempts to shed light on this debate, by focusing on the history of immigrants as technological innovators.
Research: Immigrants Played an Outsize Role in America’s Age of Innovation
And were paid less for their trouble.
April 21, 2017, Updated April 26, 2017
Summary.
Research shows that immigrants accounted for 19.6% of all U.S. inventors between 1880 and 1940. Immigrant inventors were heavily concentrated in U.S. “rust-belt” states, which were some of the most productive areas during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Migrant influence was widespread, with migrant inventors accounting for at least 16% of patents in every technology area. The majority of immigrant inventors originated from European countries, with Germans playing a particularly prominent role. The study also shows that immigrants were paid less on average than domestic inventors, despite being more productive in terms of patenting.