St. Louis Region is the fastest growing major metropolitan area for foreign-born in 2015!
ST. LOUIS - Recent data released by the American CommunitySurvey shows that the St. Louis region’s foreign-born population grew by 8.9% in 2015, placing the region as the fastest growing of the 20 largest metros. While the annual pace of the growth of the foreign-born population can fluctuate widely from year to year, the latest figures indicate the region is heading in a positive direction.
“The new data really outlines how the combined effort of many partners and stakeholders in the St. Louis area is having an impact on the growth of the region,” said St. Louis Mosaic Project Executive Director Betsy Cohen. The St. Louis Mosaic Project was launched in 2013 in response to an economic impact report, outlining St. Louis to be lagging in immigrant growth as well as highlighting the economic benefits of increasing its foreign-born population. The Mosaic Project’s goal is to transform St. Louis into the fastest growing major metropolitan area for immigration by 2020. This regional initiative is managed by the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership, World Trade Center St. Louis and a 27-member committee.
The latest American Community Survey reports an increase of about 10,620 foreign-born residents in the St. Louis MSA during 2015. According to Ruth Sergenian, Director of Economic Research & Analysis at the St. Louis Regional Chamber and Professor Onésimo Sandoval of St. Louis University, both of whom assist the St. Louis Mosaic Project, this increase is encouraging as it follows three years of losses. This year’s data highlights the importance of the foreign-born population to the region. Without the growth in foreign-born residents, the region’s population would have declined between 2014 and 2015.
For more information about The St. Louis Mosaic Project, please visit www.STLMosaicProject.org
