Net Taxpayer Cost or Benefit for U.S. Born and Immigrants by Age
Sep 28, 2010
Immigrants are not a net drain on the federal government budget.
Immigrants and the U.S.-born have similar fiscal footprints over their lifetimes. When immigrants and natives are young, they are a net cost to taxpayers as they consume public services such as education and health-care but do not pay taxes. In their prime working years, they pay much more in taxes than they consume in services. As both immigrants and natives age, they are once more a net cost to taxpayers because they receive Social Security and Medicare while paying minimal taxes. Over a life-cycle, both groups pay more in taxes than they consume in services. [Source: Integrated Public Use Microdata Series-Current Population Survey (IPUMS-CPS). 2005-2009 March CPS; U.S. Census Bureau.]
