National Data | Chart | Immigration Causes A Quarter Of California’s State Budget Deficit — Or Eight More Days Of Tax Slavery

Fiscal Impact of Immigration in California

State

Fiscal Deficit

CA

Native

Immigrant

Total CA

per Immigrant

Year

Population

Households

Households

Households

Household

(1,000s)

(1,000s)

(1,000s)

(1,000s)

1990

29,760

7,402

2,518

9,920

$2,192

1996

31,794

8,382

2,851

11,233

$2,632

2000

34,501

8,583

2,919

11,502

$2,889

2003Est.

35,595

8,854

3,011

11,865

$3,079

Total Federal/

State

Federal/state/local

State/Local

Total

Fiscal Deficit

Fiscal Deficit

Fiscal Deficit

Federal/state/local

Due to Immigrant

per Immigrant

Due to Immigrant

Revenues From

Year

Households

Household

Households

Native Households

($Billions)

($Billions)

($Billions)

1990

$5.52

$5,119

$12.9

$121.5

1996

$7.50

$6,145

17.5

$200.3

2000

$8.43

$6,744

19.7

$258.3

2003Est.

$9.27

$7,190

21.7

$329.6

Deficit

Days Native Born

Due to Foreign-

Spend Working

born Households

California

Days Spent

to pay taxes for

as % of Taxes Paid

Tax Freedom

Working for

Foreigner’s Fiscal

Year

Day

All Taxes

Deficit

1990

10.6%

April 18

108

11.5

1996

8.7%

April 22

112

9.7

2000

7.6%

May 8

128

9.8

2003Est.

6.6%

April 29

119

7.8

Source: Foreign-born population: 1990, 2000: 1990 and 2000 Census; 1996: California Department of Finance, Demographic Research Unit, https://www.dof.ca.gov

Fiscal Deficit: National Research Council, et.al., "The New Americans,"

National Academy Press, 1997. Page 281. 1996 figure (published in study ) is

adjusted for inflation in other years.

Note: Expenditures used in calculating the fiscal deficit include Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, K-12 education, welfare, public safety, health, recreation, higher education, public works, defense, and other programs. Revenues include income, property, sales, Social Security, and corporate taxes allocated to households.

Note: Ratio of native to foreign-born California households assumed equal to 2.94 throughout the period. This is the ratio used in the NRC report for 1996.