Skip to content
  • Subscribe
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
  • Email
  • Home
  • News
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment
  • Features
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe to Ray’s Columns
Suburban Chicagoland

Suburban Chicagoland

Original News, Features & Opinion on Chicago, Illinois and America

  • About
    • About
    • Advertise
    • Our Writers
      • Ray Hanania
      • Bill Lipinski
      • Biography: Aaron Hanania
    • Terms of Service
    • Privacy Policy
    • Reach Out
  • Sections
    • Events
    • Opinion
    • News
    • Features
    • Seniors
    • Comic Strip
  • Library
    • “MIdnight Flight” Online Book
      • Midnight Flight Book Overview
      • Midnight Flight Introduction
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 1
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 2
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 3
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 4
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 5
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 6
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 7
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 8
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 9
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 10
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 11
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 12
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 13
    • Villages, Cities & Towns
    • Federal Office Holders
    • County Officials
    • Legislators
  • Subscribe to Ray’s Columns
  • Comment
  • Podcast
    • Ray Hanania on Politics
    • Two Guys on Politics
    • Hanania on Tiktok
  • News Wire
  • Archive 2004-2013
  • Toggle search form
  • FIRE UPDATE: Fire District releases photos of kitten saved from Orland Park apartment fire Saturday Features
  • two-story apartment building on the 15200 block of El Camino Terrace in Orland Park
    Orland Park apartment fire Saturday morning, no injuries Fire
  • Illinois Senator Michael Hastings addressing the Orland Township Democratic Organization Wednesday Oct. 12, 2022
    Hastings calls for bipartisan action to protect Illinois families from SNAP benefit shutdown Baby Boomers
  • Illinios Industrial Energy Consumers, information ad
    Get information on the Illinois Energy Omnibus Bill in Springfield Business
  • State Senator Mike Porfirio secured over $20 million to support infrastructure improvements and construction in the 11th Senate District.
    Senator Porfirio applauds more than $20 million in infrastructure repairs coming to the 11th District News
  • Dad and daughter reunited Lebving Law firm photo
    Little Girl Recovered and Reunited with Dad After Long Separation Dads' Rights
  • 11-03-25 OFPD Coffee living alone
    Orland Fire hosts meeting on helping Seniors who live alone Nov. 5 Baby Boomers
  • State Senator Michael Hastings introduces law to revive long dormant and degraded Tinley Park Mental Health Center into a Sports Park for the community. Photo courtesy of the State Senate President Don Harmon
    Hastings secures $250,000 grant for Easterseals Academy’s Tinley Park campus Health
  • Chicago ranks as 161st worst city for crime in new national survey Chicago
  • Kat Abughazaleh 9th DIstrict Congress 2026 candidate democrat
    Kat Abughazaleh raises over $520,000 in Q2 of 2025 with more than $630,000 cash on hand for 2026 Democratic primary election elections
  • Silent Threat: The True Dangers of Lithium-Ion Batteries — How to Stay Safe and Respond to a Battery Fire Fire
  • Illinois 9th District Congressional map
    Illinois 9th Congressional District News, Amiwala, Cohen and Andrew elections
  • Cook County Treasurer Maria Papas
    Your Mortgage Company May Pay Your Taxes — But You Still Need to Watch Blogger
  • Image from Jeffery M. Leving
    Father Wins Custody After Son’s Disappearance and STD Diagnosis Chicago
  • On Wednesday, October 15th, Cook County Commissioners and the Office of Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle celebrated Hispanic and Latine Heritage Month in the lobby of the Cook County Building.   
    Commissioner Frank Aguilar and Cook County officials celebrate Hispanic and Latino Heritage Month Chicago
In the late 1880s, a large group of Chicagoans of Polish descent began raising $30,000 for a monument to Thaddeus Kosciuszko, Polish hero of the American Revolution. After arriving in America in 1776, Kosciuszko joined the Continental Army. As a skilled engineer, he made significant contributions to the war by designing fortifications for several strategic places such as Philadelphia, West Point, and Saratoga. Kosciuszko later returned to Poland to lead his native military in a 1794 uprising. In Chicago, Courtesy of the Chicago Park DIstrict.

Chicago named “most welcoming city” for immigrants

Posted on January 5, 2020January 5, 2020 By Ray Hanania No Comments on Chicago named “most welcoming city” for immigrants
SHARE THIS STORY
            
 
  

Chicago named “most welcoming city” for immigrants

A study by the New American Economy, founded by corporate executives including Michael Bloomberg and Rupert Murdoch, shows that cities in the Midwest led in welcoming immigrants to their communities. The study focused on larger cities and Chicago was identified as the most welcoming.

This year, according to the NAE Cities Index, Chicago is the most welcoming city in America when it comes to policies that support immigrants. It is also a place where the socioeconomic divides between its U.S.-born and immigrant residents are relatively small.

The NAE Cities Index, first launched in 2018 as the first-ever comprehensive assessment of cities’ immigration policies and their immigrants’ socioeconomic outcomes, uses 51 unique measures to answer two questions at the heart of the immigration debate: How well are immigrants integrating into American society; and, what role do cities play in that process?

In the late 1880s, a large group of Chicagoans of Polish descent began raising $30,000 for a monument to Thaddeus Kosciuszko, Polish hero of the American Revolution. After arriving in America in 1776, Kosciuszko joined the Continental Army. As a skilled engineer, he made significant contributions to the war by designing fortifications for several strategic places such as Philadelphia, West Point, and Saratoga. Kosciuszko later returned to Poland to lead his native military in a 1794 uprising. In Chicago, Courtesy of the Chicago Park DIstrict.
In the late 1880s, a large group of Chicagoans of Polish descent began raising $30,000 for a monument to Thaddeus Kosciuszko, Polish hero of the American Revolution. After arriving in America in 1776, Kosciuszko joined the Continental Army. As a skilled engineer, he made significant contributions to the war by designing fortifications for several strategic places such as Philadelphia, West Point, and Saratoga. Kosciuszko later returned to Poland to lead his native military in a 1794 uprising. In Chicago, Courtesy of the Chicago Park DIstrict.

This year’s results also show that Chicago’s success is not unique among Midwestern cities, even though many of them are not traditionally known as immigration hubs. With two years of Index data and scores, we’re now able to identify which cities are moving ahead of the curve in welcoming immigrants. We find that many of cities that improved the most overall are in the Midwest. In fact, among the 10 cities with the largest increases in overall score, four are Midwestern cities: Cleveland, OH, Milwaukee, WI, Toledo, OH, and Chicago, IL—more than any other region in the United States.

Table 1: The Top 10 Cities with the Biggest Increase in Their Overall Scores

City Region Overall Score, 2019 Overall Score, 2018
Cleveland, OH Midwest 3.78 2.78
Milwaukee, WI Midwest 3.48 2.63
Albuquerque, NM Mountain 3.48 2.63
Oklahoma City, OK South Central 3.35 2.50
Jersey City, NJ Northeast 4.30 3.45
Toledo, OH Midwest 3.38 2.58
Anaheim, CA Pacific 3.93 3.28
San Antonio, TX South Central 3.43 2.83
Chicago, IL Midwest 4.38 3.80
Santa Ana, CA Pacific 3.25 2.73

When we look just at each city’s total policy score, the half of the Index that measures the extent by which each city’s policies support immigrant integration, we find that Toledo, OH, saw the biggest increase in policy score from last year. Toledo went from a policy score of 2.4 to 4 (out of 5) this year. This increase was due in part to having more policies that support immigrant entrepreneurs, expand language access, and allow the acceptance of consular IDs as a form of identification.

In terms of socioeconomic score, the other half of the Index that compares immigrants’ and U.S.-born residents’ socioeconomic outcomes, Cleveland, OH, had the biggest increase. From 2.75 last year, the city improved to 3.75 this year. Not only did median incomes rise and poverty rates fall for all residents in Cleveland, but the city’s immigrant entrepreneurship rate also increased, going from 6.9 percent to 8.0 percent, meaning more new businesses creating more new jobs for all workers.

Do Higher Index Scores Matter?

In general, we find that cities that do well in the Index tend to also have higher levels of well-being for all their residents, regardless of where they were born.

Table 2: Comparing the Top 25 Cities with the Index Cities Overall

Average of the Top 25 Index Cities Average of All 100 Index Cities
Median Business Income of U.S.-Born Entrepreneurs $25,818 $24,142
Median Business Income of Immigrant Entrepreneurs $20,952 $20,740
Share of U.S.-Born Population with A College Degree 37.6% 35.2%
Share of Immigrant Population with A College Degree 33.1% 29.2%
Naturalization Rate 77.4% 75.8%

Looking at the top ranked 25 cities compared to the Index average for all cities, we find that the higher scoring cities have better outcomes for both immigrant and U.S.-born entrepreneurs, making them more successful and thus more likely to create and sustain new jobs. For example, U.S.-born entrepreneurs in the top cities are found to earn $1,600 more each year than the Index average. At the same time, foreign-born entrepreneurs in the top 25 cities also earn more—$200 more per year—than the Index average.

The top 25 cities in the Index are also attracting greater shares of high-skilled workers, both U.S.-born and foreign-born, making them more competitive for businesses and investment. In the top 25 cities, the average share of immigrants with a college education (33.1 percent) and U.S.-born people with a college education (37.6 percent) is higher than the Index average (29.2 percent and 35.2 percent, respectively).

Immigrants in the top 25 cities also appear to have a greater sense of belonging. In 2017, about 77.4 percent of the immigrants who were eligible for naturalization had become U.S. citizens in those cities. That’s higher than the average naturalization rate of 75.8 percent for cities in the Index overall.

Policy Trends Among Cities in the Index

The results of this year’s Index also show that cities have increasingly adopted a wide range of policies aimed at welcoming and supporting immigrants (see Table 3) to support prosperous communities. For example, 36 of the 100 cities in the Index now have an office for immigrant affairs, including Chicago’s Office of New Americans. Having such an office is a strong indication of a city government’s leadership and dedication to immigrant integration. Meanwhile, more than half—54 out of 100— of all cities in the Index run or support entrepreneurship programs that cater specifically to immigrants. This includes Madison, Wisconsin’s Kiva Madison project, which provides zero interest loans to immigrant business owners.

Additionally, 11 cities have issued a municipal identification card, such as Detroit ID, to all their residents, making it easier for immigrants to access social services that require identification. And according to data from the Vera Institute of Justice, 24 cities, including Dallas, TX, and Denver, CO, have a legal defense fund available for immigrant residents facing deportation. Lastly, to increase civic engagement, 62 cities have or provided support for services that guide immigrants through the naturalization process.

Table 3: Coverage of Immigration Policies Among the 100 Index Cities

Number of Index Cities that Have Such a Policy
Establish or maintain a local office for immigrant affairs 36
Run or provide support for entrepreneurship programs that target immigrants 54
Issue a municipal ID to all residents, regardless of immigration status 11
Have legal defense fund available to immigrants facing deportation 24
Run or provide support for programs that encourage or guide eligible immigrants through the naturalization process 62

Promisingly, several cities have been successful in adopting welcoming policies in the face of strong political headwinds at the state level. Among cities in the states with non-inclusive state immigration policies, Nashville, TN, has the highest policy scores (3.8 out of 5) including 5s for government leadership and community engagement.

Cities Responding to Demographic Change

Cities appear to be responding to demographic shifts by adopting immigration-related policies. Among the 100 cities in the Index, 69 percent experienced an increase the foreign-born share of their total population. The same pattern is even more pronounced in the Midwest, where 82 percent of cities in the Index saw an increase in the foreign-born share of the population. Given that many cities in the Midwest also struggle with declines in the U.S.-born population, many local leaders are thinking proactively about immigrant welcoming and integration policies as a means to stemming population loss and encouraging economic revitalization.

Among cities that have struggled with population loss, some have gone the extra mile to welcome immigrants. This year, we estimated that 18 cities in the Index experienced declines in their U.S.-born population. Among them, 11 cities reported that they had developed or participated in programs intended to attract immigrants. This includes Buffalo, NY, where the U.S.-born population shrank by 0.4 percent. But the arrival of immigrants helped reverse the population decline, resulting in a 0.2 percent increase in the overall population.

Table 4: Demographic Trends Among 100 Index Cities

Number of Cities
Cities Where Foreign-Born Population Grew 82
Cities Where Foreign-Born Share of Total Population Increased 69
Cities Where U.S.-Born Population Declined 18
General Trends

Similar to last year’s results, we found that large, traditional immigration gateways are still ahead of other cities when it comes to immigration policies. Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York got the highest policy scores as a result of their strong set of policies in place to support immigrants. Each city earned perfect scores in at least four out of the five policy categories, and all maintain a local office dedicated to immigrant affairs. However, similar to last year, these cities fared less well on socioeconomic measures such as access to housing or income inequality.

Table 5: Top Cities with the Highest Policy Scores

City Policy Score
Chicago, IL 5.0
San Francisco, CA 5.0
Los Angeles, CA 4.8
New York, NY 4.8
Portland, OR 4.8
Anaheim, CA 4.6
Denver, CO 4.6
Jersey City, NJ 4.6
San Jose, CA 4.6
Seattle, WA 4.6

Meanwhile, smaller, more affordable cities got the highest socioeconomic scores in the Index. Jacksonville, FL, Norfolk, VA, and St. Petersburg, FL, took the top three spots for socioeconomic outcomes. All three scored especially high in livability, thanks to smaller gaps in homeownership rates, health insurance coverage rates, and educational attainment rates between immigrants and the U.S.-born.

Table 6: Top Cities with the Highest Socioeconomic Scores

City Socioeconomic Score
Jacksonville, FL 4.50
Norfolk, VA 4.50
St. Petersburg, FL 4.50
Baltimore, MD 4.25
Chesapeake, VA 4.25
Chula Vista, CA 4.25
Greensboro, NC 4.25
Henderson, NV 4.25
Newark, NJ 4.25
Atlanta, GA 4.00
Fremont, CA 4.00
Jersey City, NJ 4.00
New Orleans, LA 4.00
Virginia Beach, VA 4.00

Overall, the second annual NAE Cities Index shows that cities, especially in the Midwest, are taking the lead in welcoming immigrants. In the cities that fare well in the Index, immigrants are having especially positive impacts on local economies and communities. Immigrants bring much-needed skills and a uniquely entrepreneurial spirit that strengthen Main Streets, create jobs, and expand local tax bases. By placing a spotlight on these cities, the Index effectively highlights their policies as best practices for other community leaders to consider, as they seek ways to help immigrants establish roots and maximize their potentials to the benefit of all.

newswire info
  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Ray Hanania
Ray Hanania
Ray Hanania is an award-winning opinion columnist, author & former Chicago City Hall reporter (1977-1992). A veteran who served during the Vietnam War and the recipient of four SPJ Peter Lisagor Awards for column writing, Hanania writes weekly opinion columns on mainstream American & Chicagoland topics for the Southwest News-Herald, Des Plaines Valley News, the Regional News, The Reporter Newspapers, and Suburban Chicagoland.  

His award winning columns can be found at www.HANANIA.COM Subscribe FREE today

Hanania also writes about Middle East issues for the Arab News, and The Arab Daily News criticizing government policies in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.

Email Ray Hanania at [email protected].

Follow RayHanania at Twitter
Ray Hanania
Latest posts by Ray Hanania (see all)
  • FIRE UPDATE: Fire District releases photos of kitten saved from Orland Park apartment fire Saturday - October 26, 2025
  • Hastings calls for bipartisan action to protect Illinois families from SNAP benefit shutdown - October 24, 2025
  • Senator Porfirio applauds more than $20 million in infrastructure repairs coming to the 11th District - October 24, 2025
NPV: 42
  • Tweet

SHARE THIS STORY
            
 
  
 
 
 
           
Business, Chicago, General Topics, National, News Tags:Chicago, immigrants, Michael Bloomberg, Midwest, most welcoming city, New American Economy, study

Post navigation

Previous Post: Movie remakes are always so disappointing
Next Post: Pritzker to give financial aid to illegal and undocumented students

Related Posts

  • Moraine Valley Community College’s Fire Academy wins award. Photo courtesy of Bryan Lowery
    Moraine Valley Fire Academy graduate earns state medal of valor Education
  • Book Cover "Laptop from Hell" by Miranda Devince
    Questions remain unanswered about Hunter Biden’s ties to Ukraine Blogger
  • Verisk officials present official recognition of the highest safety preparedness achievement to the Orland Fire Protection District (OFPD) at a ceremony on Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024
    Orland Fire District audit shows financial strength and responsibility Fire
  • Lyons approves sidewalks plan News
  • Cook COunty Commissioner Frank Aguilar Family Resource Fair Oct. 2022
    Cook County Commissioner Frank Aguilar hosts Family Resource Fair at district office Cook County
  • Jeffery M. Leving book Divorce Wars
    Leving presents books on Fathers’ Rights at Printers Row Literary Fest Books & Films

More Related Articles

Orland Township Supervisor Paul O'Grady at the 2019 Holiday Program donation distribution. Orland Township offers Holiday Giving opportunities for needy families Cook County
05-23-25 Jeffery M. Leving Dad secured important court victory, keeping sons safe at home Dads' Rights
Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia Illinois House overrides Rauner veto of tax hike News
Orland Fire Protection DIstrict firefighter/paramedics treat two individuals for injuries in an accident that resulted in one vehicle being flipped over on its roof at 151st near Harlem Avenue on Sunday March 26, 2023 Illinois has the fifth most car crash deaths due to poor road design, research reveals accident
Lyons passes balanced budget News
Police Blotter Orland Park Police capture major theft ring breaking news

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Login with your Social ID
  • OPINION
  • Cook County Treasurer Maria Papas
    Your Mortgage Company May Pay Your Taxes — But You Still Need to Watch
    October 17, 2025
  • Mohammed Faheem The Lightning Strike Radio Show small
    The Politicization of the Nobel Peace Prize — and Trump’s Fury Over Losing Again
    October 11, 2025
  • 06-04-25 Two Guys on Politics Background Zoom LOGO with images
    Video Podcast: Trump Kimmel Kirk Great American Divide Illegal Aliens polling and Illegal Aliens and ICE
    September 20, 2025
  • Illinois House Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch speaking at a West Side affordable housing dedication
    Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, one of the best candidates to become Illinois Governor
    September 7, 2025
  • Cook County Treasurer Maria Papas
    What You’re Missing on Your Property Tax Bill
    September 5, 2025
Subscribe to Ray Hanania's column graphic

Enter Your Email to Subscribe to Ray Hanania’s Columns

  • The-Kings-Pawn-Book-300-x-300.png

Mohammed Faheem The Lightning Strike Radio

  • NEWS
  • FIRE UPDATE: Fire District releases photos of kitten saved from Orland Park apartment fire Saturday
    October 26, 2025
  • two-story apartment building on the 15200 block of El Camino Terrace in Orland Park
    Orland Park apartment fire Saturday morning, no injuries
    October 25, 2025
  • Illinois Senator Michael Hastings addressing the Orland Township Democratic Organization Wednesday Oct. 12, 2022
    Hastings calls for bipartisan action to protect Illinois families from SNAP benefit shutdown
    October 24, 2025
  • Illinios Industrial Energy Consumers, information ad
    Get information on the Illinois Energy Omnibus Bill in Springfield
    October 24, 2025
  • State Senator Mike Porfirio secured over $20 million to support infrastructure improvements and construction in the 11th Senate District.
    Senator Porfirio applauds more than $20 million in infrastructure repairs coming to the 11th District
    October 24, 2025
John Kass Columns

Order the book PoweR PR; Ethnic Activists Guide to Strategic Communications

YOUTUBE VIDEOS

CLICK TO SUBSCRIBE TO RAY HANANIA'S YOUTUBE VIDEOS


Click here to view the video on YouTube or use the widget below.

Follow Ray Hanania at
Twitter
Facebook
TitkTok
BlueSky
RayHanania Columns

Creative Commons License
All works on this website is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Do not edit original work. Give credit to the original source.

Categories

Copyright © 2022 Suburban Chicagoland & Urban Strategies Group

Powered by PressBook Premium theme