Nearly Half Of Fortune 500 Companies Were Founded By Immigrants Or Their Children
46.0% of all Fortune 500 companies were founded by immigrants or their children, according to a new report. That percentage is the highest level recorded since the American Immigration Council started examining immigrant entrepreneurs in annual reviews in 2011.
Amazon, DoorDash, and Apple were among the Fortune 500 companies founded by immigrants or children of immigrants, as highlighted by the council’s research. These companies employ 15.5 million people worldwide, more than the population in Pennsylvania.
As major companies across the country have rolled back their DEI efforts to comply with President Trump’s executive orders, these findings underscore the significant economic contributions immigrants make to the US economy.
Key findings from the report
In the 2023 financial year, the 230 companies on the Council’s list generated $8.6 trillion in revenue. If these immigrant-founded companies were one country, they would have been the third-largest economy in the world, overtaking nations like Japan, Germany, India, and the United Kingdom.
The report also found that states with large immigrant communities benefit significantly from the Fortune 500 companies founded by immigrants and their children. New York, California, and Texas are the top states hosting the most of these Fortune 500 companies, with 32, 28, and 22 companies headquartered in those states, respectively.
US Latino GDP Hits $4 Trillion
Another report highlighted the power of the US Latino GDP as it has soared to $4 trillion, making it the second-fastest growing among the world’s ten largest.
The 2025 Official LDC US Latino GDP Report, now in its eighth edition, was published by the Latino Donor Collaborative (LDC), a think tank dedicated to highlighting economic growth opportunities.
Although Latinos only make up 19.5% of the US population, they were responsible for 28.3% of all GDP growth from 2017 to 2022. If trends continue, the US Latino GDP could rank fourth in the world by 2029, surpassing both Japan and Germany. US Latino purchasing power is currently measured at $4.1 trillion.
“Latinos in the US are not just participating in the economy; they are propelling it. At $4 trillion, this economy is larger than that of entire nations, and it’s growing faster than almost all of them. The strategic implications for leaders across our economy are clear,” Sol Trujillo, Co-Founder and Chairman of the Latino Donor Collaborative, said in a press release.
Image: Nasdaq Inc.
