Worcester Business Journal

16 Worcester Business Journal | November 12, 2018 | wbjournal.com The Research Bureau 5 born—17.9 percent for the entire foreign-born population, including 26.5 percent for non- citizens, compared to 15.9 percent for the native- born. Statewide, 12.1 percent of foreign-born residents are in poverty, compared to 7 percent of the native-born. One of the largest differences between native and foreign-born populations is English proficiency. While only 7 percent of native-born residents speak English less than "very well," 49.9 percent of foreign-born residents said they had trouble speaking English, mirroring state trends. This can make communication between groups difficult—nearly 80 percent of native-born people in Worcester, and nearly 90 percent of native- born people in Massachusetts, speak only English. Among citizens 18 years old or older, 26.4 percent reported speaking a language other than English. Around 13.8 percent reported being able to speak Spanish, with the remaining 12.6 percent split among many different languages. Immigrant Businesspeople in Worcester While Worcester's status as the second-largest city in the state means it has a significant number of foreign-born residents, by percentage, it is only the 16th most immigrant-populated city in Massachusetts (and is 28th when counting towns and census-designated places). The Census Bureau estimates that there are around 2,050 Worcester residents working in an incorporated business that they own. Of these individuals, around 36 percent are foreign-born. When accounting for unincorporated businesses— a category that includes businesses that have not filed legal paperwork with the Secretary of State, but can also include people who work for themselves and yet would not be considered a "business" in traditional terms—the foreign-born make up around 28 percent. Around 1.7 percent of native-born residents in the workforce work in their own incorporated business, compared to 2.6 percent of immigrants. These numbers paint a Map 2: Predominant Foreign-born Population by Country of Origin Source: 2016 5-year American Community Survey

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