"By one estimate, foreign STEM workers immigrating to the United States accounted for between 30 to 50 percent of all U.S. productivity growth between 1990 and 2010."

It's not irrational to be be a one issue voter on high skill immigration.

https://x.com/RichardHanania/status/2017576704852860963

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5829099&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310744#49635164)

### 📊 What *STEM Workers, H-1B Visas, and Productivity in US Cities* actually says

📌 The authors study **219 U.S. cities from 1990–2010** and use historical variation in H-1B visas to isolate *supply-driven* increases in STEM workers. They find:

* Growth in foreign STEM workers is associated with **increases in total factor productivity** in U.S. cities. ([Giovanni Peri][1])

* STEM worker increases are linked to **significant wage gains** for college-educated natives and smaller but positive gains for non-college-educated natives, suggesting productivity effects. ([econdataus.com][2])

💡 In plain language, the paper’s results imply that:

> **STEM worker migrants contributed significantly to productivity growth in U.S. cities** between 1990 and 2010 by raising total factor productivity, expanding innovation, and complementing the native labor force. ([Giovanni Peri][1])

**However**, the abstract and publicly available summaries do **not provide a single numerical estimate (% of productivity growth due to foreign STEM)** in the abstract itself that we can quote directly without the full paper.

The study *does* provide quantitative estimates like:

* A **1 percentage point increase in the foreign STEM share of employment** raises college-educated native wage growth by about **7–8 percentage points** and non-college wages by **3–4 points**, which reflects productivity and labor market effects of STEM immigrants. ([econdataus.com][2])

But the exact fraction of **overall city productivity growth attributable specifically to STEM foreign workers** (e.g., “X% of productivity growth came from H-1B STEM migrants”) is part of the paper’s internal results, not the publicly released abstract.

---

## 📌 Summary of key points

**📍 What the paper *does say***

✔ STEM worker growth increases total factor productivity in U.S. cities. ([Giovanni Peri][1])

✔ The presence of foreign STEM workers boosts native wages — especially for college graduates — and raises local productivity indicators like specialization in cognitive occupations. ([IDEAS/RePEc][3])

✔ These effects are identified using H-1B visa variation and historical clustering of foreign STEM workers. ([IDEAS/RePEc][4])

**📍 What the paper *doesn’t say (in the abstract)***

❌ A single clear percentage of total productivity growth *caused by* STEM migrants isn’t quoted in the abstract itself. That requires the full article tables/estimates.

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## If you want the precise numbers

I can help you:

* Find a working paper version with the detailed regression tables

* Summarize the specific quantitative estimates on productivity

* Explain how the authors interpret those numbers

Just tell me which part of the results you want (e.g., **productivity impacts vs wage impacts**).

[1]: https://giovanniperi.ucdavis.edu/stem-workers-h-1b-visas-and-productivity-in-us-cities.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com "immigration trade"

[2]: https://econdataus.com/jole_pss1.htm?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Analysis of \"STEM Workers, H-1B Visas, and Productivity in US Cities\""

[3]: https://ideas.repec.org/p/nor/wpaper/2013009.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com "STEMWorkers, H1B Visas and Productivity in US Cities"

[4]: https://ideas.repec.org/a/ucp/jlabec/doi10.1086-679061.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com "STEM Workers, H-1B Visas, and Productivity in US Cities"

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5829099&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310744#49635166)