These Richmond industries are most reliant on noncitizen workers
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The Richmond area's construction, agriculture/mining and accommodation/food services industries have the highest shares of foreign-born noncitizen workers, per census data.
State of play: These workers and the sectors that rely on them — which overlap with local hotels, restaurants and development projects — could more acutely feel the impact of deportations ramping up in the region.
- One of the latest protests from immigrant rights advocates in Richmond was spurred by ICE agents detaining, and deporting, a 21-year-old construction worker on the way to work weeks ago.
By the numbers: Foreign-born noncitizens — including those who are legal residents or have work visas — make up around 6% of the region's civilian workforce age 16 and older, based on a 2019-2023 average of Census Bureau estimates.
- That's about 40,000 people.
- They account for 17% of construction workers; 9.1% in agriculture and mining; and 8.5% in hospitality and food service.
What we're watching: President Trump earlier this summer acknowledged that his massive immigration crackdown is "taking very good, long time workers away from" the farming and hotel industries, and promised changes.
- But there haven't been any major policy decisions from the White House, which is balancing economic realities with MAGA demands to deport as many people as possible.