International Students Contribute Record-breaking Level of Spending and 378,000 Jobs to the U.S. Economy

NAFSA, Nov. 18, 2024

"NAFSA: Association of International Educators, in partnership with JB International, announced new data today that show that 1.1 million international students at U.S. colleges and universities contributed $43.8 billion to the U.S. economy during the 2023-2024 academic year and supported more than 378,000 jobs. The economic activity total is the highest amount ever calculated by NAFSA, eclipsing the high water mark of $41 billion in 2018-2019 academic year. This is the third straight year of recorded increases following the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, though the annual increase in economic activity (9.3 percent) and jobs (2 percent) both increased at a lower rate than last year (18.5 percent and almost 10 percent, respectively).

“International students’ contributions to the U.S. are significant and multi-faceted, and this year’s record-breaking economic total is the latest proof of that,” said Fanta Aw, NAFSA executive director and CEO. “Yet we cannot be complacent. Meanwhile, competition for the world’s best and brightest is increasing. The United States must adopt more proactive policies to attract and retain global talent. We cannot afford to lose international students’ meaningful positive impact on American students’ global competence, our economies, and our communities, particularly in the areas of STEM-related research and innovation.”

Essential proactive federal policy includes expanding dual intent so that international students no longer have to prove they have no interest in working in the United States after graduation in order to receive a student visa and creating a pathway to a green card for international student graduates of a U.S. higher education institution. NAFSA is aided in this effort by the U.S. for Success Coalition, founded to advance policies and practices that would increase and diversify the community of international students choosing the United States for study, research, and work.

Additional key findings from NAFSA’s economic research include:

• For every three international students, one U.S. job is created/supported. This figure remains the same compared to last year’s analysis.
• Economic contributions by international students at community colleges increased for the second year in a row. Their activity was measured at $2.0 billion (up 33 percent, almost double last year’s growth) and they supported more than 8,400 jobs (up 28 percent compared to last year’s 8.6 percent increase).
• The five states that saw the largest amount of economic activity were (in descending order): California, New York, Massachusetts, Texas, and Illinois—the same top five as last year.
• Twelve states broke the $1 billion mark (up from nine states last year), which is the most ever to do so. International student spending in those 12 states combined to generate 57 percent of the total dollar contribution to the U.S. economy.
• International students enrolled in U.S. college and university English language programs contributed $371.3 million (a slight increase of 0.4 percent over last year’s dollar contribution) and supported 2,691 jobs (a decline of 15 percent compared to prior year’s 8.6 percent increase). As with national figures, though their economic contribution is slightly higher, it remains 47 percent below pre-pandemic levels ($697.2 million in the 2019-2020 academic year).
• The members of Congress whose congressional districts generated the highest dollars during the 2023-2024 academic year are: Rep. Ayanna Pressley (MA-07); Rep. Dan Goldman (NY-10); Rep. Adriano Espaillat (NY-13); Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37); Rep. Katherine Clark (MA-05); Rep. Kweisi Mfume (MD-07); Rep. Nikki Budzinski (IL-13); Rep. Nikema Williams (GA-05); Rep. Barbara Lee (CA-12); and Jonathan Jackson (IL-01).

Year-over-year trends and detailed job sector analysis as well as data by state and congressional district is available to view at www.nafsa.org/economicvalue.

NAFSA’s analysis, conducted by JB International, uses data from the following sources: enrollment data from the 2024 Open Doors report in partnership with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs; tuition and expense data from the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center of Educational Statistics; and job creation data from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration and Bureau of Economic Analysis."