Issue Overview
Issue: Immigrant-Owned Businesses and Diversity Culture in Eugene, Oregon
Present: Immigrant-owned businesses add diversity and richness to the culture in Eugene, Oregon. There is a market for food, crafts, and artifacts of a range of cultures, based on the large population of international students at the university,1 as well as the city’s significant numbers of residents who claim Hispanic and Asian heritage.2
Past: According to the U.S. Census Bureau, between 2000 and 2010 the ethnic diversity of the population in the Eugene-Springfield area increased significantly. While the overall population rose by 8.9 percent, non-white individuals comprised the largest portion of that increase, rising by 5.1 percent as compared to just 3.8 percent for whites who are not of Hispanic origin. The group with the largest percent increase—a whopping 75.9 percent— was made up of people who identified as Hispanic.3
Also of interest is Eugene-Springfield’s foreign born population, which was 4.9 percent in 2000. By 2010, that had risen to 13.1 percent.4 In the City of Eugene in 2012, 7 percent of businesses that employed others were owned by a minority, defined by the Census Bureau as a person who is non-white. Of those businesses that did not employ others,11 percent were owned by a minority in 2012. All told, in 2012, the number of businesses in Eugene that were owned by a minority was 7,952,386. The total number of all businesses in the metro area in 2012 was 27,626,360.5 While not all minority persons are immigrants, it is a fair assumption to conclude that immigrants are proportionally represented within the minority population in a way similar to their proportion in the entire population.
Future: For 2015, the Census Bureau estimates that Eugene’s foreign-born population totals 12,815 out of a total population of 163,460.6 This is number is likely to continue to rise, since a city that has a diverse culture tends to attract more diversity.
The story of the Ismali family provides a window on the future.7 In 2013, they opened a restaurant in Eugene where they serve cuisine from their native Malaysia. The family head, Azam, wanted to open the restaurant as far back as 1993, but did not because the community lacked racial and ethnic diversity. Now, with Eugene’s more diverse population, Azam is confident there is a market for his food.
1. University of Oregon, Cultural Diversity in Eugene, Timeline. http://blogs.uoregon.edu/npirzadw14/timeline/
2. United States Census Bureau, American Fact Finder. http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/community_facts.xhtml?src=bkmk
3. United States Census Bureau, Regional Analyst. https://cbb.census.gov/rae/#industry0=00&geoId=4123850&geoType=2&dataVariable=83&dynGeo_1=41039&dynHeader=My%20Region¢erX=-13700223¢erY=5499666&level=10
4, United States Census Bureau, American Fact Finder. http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/community_facts.xhtml?src=bkmk
5. Eugene Chamber of Commerce, Area Business Directory. http://web.eugenechamber.com/business/search
6. United States Census Bureau, Regional Analyst. https://cbb.census.gov/rae/#industry0=00&geoId=4123850&geoType=2&dataVariable=83&dynGeo_1=41039&dynHeader=My%20Region¢erX=-13700223¢erY=5499666&level=10
7. University of Oregon, Cultural Diversity in Eugene, Turning Points. http://blogs.uoregon.edu/npirzadw14/turning-points/
