In the world of American innovation, there’s an often-overlooked engine driving it all: Immigrants. Immigrants aren’t just contributors to America’s tech and scientific leaps—they’re essential. They show up with the weight of past lives and the hunger for fresh starts, and from that collision, innovation erupts.
The latest working paper by Bernstein et.al. peels back the layers of this immigrant-driven innovation story.
First, the numbers tell their own story. From 1990 to 2016, immigrants made up 16% of U.S. inventors but were behind 23% of all innovation output. This isn’t just about raw patent counts—it’s about impact. More than a quarter of the most-cited patents and nearly 25% of all advancements in computers, communications, and life-saving drugs were led by immigrants. It’s not a fluke; it’s a trend.
What makes these inventors so prolific isn’t just their technical chops. It’s perspective. Many navigate two worlds—they’re steeped in one culture and adapted to another. This dual lens drives fresh insights. Immigrants are more likely to tap into global tech and collaborate internationally, which spreads ideas across borders faster. They’re not just participants in America’s innovation scene—they’re connectors.
Take their productivity over a lifetime. Both immigrants and natives hit their stride in their late 30s and early 40s, then taper off. But immigrant inventors peak higher and stay productive longer.
They’re not just playing the same game—they’re elevating it.
What drives this staying power? Some of it comes from location choices. Immigrants gravitate toward places like Silicon Valley, where innovation is a lifestyle. But even that only explains part of the magic. Resilience—born from starting over and navigating new systems—is likely a big factor.
The paper also highlights social dynamics. Immigrant inventors are team builders, not lone geniuses toiling in isolation. They work with more collaborators, and while they may start their careers teaming up with other immigrants, they increasingly connect with native-born inventors. By mid-career, those partnerships become the norm. But the real kicker is the spillover effect—how working with immigrants boosts the productivity of those around them.
The authors take an unusual approach to measure this: tracking the ripple effects of premature deaths. When an immigrant inventor dies young, their co-inventors experience a 17% drop in productivity—nearly double the hit taken when a native-born inventor dies. This suggests something deeper is at play: immigrant inventors are powerful transmitters of knowledge and creativity.
Yet behind all these figures are human stories. Every patent represents years of late-night work, sacrifices made by families, and dreams carried across borders. It’s the story of parents sending their children to America with nothing but hope, or refugees fleeing turmoil to build something new. These narratives don’t show up in pitch meetings or economic forecasts, but they’re just as real.
Joan Didion once wrote about loss as a form of inventory. The immigrant experience is often a story of leaving something behind to build something new. And what they build often surpasses anything imagined.
By the paper’s end, one statistic sticks out: 36% of all U.S. innovation since 1990 can be traced back to immigrants. This includes both direct contributions and collaboration spillovers. That number should make policymakers rethink immigration not as a border issue but as a strategy for progress.
The implications go beyond tech labs and startup boardrooms. They ripple into classrooms, communities, and the national psyche. What kind of country do we want to be? One that shuts out fresh perspectives or one that thrives on diversity and reinvention?
Ultimately, this paper is more than a research study—it’s a reminder of the creative power born from difference. Innovation thrives on contrast and diversity. Immigrants, with all their complexities, embody that power. They promise continual reinvention—not just for themselves but for the nation they now call home.
If we’re smart, we’ll pay attention. If we’re bold, we’ll act. Because the future of American innovation depends not just on who we are, but on who we welcome.