Immigrant Labor in Hospitality: What the Data Shows

Key Facts About Immigrant Labor in Hospitality:

• From 2010 to 2023, immigrant workers in the U.S. hospitality sector grew by 17.9%.
• In 2023, three million foreign-born workers were employed in the sector.
• Immigrants currently make up 31% of the country's hospitality workforce.
• Hospitality is the sixth-largest U.S. industry employing immigrants.
• Common jobs include Line Cooks, Housekeepers, Event Staff and Front Desk Clerks.
• Immigrants help fill hard-to-staff positions, especially during peak travel seasons.
• Every $1 million spent by international tourists creates 6.6 hospitality jobs.
• Tourism spending supports 1.5 extra jobs for each hospitality role created.
• The H-2B visa cap is 66,000, but groups want it raised to 90,000 or more.
• Nevada, Florida and California rely most on immigrant hospitality workers.

Immigrants are important to the U.S. hospitality sector, helping fill labor gaps and driving growth in food service, accommodations and the broader economy.

This report highlights key statistics, labor trends and policy discussions surrounding immigrant or foreign-born workers in hospitality.

Immigrant Employment Trends in Hospitality 

The U.S. hospitality workforce has changed a lot in more recent years. Immigrant workers now play a bigger role in helping the industry grow.

From 2010 to 2023, the hospitality sector added more jobs and began relying more on foreign-born workers.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau:

• Out of the 160.2 million people in the overall U.S. workforce, approximately 29.7 million (or 18.5%) are foreign-born. 

• The number of immigrant workers in hospitality grew by 17.9%.
• U.S.-born workers in the same field grew by 20.3%.

• In 2023, there were three million foreign-born workers in the sector, making it the sixth-largest employer of immigrants in the country. This highlights the growing dependence on immigrant workers in the industry.

To provide further context, here's a table showing the top 10 industries that employ foreign-born workers:

As you can see, other industries like healthcare, construction and retail hire more immigrants overall, but hospitality is unique in the kinds of jobs it offers. 

Many of these hospitality jobs — like Line Cooks, Housekeepers, Event Servers and Front Desk Staff — don’t need a college degree. But they do entail physical work, long shifts and direct contact with guests.

The data above also show two major trends:

1. Automation hasn’t replaced key hospitality jobs

Interestingly, the rise in automation has not led to fewer workers. Rather, automation has simply augmented certain roles, but the need for human workers remains high.

Even with new tools like self-check-in kiosks, mobile apps and AI chatbots, many roles still need people on-site. 

Tasks like cleaning rooms, preparing food, setting up events and talking to guests are still done by people — and many of them are immigrants. At the same time, fewer U.S.-born workers are applying for these jobs, particularly those that require physical labor and long hours. 

This is partly due to a decrease in U.S.-born workers with a high school diploma or less, especially among those aged 25-44, who traditionally are the ones stepping in for labor-intensive jobs. 

As a result, the hospitality industry has increasingly relied on immigrant workers to fill these essential roles.

2. Immigrants help keep operations running

They fill hard-to-staff roles, especially during busy times or peak seasons. Their contributions help restaurants remain operational and hotels avoid reducing services during high-demand periods. This steady support improves both revenue and the guest experience.

Also, recent data shows Nevada stands out as the state with the highest percentage of immigrant workers in hospitality and tourism. 

In fact, around 37.3% of Nevada's workforce in this sector is comprised of foreign-born individuals. Following closely behind are California (36.5%) and New York (35.1%). 

These high concentrations of immigrant workers are driven by each state’s sizable foreign-born population and the central role that hospitality and tourism play in their economies.

In short, immigrant workers aren’t just filling gaps; they’re integral to the hospitality industry’s operations and growth, especially when it comes to meeting the industry's labor needs.

Economic Impact of Immigrant Labor

Immigrant workers not only help maintain service levels in the hospitality sector — they also support the economy more broadly. 

Their role goes beyond staffing; it fuels tourism revenue, job creation and growth in related industries.

Also, immigrants currently make up 31% of the hospitality industry's workforce, despite comprising just over 13% of the U.S. population. 

This highlights the significant role that foreign-born workers play in the sector, especially in essential, labor-intensive roles that are crucial to maintaining service levels and operations.

To better understand the full scope of their impact, let's explore how immigrant labor contributes to tourism revenue, job creation and broader employment effects.

Increase in Tourism Revenue

International visitors spend an average of $4,500 during their stay in the U.S., making tourism the country’s largest export among service-based categories. 

This spending directly benefits local businesses including hotels, restaurants, transportation providers and attractions — many of which rely heavily on immigrant labor to function.

Job Creation Effects

For every $1 million spent by international travelers, the U.S. economy adds about 6.6 new tourism jobs. 

These jobs include front-line hospitality roles such as hotel staff, tour guides and food service workers. Immigrant workers are well-represented in these roles, helping to meet the labor demand that keeps businesses running smoothly, especially during peak seasons.

Each of these roles then supports an additional 1.5 jobs in related industries. 

For example, a hotel might generate ongoing demand for local laundry services, an accounting firm to manage payroll or a construction crew for renovation projects.

This ripple effect highlights the wider economic impact of immigrant labor, driving job creation in multiple sectors. 

Broader Employment Impact

Altogether, tourism-related spending has helped create an estimated 1.5 million direct jobs within the hospitality sector. 

Beyond that, it has generated 2.2 million jobs in other parts of the economy, including marketing agencies, manufacturing plants that supply hotel goods and service providers supporting tourism infrastructure.

These figures highlight why a stable, well-staffed hospitality workforce — one that includes immigrant employees — is essential not just for guest satisfaction but for sustaining a wide range of employment opportunities beyond the hotel lobby or restaurant.

The contributions of immigrant workers are crucial in sustaining this cycle of job creation, as they fill essential roles that ensure smooth operations and continuous service delivery across the entire tourism ecosystem. Without immigrant labor, this economic model could face significant disruption.

Labor Shortages and Policy Responses

The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) states that even with eight million employees, the hotel sector lacks sufficient staffing. 

The industry's reliance on immigrant labor is more pronounced during peak tourist seasons, where understaffing causes longer check-in lines, reduced restaurant hours and delays in guest services.

Hotel operators report frequent difficulty in hiring for roles such as Housekeepers, Line Cooks, Dishwashers and Front Desk Clerks.

H-2B Visa Program

To combat these shortages, industry groups are advocating for reforms in work visa policies — most notably the H-2B visa program. 

This program enables foreign nationals to work temporarily in the U.S. when no qualified local workers are available. 

Created by the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, the program is a vital resource for seasonal businesses, particularly resort hotels and tourist attractions.

• The current cap is 66,000 H-2B visas per year.
• AHLA proposes raising this to 90,000 or more to meet actual demand.
• In previous years, the federal government temporarily increased the cap to 96,000 under pressure from both business groups and political leaders in states with tourism-heavy economies.

H-2B visa holders often return to the same jobs each year, offering familiarity and continuity that helps streamline operations. 

Immigration Policy Impacts

In recent years, policy shifts have disrupted this labor pipeline. Visa backlogs, tighter entry rules and increased enforcement actions have all contributed to workforce instability. 

Additionally, many immigrant workers were ineligible for pandemic-era financial aid, such as the CARES Act, which deepened their financial insecurity during times of mass unemployment.

Regional Dependence on Immigrant Labor

Immigrant labor is not evenly distributed across the country. States with vibrant tourism economies tend to rely more heavily on foreign-born workers to fill hospitality roles and maintain industry operations:

• Nevada: Las Vegas anchors one of the most tourism-driven economies in the U.S., with hotels and casinos employing large numbers of immigrant staff.
• Florida: A year-round tourist destination with significant peaks during winter and spring break seasons, Florida hotels and attractions depend on foreign workers to remain fully operational.
• California: From San Diego to San Francisco, the state’s hospitality industry includes hotels, wine regions and theme parks, all of which rely on immigrant labor.

In these states, immigrant workers are not just filling roles — they are helping uphold the standard of hospitality services that these destinations are known for.

This goes to show how the regional distribution of immigrant workers is deeply connected to local tourism economies, highlighting the geographic variability of immigrant labor reliance in hospitality.

Final Thoughts on Immigrant Labor in Hospitality

The hospitality industry is a cornerstone of the American economy, yet it depends heavily on a workforce that often remains on the margins. 

Immigrant workers — legal residents, visa holders and undocumented individuals alike — fill essential roles that keep hotels, restaurants and resorts running smoothly.

As fewer U.S.-born workers pursue hospitality jobs that don’t require a college degree, the industry’s reliance on immigrant labor is expected to grow.

That said, immigration policies that expand visa access, provide pathways for legal employment and protect worker rights will be crucial to the industry's continued recovery and growth.

Without continued investment in this workforce, the U.S. risks undermining one of its most vital industries at a time when global tourism and domestic travel are poised for resurgence.