Refugees account for a small share of immigrants, just over 5% of those living in Dallas, but they have an outsized impact on the economy.

Compared with other immigrants, refugees are more likely to start companies, buy homes and become naturalized citizens. They earn more, too, despite usually starting in entry-level jobs that pay less than $25,000 annually.

After being in America for at least 25 years, the median household income of Dallas County refugees topped $68,000 in 2015, according to a report by New American Economy, a pro-immigration group. That was $15,000 higher than the median income for all U.S. households in the same year.

"One particularly notable thing stands out about the refugee community: Their incredible degree of upward mobility," said the 2017 report.

While median income for non-refugee immigrants grew 30% over the period, the same metric for refugees more than tripled, the report found.

Refugees also are more likely to work, which is especially valuable when unemployment is near a record low and companies are struggling to add workers.

Elliott Electric Supply, for example, recently hired 10 refugees for its warehouse in Farmers Branch. Refugees are often willing to work night shifts, even in hot warehouses, and are praised for their loyalty and productivity.

"We've just started matching refugees with employers over the past two to three weeks, and it's exciting for everybody," said Paul Mayer, CEO of the Garland Chamber of Commerce. "When we get into the specifics — where they came from, what they're capable of, their support network — there's a lot of interest.

“If I could make an appeal to the world, it would be: Bring us more,” Mayer said.

The world has more refugees than ever, totaling nearly 26 million at the end of 2018, the UN Refugee Agency said. But President Donald Trump, who campaigned on banning Muslims, has slashed the number of refugees entering the United States.

In 2018, the U.S. resettled about 22,500 refugees, down from 85,000 two years earlier. Trump also set the 2019 refugee cap at the lowest level since the Refugee Act was adopted by Congress in 1980.

That’s slowed the flow into Texas, one of the top destinations for refugees. It’s also reduced numbers into Dallas-Fort Worth, which has attracted more than 40% of all refugees into Texas.

Together, Dallas and Fort Worth have landed just over 30,000 refugees since 2002, according to data from the Refugee Processing Center. More than a dozen other nearby cities have resettled refugees, too.

They include Lewisville with 1,361 refugees, Arlington with 820, Plano with 419, Irving with 334 and Garland with 304.

In their first 20 years in the U.S., refugees pay $21,000 more in taxes than they receive in benefits, according to a study by economists at the University of Notre Dame. In 2015, refugees in Texas paid $422 million in state and local taxes, trailing only California and New York.

Refugees in Texas also had $4.6 billion in spending power in 2015.

After slashing the refugee cap, Trump administration officials cited the demands from the growing humanitarian crisis on the Southern border. But immigration advocates said that didn't justify rejecting foreigners who are desperate for a new start. Trump's approach also undermines the refugees' economic impact.

"It's a little baffling," said Danielle Grigsby, interim director of Refugee Council USA.

Last month, the group released a report titled, "Where are the refugees?" It documented a sharp decline in arrivals, and the closing of 51 resettlement programs nationwide and the suspension of services in 41 other offices. In Texas, offices in Dallas, Austin, El Paso and Midland were affected by the moves, the report said.

“That has a lot of impact on local communities,” Grigsby said, noting that the offices work with nonprofit groups to help refugees transition to the U.S.

The report also found labor shortages among cities that rely on a steady influx of refugees. Dairy farms in Idaho and a food manufacturer in Burlington, Vt., were among those having problems.

“There are devastating consequences across the spectrum,” Grigsby said.

Nearly 82% of refugees are working or looking for work, almost 20 percentage points higher than the labor participation rate nationwide. They also hold jobs that often don’t attract many U.S.-born applicants.

In 2015, 1 in 10 refugees nationwide worked in general services, a category that includes dry cleaning, housekeeping and machine repair, according to the New American Economy. One in 7 refugees worked in health care, a field with growing demand because of baby boomer retirements.

More than 1 million new home health aides and personal care assistants are expected to be needed by 2026, according to a recent report by the International Rescue Committee. Last year, the group helped 9,000 new Americans find jobs, a spokesman said, and in Dallas, it worked with 800 people in workforce development.

Many refugees start their own businesses. In 2015, 13% of refugees were entrepreneurs compared with 9% of the U.S.-born population, said Refugee Council USA. Even more impressive, 4 in 10 Fortune 500 companies were founded by refugees, immigrants or their children.

“Whether they’re forced across borders for economic reasons or to flee violence, there’s ingenuity involved in that choice,” Grigsby said.

And that bodes well for adjusting to the U.S. workplace. “Employers should focus on the bravery of the flight,” she said.