Facts and Figures

Northern Marianas is 9,000 miles and 14 time zones away from Washington D.C., but just three-hour flight from Tokyo, Seoul, Taipei and Manila, making the island’s economy closely tied with Asian economies.

Estimated business gross revenues – $2.6 billion in 1997

Locally-generated revenues – $248 million in 1997 to $216 million in 1999

Revenue collections from tourism and other non-apparel activities – $132 million in 1999 down by 30 percent from $186 million in 1997

Revenue collections from apparel – $85 million in 1999 up by 37 percent from $63 million

Annual federal grants – $30 million, including $11 million in capital improvement projects while Guam receives $133 million per year

Annual federal spending – $45 million while Guam has a total $800 million per year

Tourist arrivals – 485,000 in 1999, down eight percent from 526,298 in 1998 and 726,690 in 1997

Number of permanent residents employed in the garment – 4,300 in 1998 or one-third of the local workforce

Entry permits issued to alien workers – 34,111 in 1997 down 26 percent to 25,306 issued between August 1, 1998 to July 31, 1999

Unemployment rate of U.S. citizens – 13.4 percent or approximately 1,400 people, compared to Guam with 12.9 percent

Repatriated alien workers since February 1999 under PL 11-66 – 163 costing $359,000 in government monetary assistance

Illegal aliens registered under the limited immunity program – 3,111 lower by nearly 50 percent from the 7,000 estimated by the federal government

Percentage of increase the inspections conducted by DOLI from 1998 to this year – 41.6 percent for business establishments, 12 percent for garment factories, 75 percent for garment housing

Immigration criminal prosecutions – up 100 percent from 1997; in 1998, there were 25 labor and immigration criminal cases filed against 45 defendants

Collected assets from forfeiture actions against violators of immigration laws – $500,000 estimate

Deportation orders – 441 in 1998 up by 78 percent from 247 in 1997 and 211 this year (fewer due to amnesty program on illegals)

Voluntary departures of illegal aliens – 798 in 1998

Labor complaints filed with DOLI – 143 in 1999, down by 85 percent from 930 in 1998 and 1,279 in 1997

Collected from companies with order to pay backwages – $1.14 million since January 1998 and $400,000 in 1997

Source: Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio’s testimony before the US Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources