E.g., 04/23/2024
E.g., 04/23/2024
U.S. Data

U.S. Data

U.S. Immigrant Population Spotlights
Immigration_History

More than 43 million people living in the United States—whether as naturalized citizen, legal permanent resident, temporary resident, or unauthorized immigrant—were born in another country, representing 13 percent of the U.S. population. Immigration has ebbed and flowed throughout U.S. history, peaking at nearly 15 percent of the population in 1890 and plummeting to 5 percent in 1970. The data-rich research offered here traces the U.S. immigrant population by size, educational and workforce characteristics, English language proficiency, and more.

For information on U.S. immigrants by state, check out the State Immigration Data Profiles tool. And for detailed profiles on unauthorized immigrants nationally and by state, visit this tool.

Recent Activity

The flags of the United States and Canada.
Articles
June 15, 2021
Canadian Immigrants in the United States
By Emma Israel and Jeanne Batalova
Cover for Leaving Money on the Table: Persistence of Brain Waste among College-Educated Immigrants
Reports
June 2021
Leaving Money on the Table: The Persistence of Brain Waste among College-Educated Immigrants
By  Jeanne Batalova and Michael Fix
Two men talk during a retiree luncheon
Articles
May 26, 2021
Slowing U.S. Population Growth Could Prompt New Pressure for Immigration Reform
By Muzaffar Chishti and Randy Capps
Rohingya families from Myanmar arrive in Bangladesh
Articles
May 13, 2021
Refugees and Asylees in the United States
By Kira Monin, Jeanne Batalova, and Tianjian Lai
Immigrant and U.S.-Born Parents of Young and Elementary-School-Age Children in the United States: Key Sociodemographic Characteristics
Fact Sheets
April 2021
Immigrant and U.S.-Born Parents of Young and Elementary-School-Age Children: Key Sociodemographic Characteristics
By  Jacob Hofstetter and Margie McHugh
People carry the flag of the Dominican Republic at a parade in Washington, DC.
Articles
April 15, 2021
Immigrants from the Dominican Republic in the United States
By Erin Babich and Jeanne Batalova
iStock immigrants from asia us resize
Articles
March 10, 2021
Immigrants from Asia in the United States
By Mary Hanna and Jeanne Batalova
Commentaries
February 2021
A Deeper Look at the DREAMers Who Could Feature in the Legalization Debate in Congress
By  Jeanne Batalova and Michael Fix

Pages

coverthumb Syrian Factsheet
Fact Sheets
November 2015
Profile of Syrian Immigrants in the United States
By  Jie Zong
coverthumb centamdeportations
Reports
September 2015
Migrants Deported from the United States and Mexico to the Northern Triangle: A Statistical and Socioeconomic Profile
By  Rodrigo Dominguez-Villegas and Victoria Rietig
Reports
August 2015
An Analysis of Unauthorized Immigrants in the United States by Country and Region of Birth
By  Marc R. Rosenblum and Ariel G. Ruiz Soto
Download Brief
Policy Briefs
August 2015
DACA at the Three-Year Mark: High Pace of Renewals, But Processing Difficulties Evident
By  Angelo Mathay and Margie McHugh
Refugee Integration Cover
Reports
June 2015
The Integration Outcomes of U.S. Refugees: Successes and Challenges
By  Randy Capps, Kathleen Newland, Susan Fratzke, Susanna Groves, Michael Fix, Margie McHugh and Gregory Auclair
coverthumb ELL FS No5 2013
Fact Sheets
June 2015
States and Districts with the Highest Number and Share of English Language Learners
By  Ariel G. Ruiz Soto, Sarah Hooker and Jeanne Batalova
coverthumb ELL FS4 2013
Fact Sheets
June 2015
Top Languages Spoken by English Language Learners Nationally and by State
By  Ariel G. Ruiz Soto, Sarah Hooker and Jeanne Batalova
CoverThumb Houston2015
Reports
March 2015
A Profile of Immigrants in Houston, the Nation's Most Diverse Metropolitan Area
By  Randy Capps, Michael Fix and Chiamaka Nwosu

Pages

An Afghan refugee in the United States.
Spotlight
September 9, 2021
Afghan Immigrants in the United States

The dramatic evacuation from Afghanistan may bring more than 50,000 new Afghan immigrants to the United States, according to government predictions. These new arrivals would join a small but growing population of Afghans in the United States, most of whom have arrived since 2010. This article provides insights into this immigrant group, many of whom arrived on the Special Immigrant Visa.

La gente lleva la bandera de la República Dominicana en un desfile en Washington, DC.
Spotlight
August 24, 2021
Inmigrantes de la República Dominicana a los Estados Unidos

Los inmigrantes de la República Dominicana son el cuarto grupo de inmigrantes hispanos más grande de los Estados Unidos y suman casi 1.2 millones de personas. Esta población se ha multiplicado casi por diez desde 1960, pero sigue concentrada principalmente en unas pocas áreas metropolitanas. Este artículo proporciona una descripción general de los inmigrantes dominicanos en los Estados Unidos.

Spotlight
August 11, 2021
Central American Immigrants in the United States

The number of Central American immigrants in the United States has grown dramatically, amid political corruption, violence, and natural disasters in their native countries. But recent images of Central Americans arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border do not tell the whole story, with more than half the population arriving in 2000 or earlier. This article offers key data on the 3.8 million Central American immigrants in the United States.

A woman holding an Iranian flag at sunset.
Spotlight
July 15, 2021
Immigrants from Iran in the United States

The United States is home to the largest population of Iranian migrants in the world. More than half of Iranian immigrants in the United States live in California. This article explores key details of this immigrant population, which is older, more highly educated, and has significantly higher median household incomes than the U.S.-born and overall immigrant populations.

The flags of the United States and Canada.
Spotlight
June 15, 2021
Canadian Immigrants in the United States

The United States and Canada share the world's longest land border and similar cultures. But Canadians account for a tiny and shrinking share of all U.S. immigrants. Canadian immigrants tend to have higher educations and be older than other immigrant groups. This Spotlight explores the history and features of the Canadian immigrant population in the United States.

Pages

archive >

Recent Activity

Reports
October 2014

Deportation and Discretion: Reviewing the Record and Options for Change

Even as deportation of criminals has risen steadily, immigration crimes are the largest category of criminal removals, representing 18 percent of the 1.5 million criminal removals that occurred between fiscal 2003-13. This report analyzes the 3.7 million formal removals that occurred during the period, offering a profile of deportees and changing trends. It also outlines how possible scenarios for executive action could affect the number of deportations.
Articles
October 9, 2014

Mexican Immigrants in the United States

In 2013, 11.6 million Mexican immigrants resided in the United States, accounting for 28 percent of the total foreign-born population, making Mexicans the largest immigrant group in the country. Using the latest data, this Spotlight examines the Mexican immigrant population by size, location, language ability, workforce participation, and more.

Reports
September 2014

Diploma, Please: Promoting Educational Attainment for DACA- and Potential DREAM Act-Eligible Youth

The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program is unprecedented in the scope of its educational requirements. This report provides sociodemographic snapshots of three key DACA groups, explores the challenges to their educational success, and offers recommendations for educators and other stakeholders looking to support the educational attainment of these young unauthorized immigrants.
Articles
September 15, 2014

Canadian Immigrants in the United States

Between 1960 and 2012 the share of Canadians in the U.S. foreign-born population declined from 10 to 2 percent, while the actual number of Canadian immigrants has remained remarkably steady. Using the most up-to-date statistics, this profile examines the Canadian immigrant population by size, age, location, college education, and more.

Policy Briefs
September 2014

Executive Action for Unauthorized Immigrants: Estimates of the Populations that Could Receive Relief

In the absence of legislative movement to reform the U.S. immigration system, the Obama administration is considering executive action to provide relief from deportation to some of the nation's estimated 11.7 million unauthorized immigrants. This issue brief examines a number of scenarios for possible executive action, estimating how many people could benefit.
Articles
August 25, 2014

Vietnamese Immigrants in the United States

The once-tiny population of Vietnamese immigrants in the United States has grown to become the country’s sixth largest foreign-born group in the span of several decades, with the first wave beginning at the end of the Vietnam War in 1975. This data profile examines the Vietnamese immigrant population by size, recency of arrival, top states and cities of settlement, college education, sending of remittances, and much more.

Reports
August 2014

DACA at the Two-Year Mark: A National and State Profile of Youth Eligible and Applying for Deferred Action

Fifty-five percent of the 1.2 million unauthorized immigrant youth immediately eligible for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program launched in 2012 had applied as of July 20, 2014. This report provides the most up-to-date estimates available for the size, countries of origin, educational attainment, employment, English proficiency, age, gender, and poverty rates for the DACA population nationally and for key states.

Fact Sheets
July 2014

Select Diaspora Populations in the United States

MPI has produced profiles of 15 diaspora communities in the United States, gathering in one place key demographic data and analysis on diasporas from Bangladesh, Colombia, El Salvador, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Haiti, India, Kenya, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Vietnam. The profiles examine population size, educational attainment, household income, employment patterns, geographic distribution, and remittance volume.

Pages