U.S. Data

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

Articles June 15, 2021 Canadian Immigrants in the United States By Emma Israel and Jeanne Batalova	Reports June 2021 Leaving Money on the Table: The Persistence of Brain Waste among College-Educated Immigrants By Jeanne Batalova and Michael Fix
Articles May 26, 2021 Slowing U.S. Population Growth Could Prompt New Pressure for Immigration Reform By Muzaffar Chishti and Randy Capps	Articles May 13, 2021 Refugees and Asylees in the United States By Kira Monin, Jeanne Batalova, and Tianjian Lai
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	Articles April 15, 2021 Immigrants from the Dominican Republic in the United States By Erin Babich and Jeanne Batalova
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

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Fact Sheets November 2015 Profile of Syrian Immigrants in the United States By Jie Zong	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	Policy Briefs August 2015 DACA at the Three-Year Mark: High Pace of Renewals, But Processing Difficulties Evident By Angelo Mathay and Margie McHugh
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	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
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	Reports March 2015 A Profile of Immigrants in Houston, the Nation's Most Diverse Metropolitan Area By Randy Capps, Michael Fix and Chiamaka Nwosu

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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.

Recent Activity

Fact Sheets

October 2023

Recent Immigrant Children: A Profile of New Arrivals to U.S. Schools

A significant increase in the number of immigrant children in U.S. schools over the last decade has challenged K-12 educators to expand their capacity to serve students with different backgrounds and educational needs. This fact sheet sketches a profile of recently arrived immigrant children, presenting data on top states of residence, national origins, household characteristics, and more.

Articles

October 11, 2023

Vietnamese Immigrants in the United States

The more than 1.3 million Vietnamese immigrants in the United States are the result of nearly 50 years of migration that began with the end of the Vietnam War in 1975. While early generations of Vietnamese immigrants tended to arrive as refugees, the vast majority of recent green-card holders obtained their status through family reunification channels. This article takes a look at the sixth-largest U.S. immigrant population.

Policy Briefs

October 2023

Leveraging Data to Ensure Equitable and Effective Adult Skills Programming for Immigrants

Immigrants make significant contributions to the U.S. economy and social fabric, but many also face barriers to integration. Adult education and workforce development programs offer services intended to help address such challenges yet can be mismatched to immigrants' needs. This issue brief sketches a profile of U.S.-born and immigrant adults, highlighting key similarities and differences relevant to the design of adult skills programs.

Policy Briefs

October 2023

Shared Gains: Immigrant-Origin Students in U.S. Colleges

U.S. colleges and universities have seen enrollment fluctuate over the last 20 years, shaped by demographic and economic changes in the United States and shifting views of the value of higher education. This issue brief explores how enrollment trends have played out for immigrants, the children of immigrants, and U.S.-born individuals with U.S.-born parents.

Articles

September 21, 2023

Inmigrantes cubanos en los Estados Unidos

Los cubanos constituyen el mayor grupo de inmigrantes caribeños en Estados Unidos. La población está creciendo, ya que en los últimos años se ha producido la mayor oleada de emigración de la historia moderna de Cuba. Este artículo ofrece estadísticas clave sobre los 1.3 millones de inmigrantes cubanos en Estados Unidos.

Commentaries

September 2023

A Shrinking Number of DACA Participants Face Yet Another Adverse Court Ruling

The DACA program has received another blow to its survival, with a federal court once again ruling that the executive branch exceeded its authority in creating the program. But with litigation likely to continue for years, it is attrition that is actively reducing the program. This commentary examines the shrinking population of DACA holders, as well as those who have been locked out from participating.

Commentaries

September 2023

A Turning Point for the Unauthorized Immigrant Population in the United States

The unauthorized immigrant population in the United States stood at approximately 11.2 million people in mid-2021, with larger annual growth than at any point since 2015, according to MPI's latest estimates. Even as the Mexican unauthorized immigrant population continued its decade-long decline, there were new entrants from a growing array of other countries.

Articles

September 7, 2023

Cuban Immigrants in the United States

Cubans comprise the largest Caribbean immigrant group in the United States, and for decades have benefitted from uniquely preferential immigration programs. The population is growing, as recent years have seen the largest wave of emigration in Cuba's modern history. This article offers key statistics about the 1.3 million Cuban immigrants in the United States.

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