E.g., 04/24/2024
E.g., 04/24/2024
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

A mariachi band performing in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Articles
October 13, 2022
Mexican Immigrants in the United States
By Raquel Rosenbloom and Jeanne Batalova
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Fact Sheets
October 2022
Dual Language Learners: Key Characteristics and Considerations for Early Childhood Programs
By  Ivana Tú Nhi Giang and Maki Park
Cover image for Diverging Pathways
Policy Briefs
October 2022
Diverging Pathways: Immigrants’ Legal Status and Access to Postsecondary Credentials
By  Jeanne Batalova and Michael Fix
A tourist takes a selfie in New York City.
Articles
September 15, 2022
Temporary Visa Holders in the United States
By Jeanne Batalova
Image of band playing music at a concert in Athens, GA.
Articles
August 4, 2022
Brazilian Immigrants in the United States
By Jaret Waters and Jeanne Batalova
Image of marchers at Dominican Day parade in New York City
Articles
July 7, 2022
Caribbean Immigrants in the United States
By Jane Lorenzi and Jeanne Batalova
Cover image for Immigrant Children’s Medicaid and CHIP Access brief
Policy Briefs
June 2022
Immigrant Children’s Medicaid and CHIP Access and Participation: A Data Profile
By  Valerie Lacarte
Four dancers in traditional Ukrainian dress.
Articles
June 22, 2022
Ukrainian Immigrants in the United States
By Joshua Rodriguez and Jeanne Batalova

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Fact Sheets
November 2018
Settling In: A Profile of the Unauthorized Immigrant Population in the United States
By  Julia Gelatt and Jie Zong
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Reports
September 2018
A Profile of Houston’s Diverse Immigrant Population in a Rapidly Changing Policy Landscape
By  Randy Capps and Ariel G. Ruiz Soto
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Fact Sheets
August 2018
English Learners in Select States: Demographics, Outcomes, and State Accountability Policies
By  Julie Sugarman and Courtney Geary
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Reports
June 2018
Chilling Effects: The Expected Public Charge Rule and Its Impact on Legal Immigrant Families’ Public Benefits Use
By  Jeanne Batalova, Michael Fix and Mark Greenberg
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Policy Briefs
May 2018
A Guide to Finding and Understanding English Learner Data
By  Julie Sugarman
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Policy Briefs
April 2018
It’s Relative: A Crosscountry Comparison of Family-Migration Policies and Flows
By  Kate Hooper and Brian Salant
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Policy Briefs
March 2018
Evolution of the H-1B: Latest Trends in a Program on the Brink of Reform
By  Sarah Pierce and Julia Gelatt
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Reports
February 2018
Growing Superdiversity among Young U.S. Dual Language Learners and Its Implications
By  Maki Park, Jie Zong and Jeanne Batalova

Pages

A mariachi band performing in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Spotlight
October 13, 2022
Mexican Immigrants in the United States

Mexicans are by far the largest immigrant group in the United States, accounting for nearly one-fourth of all immigrants. However their numbers have been declining and in 2021 there were 1 million fewer than a decade ago. At the same time, despite years in which more new migrants came from China and India, Mexicans once again count as the largest group of new arrivals. This article outlines the changing shape and composition of this immigrant population.

A tourist takes a selfie in New York City.
Spotlight
September 15, 2022
Temporary Visa Holders in the United States

COVID-19 and restrictive policies from the Trump administration led to the most dramatic slowdown of temporary immigration to the United States in years, as fewer tourists, temporary workers, and international students arrived. This article reviews the trends in issuance of nonimmigrant visas and arrivals of temporary visitors, including the numbers issued annually over the past five years and the top countries of origin.

Image of band playing music at a concert in Athens, GA.
Spotlight
August 4, 2022
Brazilian Immigrants in the United States

Persistent economic turmoil and civil and political insecurity have been drivers of emigration from Brazil, including to the United States. Although the number of Brazilian immigrants in the United States has been on the rise since the 1980s, the magnitude of these flows has made the past decade unique. Read a useful profile of Brazilians immigrants, including U.S. destinations, modes of entry, and educational and work characteristics.

Image of marchers at Dominican Day parade in New York City
Spotlight
July 7, 2022
Caribbean Immigrants in the United States

Immigrants from the Caribbean living in the United States come from a diverse set of countries and territories, with Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Haiti, and Trinidad and Tobago the top origins. This article offers a sociodemographic profile of Caribbean immigrants, who represent 10 percent of the U.S. foreign-born population and nearly half of all Black immigrants in the United States.

Four dancers in traditional Ukrainian dress.
Spotlight
June 22, 2022
Ukrainian Immigrants in the United States

Before Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 displaced millions, the United States was home to nearly 355,000 Ukrainians. While most displaced Ukrainians have remained in neighboring countries, small numbers have come to the United States. This article examines the pre-invasion Ukrainian immigrant population in the United States—its history, sociodemographic characteristics, modes of arrival, and more.

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Recent Activity

Fact Sheets
December 2016

State Sociodemographic Portraits of Immigrant and U.S.-Born Parents of Young Children

These fact sheets provide a sociodemographic sketch of parents with children ages 0 to 8 in the 30 states with the largest number of immigrant families, offering data and analysis of some of the key parental characteristics to help stakeholders identify populations that could be targets for early childhood and parent-focused programs working to improve child and parent outcomes.

Fact Sheets
December 2016

The Costs of Brain Waste among Highly Skilled Immigrants in Select States

Across the United States, nearly 2 million immigrants with college degrees are unemployed or stuck in low-skilled jobs. This skill underutilization, known as “brain waste,” varies significantly by state. These fact sheets offer a profile of these highly skilled immigrants and estimate their forgone earnings and resulting unrealized tax receipts in eight states: California, Florida, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, and Washington.

Reports
November 2016

Serving Immigrant Families Through Two-Generation Programs: Identifying Family Needs and Responsive Program Approaches

Two-generation programs that weave together early childhood learning with adult-focused programs hold great potential to break cycles of intergenerational poverty for low-income parents with young children. Little research has been done on how these programs succeed with immigrant families. This report studies select programs and offers analysis of the sociodemographic characteristics of U.S. parents with young children.

Articles
November 11, 2016

Language Diversity and English Proficiency in the United States

Although the number of U.S. residents who speak a language other than English has grown in recent decades, the share of those who are Limited English Proficient (LEP) has fallen: 40 percent in 2015, compared to 44 percent in 1980—even as immigration rose rapidly. This article examines growing linguistic diversity in the country and sketches a profile of the LEP population, including size, location, and socioeconomic characteristics.

Fact Sheets
October 2016

Immigration to the Heartland: A Profile of Immigrants in the Kansas City Region

The immigrant population in the Kansas City region has grown rapidly over the past 25 years, contributing to overall population growth in the area. This fact sheet describes immigrants in the metro area, examining their origins, industries of employment, income and poverty levels, English proficiency, educational attainment, and more.

Articles
October 13, 2016

Immigrant Veterans in the United States in 2016

Approximately 511,000 foreign-born veterans of the U.S. armed forces resided in the United States in 2016, accounting for 3 percent of the 18.8 million veterans nationwide. This Spotlight article offers key information on the population of immigrant veterans in the United States, focusing on its size, top countries of origin, racial and ethnic composition, and socioeconomic characteristics.

Articles
September 14, 2016

Caribbean Immigrants in the United States

Approximately 4 million immigrants from the Caribbean resided in the United States in 2014, representing 9 percent of the country's total immigrant population. While 90 percent of Caribbean immigrants come from five countries, this population overall is very diverse in its skill levels, racial composition, language background, and immigration pathways. This Spotlight article provides information on the Caribbean immigrant population in the United States, focusing on its size, geographic distribution, and socioeconomic characteristics.

Articles
August 10, 2016

Naturalization Trends in the United States

More than 653,000 immigrants became U.S. citizens in fiscal year 2014, bringing the total number of naturalized U.S. citizens to 20 million—nearly half the overall immigrant population of 42.4 million. Over the past decade, naturalizations have ranged from about 537,000 yearly to just more than 1 million. Learn more about naturalization trends in the United States with this Spotlight article.

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