MPI’s Guide to Key U.S. Immigration Statistics Offers One-Stop-Shop to Understand Changing Trends

WASHINGTON, DC — The immigrant population in the United States has reached a record high both in terms of its size and its share of the overall U.S. population. According to the most recent data available, 14.8 percent of the country’s population as of 2024 was foreign born, matching the record set in 1890. This represents a dramatic turnaround from 1970, when immigrants comprised just 4.7 percent of the U.S. population.

Despite the dominance of unauthorized immigration in the policy and public conversations, more than three-quarters of all immigrants held legal permanent status (as naturalized citizens or green-card holders) or were holders of a temporary visa (such as international students or H-1B skilled workers).

Current and historical facts about the immigrant population, their origins and U.S. destinations, immigration trends and admissions pathways, and immigration enforcement are detailed in the latest edition of the Migration Policy Institute’s (MPI) go-to guide on Frequently Requested Statistics on Immigrants and Immigration in the United States, which was published today.

This compilation of useful statistics from across the U.S. government and other sources provides essential context to understanding immigration.

Among the article’s data points:

• Immigrants and their U.S.-born children have driven all growth in the prime working-age population since 2000, as overall population growth has slowed because of falling birth rates.
• Mexicans remain the largest immigrant group in the United States, but the population has shrunk: There were 567,000 fewer Mexican immigrants in 2024 than in 2010. And fewer than half of all immigrants are Latino.
• Immigrants are about as likely as people born in the United States to hold a bachelor’s degree. Those who arrived between 2020 and 2024, however, are notably more likely to have graduated college.
• More than one-quarter of all U.S. children under age 18 live with at least one immigrant parent. The overwhelming majority of these children are themselves U.S. born.
• California, Texas and Florida were home to more immigrants than any other state. More immigrants live in the New York metro area than any other U.S. city, although immigrants account for 42 percent of Miami’s population, which is the largest share nationwide. ​

The article, by Senior Policy Analyst Jeanne Batalova, also explains key concepts and definitions, such as how “foreign born” is defined, the difference between the asylum and refugee resettlement processes and the various pathways to acquire a green card. It links directly to interactive tools, maps and tables in MPI’s Migration Data Hub.

Find the article here: www.migrationpolicy.org/article/frequently-requested-statistics-immigrants-and-immigration-united-states.

This and other need-to-know information about immigration in the United States and around the world is available in MPI’s Immigration: The Basics collection.

MPI’s online magazine, the Migration Information Source, publishes the Frequently Requested Statistics article annually as part of its longstanding mission to offer critical context and analysis on recent migration dynamics and policy trends. The free Migration Information Source newsletter is sent to subscribers twice per month; sign up here.