E.g., 04/16/2024
E.g., 04/16/2024
Country Resource - United States

United States

US
  • Population..........................................................................339,665,118 (2023 est.)
  • Population growth rate ..................................................................0.68% (2023 est.)
  • Birth rate.....................................................12.21 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)
  • Death rate....................................................8.42 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)
  • Net migration rate.....................................3.01 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)
  • Ethnic groups*............................White 61.6%, Black or African American 12.4%, Asian 6%, Amerindian and Alaska native 1.1%, Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0.2%, other 8.4%, two or more races 10.2% (2020 est.)

Note: The U.S. Census Bureau's 2020 census results show the US population as 331,449,281 as of 1 April 2020

* A separate listing for Hispanic is not included because the U.S. Census Bureau considers Hispanic to mean persons of Spanish/Hispanic/Latino origin including those of Mexican, Cuban, Puerto Rican, Dominican Republic, Spanish, and Central or South American origin living in the United States who may be of any race or ethnic group (White, Black, Asian, etc.); an estimated 18.7% of the total U.S. population is Hispanic as of 2020

Source: CIA World Factbook

A Dutch family at Ellis Island between 1915 and 1920.

As host to more immigrants than any other country, the United States has been shaped and reshaped by immigration over the centuries, with the issue at times becoming a flashpoint. This article covers the history of U.S. immigration and the major laws governing immigration, and provides a comprehensive overview of the present-day immigrant population.

Recent Activity

Nearly 620,000 immigrants — one-third from Mexico, India, the Philippines, and China — became U.S. citizens in 2010. MPI's Anne Nielsen and Jeanne Batalova take a detailed look at the latest naturalization trends in the United States.

MPI's Muzaffar Chishti and Claire Bergeron report on the recent Supreme Court decision in Chamber of Commerce v. Whiting, the ongoing controversy surrounding states' participation in Secure Communities, the extension of TPS for Haitian nationals, and more.

Immigrants from Asia accounted for about 28 percent of the total U.S. foreign-born population in 2009. MPI's Jeanne Batalova examines the social and economic profiles of the foreign born from this region.

MPI's Muzaffar Chishti and Claire Bergeron report on the termination of the NSEERS program, legal challenges to the new Utah laws, the continued controversy surrounding Secure Communities, and more.

The terms "Hispanic" and "Latino" were originally created for administrative purposes by the U.S. government, but have since come to define a population of 50.5 million people who trace their origins to 20 different countries. Rubén Rumbaut examines the origin and administrative use of the Hispanic-Latino category, and the effect it has had on the identities of people placed into it.

MPI's Muzaffar Chishti and Claire Bergeron report on the 9th Circuit Court ruling on SB 1070, current trends in immigration legislation at the state level, President Obama's recent comments on executive action and immigration reform, and more.

Immigrants from the Caribbean accounted for about 9 percent of the total U.S. foreign-born population in 2009. MPI's Kristen McCabe examines the social and economic profiles of the foreign born from this region.

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MPI's Muzaffar Chishti, Claire Bergeron, and Lang Hoyt report on the Secure Communities program, a new State Department initiative allowing the same-sex partners of U.S. diplomats to apply for J-1 visas, additional funding for immigration agencies in the proposed 2012 Homeland Security budget, and more.

Immigrants from the Middle East and North Africa are more likely than the overall foreign-born population to be proficient in English, to have a college degree, and to be naturalized U.S. citizens. MPI's Aaron Terrazas uses the latest federal data to explore the population's size, geographic distribution, and socioeconomic characteristics.

In the post-9/11 era, U.S. policymakers have increasingly used migration policy tools to strengthen national security. This piece highlights civil rights and liberties issues that point to the need to re-envision the relationship between security and mobility, and discusses a proposal to "secure human mobility."

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