E.g., 04/19/2024
E.g., 04/19/2024
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

Julia Gelatt and Jennifer Yau report on resumption of free flights for undocumented border crossers, Senators Kyl and Cornyn's immigration enforcement proposals, and the use of immigration laws in national security investigations.
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In 2003, the U.S. merged all of its border-related agencies to create a unified border inspection process. MPI's Deborah Meyers reports on the positive and negative effects of the merger to date.
MPI's Jennifer Yau outlines the main points of the McCain-Kennedy bill and reports on the passage of the Real ID Act, medical costs of the undocumented, and more.
MPI’s Betsy Cooper reports on the new U.S. passport requirements, the Arizona Minuteman project, the latest REAL ID Act developments, and more.

In addition to post-September 11 security concerns, the U.S. is dealing with less predictable refugee flows. David Martin of the University of Virginia School of Law reports.

MPI’s Jennifer Yau reports on the immigration-related impacts of recent summit-level talks among the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, plus a proposed ICE and CBP merger, and more.
About one in 10 U.S. immigrants is self-employed. MPI’s Jeanne Batalova and David Dixon explore the importance and dimensions of this phenomenon.

Bill Frelick of Amnesty International USA reports on why the United States' detention of asylum seekers concerns the human rights community.

MPI's Jennifer Yau and Betsy Cooper report on the immigration provisions in the President's budget proposal, the State of the Union address, and more.

Rebekah Alys Lowri Thomas of the Global Commission on International Migration examines how the use of biometrics at borders may violate migrants' privacy rights.

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