A Demographic, Socioeconomic, and Health Coverage Profile of Unauthorized Immigrants in the United States

This issue brief provides data on unauthorized immigrants in the United States, their demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, and health care coverage. The data are drawn from the Census Bureau's 2011 American Community Survey, with immigration status assigned based on responses to another national survey: the 2008 Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP). Unauthorized immigrants are differentiated from legal immigrants based on answers to a SIPP question about whether noncitizens have a green card (i.e., have lawful permanent resident or LPR status). The analysis marks the first time that self-reported data on LPR status have been used to generate a national profile of unauthorized immigrants.

The findings described in the brief include the age and gender of the unauthorized immigrant population; its employment patterns and income levels; and its health insurance coverage (employer and other private coverage, public coverage, and the uninsured).