Changing Origins, Rising Numbers: Unauthorized Immigrants in the United States
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Highlights
MPI estimates 13.7 million unauthorized immigrants lived in the United States as of mid-2023, up 3 million since 2019, with more diverse origins and legal circumstances.
- The growth in the unauthorized immigrant population between 2019 and 2023 marks the fastest increase since the early 2000s, driven by irregular border crossings and expanded humanitarian parole that has since been scaled back.
- Despite the increase in recent arrivals, 80 percent of unauthorized immigrants had five or more years of U.S. residence as of mid-2023, and 45 percent had been in the country at least 20 years, underscoring deep community ties.
- Mexicans remained the largest group, at 40 percent, though down from 62 percent in 2010; numbers from Central America, Venezuela, Colombia, and other South American countries rose.
- About 29 percent of unauthorized immigrants—around 4 million people—held liminal status through Temporary Protected Status (TPS), DACA, humanitarian parole, or pending asylum claim as of mid-2023.
The 13.7 million unauthorized immigrants living in the United States as of mid-2023 reflect increasingly diverse origins, socioeconomic and labor market characteristics, family composition, and places of settlement.
After a decade of stagnation, the unauthorized immigrant population now is up by 3 million since 2019, representing 26 percent of the overall foreign-born population in the United States.
This fact sheet sketches the changes in the unauthorized immigrant population, drawing on a unique MPI methodology that allows the assignment of legal status in data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS). It provides key information on countries/regions of birth, years of U.S. residence, top job sectors, workforce participation, educational attainment, family composition, U.S. destinations, and more.
Among the key findings, all as of mid-2023:
- 14 million U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents (also known as green‑card holders), or temporary visa holders shared a household with an unauthorized immigrant.
- Nearly 4.2 million unauthorized immigrants were married to a U.S. citizen or green-card holder.
- 6.3 million children under age 18 lived with at least one unauthorized immigrant parent. All but 1 million of those children are U.S. citizens.
- Mexicans accounted for 40 percent of all unauthorized immigrants—down significantly from their 62 percent share in 2010.
As the fact sheet and accompanying sociodemographic data profiles at state and top county levels show, the characteristics and experiences of unauthorized immigrants vary across U.S. states and localities. Understanding their workforce, economic, and sociodemographic characteristics is important for policymakers, service providers, and the public in an era of rapidly changing policy.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
2 Recent Growth of the Unauthorized Population
3 Time in the United States
4 Family Composition
5 Educational Attainment and Socioeconomic Status
6 Employment and Industries
7 Legal Composition of the Overall Immigrant Population
8 Traditional Destinations Despite Growing Dispersal
9 Regions and Countries of Origin
10 Conclusion
About the U.S. Immigration Policy Program
The U.S. Immigration Policy Program provides analysis of U.S. immigration pathways, the impacts of enforcement and other policies, and the characteristics of immigrant populations.
