E.g., 01/31/2023
E.g., 01/31/2023
U.S. Data

U.S. Data

U.S. Immigrant Population Spotlights
Immigration_History

More than 43 million people living in the United States—whether as naturalized citizen, legal permanent resident, temporary resident, or unauthorized immigrant—were born in another country, representing 13 percent of the U.S. population. Immigration has ebbed and flowed throughout U.S. history, peaking at nearly 15 percent of the population in 1890 and plummeting to 5 percent in 1970. The data-rich research offered here traces the U.S. immigrant population by size, educational and workforce characteristics, English language proficiency, and more.

For information on U.S. immigrants by state, check out the State Immigration Data Profiles tool. And for detailed profiles on unauthorized immigrants nationally and by state, visit this tool.

Recent Activity

Articles
December 1, 2005
Who Does What in U.S. Immigration
By Megan Davy, Deborah W. Meyers, and Jeanne Batalova 
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Fact Sheets
November 2005
Legal Immigration to United States Up from Last Year
By  Julia Gelatt and Deborah W. Meyers
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Fact Sheets
October 2005
United States-Canada-Mexico Fact Sheet on Trade and Migration
By  Deborah W. Meyers
Articles
October 1, 2005
Spotlight on Foreign Born in Areas Affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita
By Jeanne Batalova
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Reports
September 2005
The New Demography of America's Schools
By  Randy Capps, Michael Fix, Julie Murray and Jeffrey S. Passel
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Policy Briefs
June 2005
Twilight Statuses: A Closer Examination of the Unauthorized Population
By  David A. Martin
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Reports
June 2005
Unauthorized Migrants: Numbers and Characteristics
By  Jeffrey S. Passel
Articles
April 1, 2005
Foreign-Born Self-Employed in the United States
By Jeanne Batalova, David Dixon

Pages

Spotlight
May 1, 2004
Naturalization in the United States in 2002

MPI's Sarah Margon outlines the latest developments affecting U.S. migration policy, including the application of the US-VISIT program to nationals of visa-waiver countries.

Spotlight
March 1, 2004
Mexican Immigrants in the U.S. Labor Force in 2000

MPI’s Elizabeth Grieco and Brian Ray outline the characteristics of Mexican immigrants in the U.S. workforce.

Spotlight
February 1, 2004
The Foreign Born from Vietnam in the United States in 2000

MPI Data Manager Elizabeth Grieco provides an overview of the fifth-largest immigrant group in the United States.

Spotlight
January 1, 2004
The Foreign Born from China in the United States in 2000

MPI Data Manager Elizabeth Grieco provides an overview of the fourth-largest immigrant group in the United States.

Spotlight
December 1, 2003
The Foreign Born from India in the United States in 2000

MPI Data Manager Elizabeth Grieco provides an overview of the third-largest immigrant group in the United States.

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Recent Activity

Articles
December 1, 2005

Who Does What in U.S. Immigration

The U.S. federal government has spread immigration-related responsibilities among six agencies. MPI’s Megan Davy, Deborah Meyers, and Jeanne Batalova explain which agencies handle such tasks as assisting refugees, issuing visas, and handling interior enforcement.
Fact Sheets
November 2005

Legal Immigration to United States Up from Last Year

This fact sheet is an overview of U.S. immigration based on Fiscal Year 2004 data released by the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Immigration Statistics in 2005.

Articles
October 1, 2005

Spotlight on Foreign Born in Areas Affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita

According to the 2000 census, more than 150,000 foreign born lived in the counties affected by Hurricane Katrina. MPI's Jeanne Batalova takes a detailed look at the foreign-born population in the areas hit by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
Fact Sheets
October 2005

United States-Canada-Mexico Fact Sheet on Trade and Migration

This report examines the trilateral relationship between the United States, Canada, and Mexico in the decade since the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and provides facts and figures relating to trade and migration among the three countries.

Reports
September 2005

The New Demography of America's Schools

This report examines how immigration is changing the demographic profile of the United States’ elementary and secondary student population, framing the analysis within the context of the nationwide implementation of No Child Left Behind.

Policy Briefs
June 2005

Twilight Statuses: A Closer Examination of the Unauthorized Population

This policy brief examines the “twilight status” or the de facto partial recognition of two particular categories of immigrants within the United States’ broader undocumented population: those with legally recognized claims to eventual lawful permanent resident status; and those with legally recognized temporary statuses.

Reports
June 2005

Unauthorized Migrants: Numbers and Characteristics

This report examines the characteristics and demographics of the unauthorized population in the United States. 

Articles
April 1, 2005

Foreign-Born Self-Employed in the United States

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.

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