U.S. Immigration Statistics

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Immigrant numbers and growth rates are significant.[source]

  • The foreign-born population in the United States tripled in the past four decades and currently totals about 37 million, or nearly 12 percent of the total population.
  • By 2010, the foreign-born population is expected to increase to 43 million, or 13.5 percent of the total population.

But immigrants' percentage of the total U.S. population is below the nation's historic high.

  • Proportionately, the United States is less a nation of immigrants now than a century ago, when nearly 15 percent of the population was foreign-born.[source]
  • Many other countries have proportionately larger immigrant populations. For example, 17 percent of Canada's total population is foreign-born, as is 24 percent of Australia's.[source]

Immigrant settlement is shifting from traditional to new gateway states and from central cities to suburbs.

  • In 2000, two-thirds of all the foreign-born lived in the traditional "big six" immigrant states (California, New York, Texas, Florida, Illinois, and New Jersey), down from three-quarters in the decades before 1995.[source]
  • From 1990 to 2000, the foreignborn population grew by 145 percent in 22 "new growth" states, compared to 57 percent average growth nationwide.[source]
  • The biggest growth between 1990 and 2000 occurred in the Southeast, Mountain, and Plains states, led by North Carolina (274 percent), Georgia (233 percent), Nevada (202 percent), Arkansas (196 percent), and Utah (171 percent).[source]
  • The foreign-born averaged 25 percent of the population in central cities in 2000, with the highest percentages in Miami (60 percent), Los Angeles (40 percent), and San Francisco, San Jose, and New York (all above 35 percent).[source]
  • More immigrants now live in suburbs (12.8 million) than in central cities (9.8 million).[source]

Fewer immigrants are from Europe; more are from Latin America and Asia.

  • Sixty-six percent of legal immigrants were from Europe and Canada before the 1965 Immigration Act eliminated national origin quotas that favored European countries.[source]
  • By 2004, European and Canadian immigrants had declined to 16 percent of all foreign-born, while a larger percentage of immigrants were from other countries: Mexico (31 percent), other Latin American countries (23 percent), Asia (26 percent), and Africa, the Middle East, and other regions (4 percent).[source]
SNAPSHOT OF THE FOREIGN-BORN IN THE UNITED STATES
IMMIGRATION STATUS TOTAL NUMBER (2005) % OF TOTAL ANNUAL (Federal Fiscal Year 2003)
FOREIGN-BORN RESIDENTS      
Naturalized citizens: Lawful permanent residents in U.S. at least 3-5 years who have completed naturalization process. 11.5 million 31% 555,000 LPRs became citizens
Lawful permanent residents (LPRs): Persons legally admitted to reside and work permanently in U.S.; most visas are granted through family relationships to relatives of citizens and LPRs (about 74% of total) and employment skills (12% of total). 10.5 million 28% 651,000 LPR visas granted
  • 333,000 immediate relatives of U.S. citizens
  • 159,000 other relatives of citizens & LPRs
  • 87,000 other legal admissions, such as diversity visas
  • 82,000 employment visas
Refugees: Persons unable or unwilling to return to their country because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution; refugees are admitted overseas, and asylees apply in the U.S. Both may apply to become LPR after one year. Of the post-1980 refugee arrivals, 1.3 million are now LPRs, and 1.3 million are now naturalized citizens. 2.6 million 7% 45,000 refugee/asylee visas granted
Temporary legal residents: Persons legally admitted for a specified purpose and a temporary period. 1.3 million 3% 1.46 million temporary resident visas, including 662,000 students and dependents, and 798,000 temporary workers and dependents
Undocumented immigrants: Persons residing in the U.S. without legal permission. Estimated numbers:
  • 50-65% entered without inspection.
  • 25-40% overstayed visa.
  • 10% quasi-legal (e.g., Temporary Protected Status, asylum applicants, persons awaiting green card)
 11.1 million 30% An estimated 500,000 undocumented immigrants have entered the United States per year since 2000
TOTAL FOREIGN-BORN RESIDENTS 37 million 100% 2.6 million resident arrivals annually
VISITORS TO THE UNITED STATES      
Tourists 24.4 million    
Visitors for Business 4.2 million    
TOTAL ANNUAL VISITORS 28.6 million    

[source 1] [source 2] [source 3]

TOP-TEN IMMIGRANT-SENDING COUNTRIES TO THE UNITED STATES
2004 1960
  1. Mexico
  2. India
  3. Phillippines
  4. China
  5. Vietnam
  6. Dominican-Republic
  7. El Salvador
  8. Cuba
  9. Korea
  10. Colombia
  1. Mexico
  2. Germany
  3. Canada
  4. United Kingdom
  5. Italy
  6. Cuba
  7. Poland
  8. Ireland
  9. Hungary
  10. Portugal

 

TOP-TEN REFUGEE-SENDING COUNTRIES TO THE UNITED STATES IN 2004 TOP SOURCES OF UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS TO THE UNITED STATES
  1. Somalia
  2. Liberia
  3. Laos
  4. Sudan
  5. Ukraine
  6. Caribbean
  7. Cuba
  8. Ethiopia
  9. Iran
  10. Moldova
  1. Mexico (57%)
  2. Other Latin American Countries (24%)
  3. Asia (9%)
  4. Europe and Canada (6%)
  5. Africa and Other (5%)

[source 1] [source 2]

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