E.g., 06/03/2024
E.g., 06/03/2024
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

William Kandel of the USDA and Emilio Parrado of Duke University take stock of the complex interaction between migration and the U.S. meat-packing industry.
Cap on H-2B Visas Reached... Border Initiative to Use Predator Drones... Border Restrictions Eased for Some Mexicans... DHS Issues Rules for Safe Third-Country Agreement...

MPI President Demetrios Papademetriou maps out the historic challenges and opportunities in U.S.-Mexico relations in the wake of President Bush's immigration reform proposal.

Mexican negotiators seek shared responsibility over U.S.-Mexico migration issues, according to Gustavo Mohar, former chief negotiator for migration affairs at the Mexican Embassy in the U.S..

Jeffrey Passel of the Urban Institute provides a context for understanding the presence of roughly 5.3 million unauthorized Mexican immigrants in the United States.
Bush Proposes $40.2 Billion FY2005 DHS Budget... Judge Faults Adjustment Delays for Approved Asylees... H-1B Cap Reached Months Before End of FY2004... Fee Increase Proposed for Immigration Applications and Services...

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

MPI Senior Fellow and former INS Commissioner Doris Meissner examines the challenges and opportunities, past and present, posed by temporary migrant labor programs.

Jorge Durand examines Mexico's long history of and ambivalent attitude toward migration to the U.S..

MPI's Maia Jachimowicz outlines the latest developments affecting U.S. migration policy, focusing President George W. Bush's announcement regarding undocumented immigrants.

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