E.g., 04/25/2024
E.g., 04/25/2024
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
March 1, 2006
Characteristics of the Asian Born in the United States in 2000
By David Dixon
Articles
February 1, 2006
Spotlight on Limited English Proficient Students in the United States in 2004
By Jeanne Batalova
Articles
January 1, 2006
Characteristics of the African Born in the United States in 2000
By David Dixon
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
cover uscanadamexicofactsheet
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
cover newdemographyofschools
Reports
September 2005
The New Demography of America's Schools
By  Randy Capps, Michael Fix, Julie Murray and Jeffrey S. Passel

Pages

Spotlight
August 1, 2004
The Foreign Born from Canada in the United States in 2000

MPI's Betsy Cooper and Senior Demographer Elizabeth Grieco map out the characteristics of Canadians in the United States.

Spotlight
July 1, 2004
Educational Attainment of the Foreign Born in the United States in 2000

This Spotlight examines the educational attainment of the five largest immigrant groups in the United States, including those from Mexico, the Philippines, India, China (excluding Hong Kong and Taiwan), and Vietnam. According to the results of Census 2000, 62 percent of all foreign born in the United States have at least a high school education. Other measures of educational attainment, such as college or graduate degrees, vary widely by country of origin. The data presented in this Spotlight were derived from the U.S. Census 2000 1 Percent Public Use Micro-Sample (PUMS) file.

Spotlight
June 1, 2004
The U.S. Refugee Resettlement Program
MPI Associate Policy Analyst Erin Patrick provides the latest figures on the U.S. refugee resettlement program, which is still operating well below traditional levels long after being thrown into crisis by the Sept. 11 attacks.
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.

Pages

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Recent Activity

Articles
March 1, 2006

Characteristics of the Asian Born in the United States in 2000

The Asian born accounted for more than a quarter of the total U.S. foreign-born population in 2000. MPI's David Dixon looks at the social and economic profiles of the foreign born from Eastern, Southeastern South Central and Western Asia.

Articles
February 1, 2006

Spotlight on Limited English Proficient Students in the United States in 2004

About five million students with limited proficiency in English were enrolled in U.S. public schools in the 2003-2004 school year. MPI's Jeanne Batalova examines their characteristics.

Articles
January 1, 2006

Characteristics of the African Born in the United States in 2000

MPI's David Dixon looks at the social and economic profiles of the foreign born from Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western Africa.

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.

Pages