Top Immigration Statistics You Need to Know Now

Immigration statistics as of 2024 indicate that both the size and share of immigrants in the U.S. have reached unprecedented levels. The immigrant population exceeds 50.2 million, representing 14.8 percent of the total U.S. population of 340.1 million. This milestone matches the highest recorded percentage from 1890, highlighting a significant shift since 1970, when only 4.7 percent of U.S. residents were foreign-born. Over the decades, the immigrant demographic has diversified, shifting from a predominantly European origin to growing numbers from Latin America and Asia. While unauthorized immigration often dominates public policy discussions, data shows that over 75 percent of immigrants in 2023 entered the country legally. This includes naturalized citizens, lawful permanent residents (commonly known as green-card holders), and individuals on temporary visas. U.S. immigration policies are currently evolving, particularly following the return of the Trump administration in January 2025. These changes have implications for future immigration patterns that remain unclear. The administration is utilizing federal resources to apprehend unauthorized immigrants, rescind temporary protections for over 1.5 million humanitarian migrants, and scrutinize both temporary visa holders and green-card holders. This may restrict future immigration flows. Immigration has been a crucial factor in U.S. population growth, which has slowed due to declining birth rates. Since 2000, both immigrants and their children have accounted for all increases in the working-age population. If current policies lead to reduced immigration, overall population growth may slow significantly or even decline. This article provides insights into the immigrant population residing in the United States, including temporary visitors and U.S.-born children of immigrants. It draws on authoritative and up-to-date data to present current and historical immigration trends, sociodemographic information about immigrant populations, and the channels through which they enter the country. It also addresses government enforcement actions and visa processing. Due to less data availability in recent years, fully assessing the impact of the Trump administration’s enforcement measures can be challenging. While some data may be outdated, it is the most recent at the time of writing. The terms 'foreign-born' and 'immigrant' refer to individuals who do not hold U.S. citizenship at birth. This category includes naturalized citizens, lawful permanent residents, refugees, asylees, certain temporary visa holders, and unauthorized immigrants. -- Population Size and Evolving Origins -- In 2024, the U.S. immigrant population reached more than 50.2 million, the highest in history. Immigrants constituted 14.8 percent of the U.S. population, maintaining the peak level established in 1890. From 2023 to 2024, the immigrant population increased by over 2.4 million—approximately 5 percent—the largest annual growth since at least 2010. In 1850, the first year the U.S. Census collected nativity data, the count was 2.2 million immigrants, nearly 10 percent of the U.S. population. Between 1860 and 1920, the immigrant share fluctuated, peaking at 14.8 percent in 1890 amid high immigration rates from Europe. However, restrictive laws implemented in 1921 and 1924 curtailed immigration, which, along with the Great Depression and World War II, led to a decline until 1970. By that year, 9.6 million immigrants made up a historic low of 4.7 percent of all U.S. residents. Since 1970, the immigrant population has surged significantly, mainly due to increased arrivals from Latin America and Asia following key legislative changes, such as the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 and the Refugee Act of 1980. Additional factors include the U.S. economy's need for varied skill levels, family reunification desires, and evolving international relations. As of 2024, the largest immigrant group in the U.S. remains the 11.1 million individuals from Mexico, accounting for 22 percent of the total immigrant population, although this has decreased by about 567,000 since 2010. India and China follow, contributing approximately 3.2 million and 2.6 million immigrants, respectively. These ten origin countries account for 55 percent of all U.S. immigrants. Furthermore, 41 percent of immigrants arrived before 2000, 21 percent between 2000-2009, and 38 percent since 2010. In 2023, approximately 74 percent of immigrants held permanent legal status or long-term nonimmigrant visas. -- Immigrants’ Characteristics and Families -- In 2024, the median age of immigrants was 47, older than that of U.S.-born individuals, whose median age was 37. Among immigrants, 27 percent identified as Asian, 20 percent as White, 9 percent as Black, and 20 percent as other races, with 22 percent reporting multiple races. About 45 percent (22.7 million) of immigrants had Hispanic or Latino origins. A significant portion of the Hispanic population is U.S.-born; of the 68 million self-identified Hispanics in 2024, 67 percent were native-born. Of the 321.7 million U.S. residents aged 5 and older, 77 percent reported speaking only English at home. Among those speaking other languages, Spanish was the most prevalent. In 2024, 47 percent of all immigrants aged 5 and older indicated they spoke English less than 'very well.' Immigrants aged 25 and older had an educational attainment rate of 36 percent for a bachelor’s degree or higher. Newer entrants, particularly between 2020 and 2024, showed even higher educational attainment at 45 percent. In 2024, immigrants made up over 18 percent of the 175.3 million U.S. civilian labor force. Among employed foreign-born workers aged 16 and older, 38 percent were in management and professional roles. The median household income for immigrant families was about $82,400, slightly surpassing that of U.S.-born households, at $81,400. However, 14 percent of immigrants lived in poverty, compared to 12 percent of U.S.-born residents. Approximately 57 percent of immigrants had private health insurance, in contrast to 69 percent of U.S. natives. Meanwhile, 18 percent of immigrants lacked health insurance altogether. Immigrants and their U.S.-born children amounted to over 97.2 million people, 29 percent of the total noninstitutionalized U.S. population in 2024. Of those, 18.3 million U.S. children had at least one immigrant parent—26 percent of all children under 18. Notably, 41 percent of children of immigrants were from low-income families, compared to 32 percent for children of U.S.-born parents. -- Top U.S. Destinations -- In 2024, the states with the highest immigrant populations included California (10.9 million), Texas (5.8 million), Florida (5.4 million), New York (4.6 million), and New Jersey (2.4 million). Immigrants represented significant shares of the populations in California (28 percent), New Jersey (25 percent), New York and Florida (23 percent each), and Nevada (20 percent). The New York City metropolitan area housed the largest number of immigrants, at nearly 6 million, followed by greater Los Angeles (4.2 million), Miami (2.6 million), Houston (1.8 million), and Chicago (1.7 million). Florida and Texas experienced the greatest net increase in immigration between 2010 and 2024, while North Dakota saw the most substantial relative growth at 152 percent. -- Permanent Immigration and Naturalization -- In fiscal year (FY) 2024, approximately 1.4 million immigrants obtained lawful permanent residency, marking a 16 percent rise from FY 2023 and a dramatic 92 percent increase compared to FY 2020. Nearly half of the new green-card holders were immediate relatives of U.S. citizens. The top countries for new green-card recipients included Mexico (15 percent), Cuba (13 percent), and several other notable nations. In FY 2024, 49,600 individuals received green cards through the Diversity Visa lottery, but this program faced suspension in December 2025. More than 25.8 million immigrants had become naturalized U.S. citizens by 2024, comprising around 8 percent of the nation's population. In FY 2024, about 818,500 green-card holders transitioned to U.S. citizenship, a decrease of 7 percent from the prior year. Most new citizens resided in states with high immigrant populations, such as California, Florida, and New York. Approximately 8.7 million green-card holders were eligible for naturalization as of January 2024. Visa backlogs mean that over 4 million applicants are currently awaiting immigrant visas as of November 2023. -- Refugees and Asylum Seekers -- The refugee admission cap for FY 2026 was set at 7,500—historically low for the program. Over 100,000 refugees were resettled in FY 2024, primarily from nations like Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Venezuela. In FY 2024, the majority of refugees identified as Christian or Muslim. Additionally, high numbers of asylum applications were received through the first nine months of FY 2025, with 1.5 million asylum applications pending in the system. The previous fiscal year showed a record-high approval rate of asylum for nearly 54,350 individuals. -- Temporary Visas -- Almost 9.9 million temporary visas were issued in the initial eleven months of FY 2025, a slight decrease from FY 2024. Most of these visas were for business and tourism purposes. Furthermore, around 1.2 million temporary work visas were granted, highlighting ongoing international movement. -- Unauthorized Immigration and Enforcement -- In mid-2023, there were an estimated 13.7 million unauthorized immigrants in the U.S., slightly rising from 12.8 million in 2022. Mexicans and Central Americans made up 68 percent of this group, with various programs offering temporary protections. DACA had approximately 516,000 active participants, predominantly from Mexico. In FY 2025, U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported about 692,000 encounters at the border, primarily at the U.S.-Mexico frontier. Enforcement actions led to over 236,000 potential removals, significantly higher than previous years. This article has summarized the critical immigration statistics relevant to understanding the current and historical trends, challenges, and ongoing discussions surrounding immigrants in the United States. For more information, please visit the Migration Policy Institute and the Pew Research Center. Source: https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/frequently-requested-statistics-immigrants-and-immigration-united-states

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