Demographic Resources and Statistics on U.S. Immigration

(Last Updated August 10, 2005)

NCSL Research

The 2000 Census: A Quick Look at U.S. Immigrants.  Immigrants are 1 in 7 U.S. workers and 1 in 2 new workers.  This document provides a brief collection of statistics and information on U.S. immigrants, including:  immigrant children; low wage immigrant workers; access to banking and homeownership; 2000 census on the foreign born; and legal status. 

External Resources: 

National Demographic Resources and Statistics

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (formerly INS)
Part of the Department of Homeland Security, BCIS provides citizenship and immigration services. Definitions of visa categories and statistics on admissions to the U.S. by year of entry, country of origin, and immigration status can be found through the USCIS Statistics page. This site provides statistics on legal immigrants, refugees, asylees, non-immigrants, and illegal immigrants.

U.S. Census Bureau
Visit the Census bureau website, for searchable data on the population of the U.S., including information on foreign-born and native populations. The bureau's American FactFinder pages provide demographic information on national and regional populations through the dicennial Census and the Current Population Survey. The Census Bureau also publishes reports on the foreign born population in the U.S. The Census maintains a Foreign-Born Population page with links to data and reports including:

• Latest Population Estimates, U.S. Census Bureau, June 9, 2005
  • Hispanic Population Estimates, U.S. Census Bureau, June 9, 2005
•  The Foreign-Born Population in the United States: 2003, U.S. Census Bureau, August 2004

•  Language Use and English-Speaking Ability: 2000
  U.S. Census Bureau, October 2003
• Coming to America: A Profile of the Nation 's Foreign Born (2000 Update)
  U.S. Census Bureau, February 2002
• A Profile of the Nation's Foreign-Born Population From Asia (2000 Update)
  U.S. Census Bureau, February 2002
• A Profile of the Nation's Foreign-Born Population From Latin America (2000 Update)
  U.S. Census Bureau, January 2002

Unauthorized Immigrant Population Estimates

• Unauthorized Migrants: Numbers and Characteristics.  Pew Hispanic Center, June 14, 2005.
• Estimates of the Size and Characteristics of the Undocumented Population.  Pew Hispanic Center, March 21, 2005.

• Estimates of the Unauthorized Immigrant Population Residing in the United States: 1990 to 2000. Office of Policy and Planning, U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service, January 2003.
• Undocumented Immigrants; Facts and Figures.Urban Institute Immigration Studies Program, January 12, 2004

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

• The Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) website has information on the mission and activities sponsored by ORR and statistical information on refugee arrivals in the U.S. by year of entry and country of origin.

State and Local Data:

BY STATE
Migration Policy Institute - Interactive map displaying state by state information on foreign born persons living in the United States

BY COUNTY
Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees (GCIR) publishes immigration statistics by county. The GCIR website also provides links to other immigrant research sites and publishes reports on immigrant integration.

The New Neighbors: A User's Guide to Data on Immigrants in U.S. Communities. This guidebook is designed to help local policy makers, program implementers, and advocates use U.S. Census and other data sources to identify immigrant populations in their local communities --their characteristics, teir contributions, and their needs. (Urban Institute, 2003)

The Rise of New Immigrant Gateways. An analysis of immigration to metropolitan areas/ (Brookings Institution, February 2004)

CALIFORNIA
Undocumented Immigration to California-PPIC Research Brief

FLORIDA

Refugee and Entrant Arrivals Statistical Reports (1998-2005 available)

MARYLAND
2003 Statistical Abstract: New Americans in Maryland

MASSACHUSETTS
Office for Refugees and Immigrants Statistical Data

WASHINGTON DC
The World in a Zip Code: Greater Washington DC as a New Region of Immigration Brookings Institute Report and Data