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This brief provides demographic information for the foreign-born population in the U.S., including permanent and temporary legal admissions, refugees and people seeking or granted asylum, and unauthorized immigrants. It relies on the most recent data available.
The brief also includes additional resources for demographic data of the foreign-born at the national and state level.
U.S. Population Fiscal Year 2017
|
Native Born U.S. Citizens
|
278.8 million
|
|
Naturalized Citizens
|
20.7 million
|
|
Legal Noncitizens
|
13.1 million
|
|
Unauthorized Immigrants
|
11.3 million
|
| Temporary Visas |
1.7 million |
|
Total U.S. Population
|
322 million
|
Main Source Countries/Regions of Immigrant Population
As of 2015, South or East Asia was the single largest source region (26.9 percent) followed by Mexico (26.8 percent). Other regions accounting for significant shares were Europe and Canada (13.5 percent), the Caribbean (9.6 percent), Central America (7.9 percent), South America (6.7 percent), the Middle East (4 percent) and sub-Saharan Africa (3.9 percent).
Main Source Countries/Regions of Immigrants
| Fiscal Year |
South or East Asia |
Mexico |
Europe and Canada |
Caribbean |
Central America |
South America |
Middle East |
Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 1960 |
338,328 |
575,902 |
8,208,811 |
193,922 |
48,949 |
89,536 |
141,013 |
13,696 |
| 1970 |
573,102 |
759,711 |
6,553,312 |
675,108 |
113,913 |
255,238 |
194,719 |
47,747 |
| 1980 |
2,258,351 |
2,199,221 |
5,992,431 |
1,258,363 |
353,892 |
561,011 |
324,850 |
129,946 |
| 1990 |
4,578,724 |
4,298,014 |
5,095,233 |
1,938,348 |
1,133,978 |
1,037,497 |
466,626 |
264,775 |
| 2000 |
7,528,999 |
9,177,487 |
5,736,328 |
2,953,066 |
2,026,150 |
1,930,271 |
771,999 |
690,809 |
| 2010 |
10,336,238 |
11,711,103 |
5,616,086 |
3,730,644 |
3,052,509 |
2,729,831 |
1,041,970 |
1,326,634 |
| 2015 |
12,112,272 |
11,643,298 |
5,620,290 |
4,165,453 |
3,384,629 |
2,918,029 |
1,274,241 |
1,716,425 |
Source: Migration Policy Institute
Source: Migration Policy Institute
People Obtaining Lawful Permanent Resident Status
| Category |
FY 2017 |
| Family and Immediate Relatives |
748,746 |
|
Employment
|
137,855 |
| Refugees and Asylees |
146,003 |
| Diversity and Other |
94,563 |
|
Total Visas Issued
|
1,127,167 |
Source: U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Permanent Residence
In fiscal year (FY) 2017, a total of 1,127,167 people obtained lawful permanent resident (LPR) status.
Of those granted LPR status, 54 percent were female, and 46 percent were male. Forty-eight percent (549,086) were adjustment of status in the U.S. and 51.3 percent (578,081) were new arrivals. The top six countries of nationality (country of origin) were Mexico (15.1 percent), China (6.3 percent), Cuba (5.8 percent), India (5.4 percent), the Dominican Republic (5.2 percent) and the Philippines (4.4 percent).
Source: U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Temporary Visas (Nonimmigrant)
Temporary immigrants, known as “nonimmigrants” in U.S. law, are those allowed to enter the United States for a specific purpose, and for a temporary or limited time, and unless specifically authorized, are not permitted to work in the U.S. Nonimmigrant visas are issued for 87 subcategories within 24 major categories, including short-term visitors (tourists), students, business visitors, diplomats, and temporary agricultural and nonagricultural workers.
In 2018, the U.S. Department of State issued 9 million nonimmigrant visas: 75% were for tourism and business; 10.2% were temporary workers; 4.4% were students; and 4.2% were exchange visitors.
Source: “Immigration: Nonimmigrant (Temporary) Admissions to the United States,” Congressional Research Service, Sept. 10, 2019
Refugee and Humanitarian Issues
In FY 2018, 22,491 refugees were admitted to the U.S.–a 58 percent drop from 53,716 admitted in 2017. The main countries of origin were the Democratic Republic of the Congo (35 percent), Myanmar (16 percent), Ukraine (12 percent), Bhutan (10 percent), and Eritrea (6 percent). According to the UN Refugee Agency, children below 18 years of age constituted about half of the refugee population in 2017, up from 41 percent in 2009. Women constituted around 50 percent of the refugee population as well.
Given the drop in the number of refugees admitted, there has been a significant decrease in refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (2016: 16,730; 2018: 7,883), Bhutan (2016: 5,817; 2018: 2,228), and Eritrea (2016: 1,949; 2018: 1,269). Iraq refugees comprised 11.6 percent of admitted refugees in 2016; now, they are no longer in the top ten countries of origin. However, the number of refugees from Ukraine increased between 2016 (2,543 refugees) and 2018 (2,635 refugees).
Source: U.S. Department of Homeland Security
In FY 2016, a total of 20,455 people were granted asylum in the U.S.–a 22 percent drop from 26,124 a year earlier. The main countries of origin for asylum seekers in FY 2016 were China (22 percent), El Salvador (10.5 percent), Guatemala (9.5 percent), Honduras (7.4 percent), and Mexico (4.5 percent).
Source: Migrant Policy Institute
Unauthorized Immigration
In 2016, approximately 11.3 million unauthorized immigrants were estimated to be residing in the U.S. The top countries of origin for unauthorized immigrants are Mexico (53 percent), El Salvador (6 percent), Guatemala (5 percent), Honduras (3 percent), and China (3 percent). As of August 2018, 699,350 immigrants have been granted deferred status under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program (DACA). Fifty-four percent of those meeting all criteria for DACA applied to the program in 2018. Additionally, at least 317,000 immigrants have received deferred status from Temporary Protected Status.
Source: Migration Policy Institute
Additional Resources
Government
Research Institutions
Prepared By:
Maria Pimienti, NCSL Immigrant Policy Project fellow, summer 2017
Chesterfield Polkey, NCSL's Emerson National Hunger fellow, spring 2019
For more information: Contact the Immigration Program.