Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World

Facts on U.S. Immigrants, 2017

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There were a record 44.4 million immigrants living in the U.S. in 2017, making up 13.6% of the nation’s population. This represents a more than fourfold increase since 1960, when only 9.7 million immigrants lived in the U.S., accounting for just 5.4% of the total U.S. population. Click the link below each summary table to download the data.

To find more context on the figures below, visit the blog posts “Key findings about U.S. immigrants” and “Recently arrived U.S. immigrants, growing in number, differ from long-term residents,” and for a downloadable version of the tables below, see the PDF and the Excel workbook. For facts on Latinos in the United States, see our profile on U.S. Hispanics.

Nativity of U.S. immigrants

Foreign-born population total 44,406,371
Percent born in Mexico 25.3%
Percent who are citizens 49.4%

Download Excel sheet with all population and nativity findings

 

Race of U.S. immigrants

Percent who are white alone, not Hispanic 17.8%

Download Excel sheet with all race findings

 

Language use among U.S. immigrants

Percent speaking English at least very well (ages 5 and older) 52.2%

Download Excel sheet with all language findings

 

Age and gender of U.S. immigrants

Median age of foreign-born population (in years) 44
Percent of foreign born who are female 51.7%

Download Excel sheet with all age and gender findings

 

Marital status and fertility of U.S. immigrants

Percent who are married (ages 18 and older) 60.9%
Percent who are women ages 15-44 giving birth in past year 7.5%

Download Excel sheet with all marriage and fertility findings

 

Education of U.S. immigrants

Highest degree completed, ages 25 and older

High school or less 50.0%
Two-year degree/Some college 18.8%
Bachelor’s degree or more 31.2%

Download Excel sheet with all education findings

 

Work status and occupations of U.S. immigrants

Ages 16 and older

Percent in labor force (among civilian population) 66.0%

Download Excel sheet with all work findings

 

Earnings and income of U.S. immigrants

Ages 16 and older

Median annual personal earnings (in 2017 dollars, among those with earnings) $30,000
Median annual household income (in 2017 dollars) $56,000

Download Excel sheet with all income findings

 

Poverty and health insurance among U.S. immigrants

Percent living in poverty 15.2%
Percent uninsured 19.9%

Download Excel sheet with all poverty and insurance findings

 

Homeownership and households of U.S. immigrants

Percent in family households 73.1%

Download Excel sheet with all homeownership and household findings

 

Region and top states of residence of U.S. immigrants

West 34.0%
California 23.9%
South 33.5%
Texas 10.9%
Florida 9.8%
Northeast 21.3%
New York 10.2%
New Jersey 4.6%
Midwest 11.3%

Download Excel sheet with all region findings

Source: Pew Research Center tabulations of 2017 American Community Survey (1% IPUMS). “Statistical Portrait of the Foreign-Born Population in the United States, 2017”

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