Immigrants made up 17.2% of the total U.S. workforce in 2014, or about 27 million workers. Private households were the biggest immigrant-employing “industry,” followed by textile, apparel and leather manufacturers and the farm sector.
Americans’ views about the impact the growing number of immigrants working in the U.S. is having on American workers have softened notably over the past decade.
Four-in-ten immigrants arriving in the U.S. in the past five years had completed at least a bachelor’s degree. In 1970, only 20% of newly arrived immigrants were similarly educated.
Asians, especially Chinese, are responsible for most of the sharp increase in foreign students at U.S. colleges and universities. Foreign students are more likely to study science, engineering and math than U.S. students as a whole, especially at the post-baccalaureate level.