PRESS RELEASE
March 13, 2024
Contact: Michelle Mittelstadt
202 266 1910
[email protected]

Top Stats to Understand U.S. Immigration and Immigrants to the United States: MPI Issues Its Latest Collection of Most Sought-After Data

WASHINGTON –- The Migration Policy Institute (MPI) today published the latest version of its popular resource, Frequently Requested Statistics on Immigrants and Immigration in the United States, which collects the latest available data about many aspects of recent and historical immigration to the United States. As the article details, the 46.2 million immigrants in the country as of 2022 represent the largest number in U.S. history, though their 13.9 percent share of the overall U.S. population remains below the record 14.8 percent level set in 1890.

The user-friendly guide published annually by MPI’s online magazine, the Migration Information Source, draws on data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. Departments of Homeland Security (DHS) and State, and MPI. It also offers links to interactive data tools, spreadsheets and other resources that users can explore to deepen their knowledge of immigration and immigrants in the United States.

The article traces how legal immigration has rebounded from recent lows during the COVID-19 pandemic. It also details how the composition of the immigrant population is changing, with rising numbers holding “twilight” legal statuses that offer protection from deportation and a work permit but not a path to permanent residence.

Among other findings:

• Immigrants play a growing role in the U.S. labor force. In 1970, the foreign born accounted for 5 percent of the civilian labor force, with this share rising to 17 percent in 2022. While U.S. population growth has slowed in recent years, 65 percent of the total population increase between 2021 and 2022 was due to immigration.
• The 10.4 million temporary visas issued in fiscal year (FY) 2023 were higher than the 8.7 million issued in FY 2019, showing how some aspects of the U.S. immigration system have not only returned to pre-pandemic levels but outstripped them.
• At the state level, the largest numbers of immigrants lived in California (10.4 million), Texas (5.2 million), Florida (4.8 million), New York (4.5 million) and New Jersey (2.2 million) as of 2022. Florida gained the most immigrants between 2010 and 2022 (1.2 million), but North Dakota saw the largest relative increase in the foreign-born population during that period, with a 131 percent increase.
• Regardless of nativity, Spanish is the second most commonly spoken language at home, after English. Other top languages included Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Arabic and French.

The Frequently Requested Statistics article is part of an array of useful data offerings that MPI makes available to help understanding of migration trends. MPI regularly updates the interactive data tools, maps and tables offered through its Migration Data Hub, including the popular State Immigration Data Profiles and U.S. Immigration Trends section.

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The Migration Policy Institute is an independent, non-partisan, non-profit think tank in Washington, D.C. dedicated to analysis of the movement of people worldwide. MPI provides analysis, development and evaluation of migration and refugee policies at the local, national and international levels. For more on MPI, please visit www.migrationpolicy.org.

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