U.S. Immigrant Population Hit Record 42.4 Million in 2014

Large scale immigration into the U.S. continues, with the nation’s immigrant, or foreign-born, population (legal and illegal) growing 2.4 million since 2010 and up 1 million during the 2013 to 2014 period. The Center for Immigration Studies’ analysis of the Census Bureau’s just released 2014 American Community Survey (ACS) shows an acceleration in the growth of the nation’s immigrant population. Last month the Center for Immigration Studies reported on monthly Census Bureau data which also showed the pace of immigration increasing. The new ACS data more completely covers the immigrant population than the monthly data and allows for more detailed analysis by country of origin and state.

View the entire report here.

Among the findings of the new data:

• The nation’s immigrant population (legal and illegal) hit a record 42.4 million in July of 2013, an increase of 2.4 million since July of 2010. Since 2000 the immigrant population is up 11.3 million.
• The 42.4 million immigrants (legal and illegal) in 2013 was double the number in 1990, nearly triple the number in 1980, and quadruple that of 1970, when it stood at 9.6 million.
• As a share of the population, immigrants (legal and illegal) comprised 13.3 percent or about one out of every 8 U.S. residents in 2014, the highest percentage in 104 years.As recently as 1980, 6.2 percent of the country was comprised of immigrants.
• In addition to immigrants, there were 16.2 million U.S.-born minor (<17) children of immigrants living in the country in 2014 for a total 58.6 million immigrants and their children.Immigrants and their minors account for 18.4 percent of the nation’s total population.
• Sending-regions with the largest numerical increase in immigrants living in the United States since 2010 were East Asia (up 642,000), South Asia (up 594,000) the Sub-Saharan Africa (up 282,000) the Middle East (up 277,000), the Caribbean (up 269,000), and Central America (up 268,000).
• Sending-countries with the largest numerical increase in immigrants living in the United States since 2010 were India (up 426,000), China (up 353,000), the Dominican Republic (up 119,000), El Salvador (up 101,000), Guatemala (up 85,000), Pakistan (up 72,000) Colombia (up 70,000),Cuba (68,000), Honduras (up 66,000), Iraq (up 57,000) and Bangladesh (up 56,000).
• Sending-countries with the largest percentage increase in immigrants living in the United States since 2010 were Saudi Arabia (up 93%), Bangladesh (up 37%), Iraq (up 36%), Egypt (up 25%), Pakistan,India and Ethiopia (all up 24%), Nigeria and Ghana (both up 21%), Venezuela (up 17%), and China (up 16%) .
• Between 2010 and 2014, 5.2 million new immigrants settled in the United States. Since the Great Recession began in 2007, at least 8.7 million new immigrants have settled in the country.
• With 11.7 million legal and illegal immigrants in 2013 living in the United States, Mexico had by far the largest immigrant population in the country.After declining from 2010 to 2013, the number of Mexican immigrants in the country grew by 130,000 from 2013 to 2014.
• In contrast to most sending regions and countries, the number of immigrants from Europe and Canada declined slightly between 2000 and 2010.
• States with the largest numerical increase in the number of immigrants from 2010 to 2014 were Texas (up 380,397),California (up 361,970), Florida (up 315,472), New York (up 167,857),
  New Jersey (up 116,153), Virginia (up 94,501), Maryland (up 86,744), Pennsylvania (up 82,632), Massachusetts (up 76,717), Arizona (up 62,896), Washington (up 58,484), Georgia (up 51,692), Minnesota (up 49,574).
• States with the largest percentage increase in the number of immigrants 2010 to 2014 were North Dakota (up 45%), Wyoming (up 42%), Montana (up 19%), Kentucky (up 15%), New Hampshire (up 14%), Minnesota (up 13%), West Virginia (up 13%), Louisiana, Utah,Nebraska, Idaho, Delaware (all up 12%), and Pennsylvania (up 11%).