Data in Detail: United States

There are more than 45 million immigrants living in the United States, accounting for 14 percent of the national population. Exactly how much of the local population immigrants make up varies by state and locality, but immigrants play an important role everywhere, from West Virginia, where immigrants make up 2 percent of the population, to California where immigrants make up 27 percent of the population. All data for this analysis was derived from the 2021 American Community Survey 5-year data sample.

Immigrants’ share of economic output is consistently more than their share of population. Nationally, immigrants account for 14 percent of the population and 17 percent of economic output, or Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Three key factors explain this. First, immigrants are more likely to be in prime working age and are therefore also a larger share of the labor force. Second, immigrants are disproportionately likely to be business owners. And third, immigrants work in a much wider range of jobs than is often understood. As the analysis below shows, although immigrants are disproportionately likely to be in low-wage jobs, the majority work in middle- or upper-income jobs. In each state, the immigrant share of GDP is higher than immigrant share of population.

More than 15 million immigrants in the United States have at least an associate’s degree. Overall, 18 percent of all immigrants in the U.S. who are older than 25 have a bachelor’s degree and 14 percent have an advanced degree. There are significant gaps in access to education among immigrants, though. In all, 22 percent of immigrants have a high school diploma or equivalent but no college while 26 percent did not finish high school. On the whole, immigrants are less likely to have finished high school than their U.S.-born counterparts, as only 8 percent of U.S.-born people older than 25 have less than a high school diploma. When immigrants have access to a college education, however, they are more likely to finish, as 22 percent of U.S.-born folks have some college experience, but no degree, compared to just 13 percent for immigrants.

Immigrant Educational Attainment

U.S.-Born Educational Attainment

Immigrants arrive in the United States from all over the world. There are many factors that impact why people move to the U.S., including geographical proximity, historical associations related to U.S. colonization or foreign policy, and corporate recruiting hotspots. In the United States as a whole, the most common birthplace for immigrants in the United States is Mexico, followed by India, China, Philippines, and El Salvador. Where immigrants come from varies significantly from state to state.

Fluency in English is an important factor in economic and social integration in the United States. People who speak “only English” at home often come from countries that speak English or have a partner who speaks English. People who speak “very well” or “well” have the advantage of being fluent in two or more languages. Those who speak “not well” are often learning the language, and “not at all” includes new arrivals and people who have been in the United States but have not learned English. Nationally , most immigrants have high levels of English proficiency, including 37 percent who report speaking English “very well” and 17 percent who say they only speak English. Another 21 percent report speaking English “well,” adding up to 75 percent of the immigrant population who are proficient in English. Seventeen percent of immigrants say they have limited English proficiency, and 8 percent say they do not speak English at all.

Nationally, most immigrants are in middle- or upper-wage jobs. And, immigrants are disproportionately concentrated in low-wage jobs . Both things are true at the same time, according to research by Immigration Research Initiative. For this analysis we sorted full-time workers into three groups: “low wage,” “middle wage,” or upper wage.” Low wage is defined as earning less than two thirds of the national median, middle wage is two thirds to double the median, and upper wage is more than double the median. That means that people in low-wage jobs earn less than $35,000 for full-time, year-round work. Middle-wage earners bring in $35,000 to $104,000, and upper-wage earn over $104,000.

Immigrant Earning Wages

U.S.-Born Earning Wages