The United States is a nation of immigrants. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 12.9% of the population are immigrants. In 2015, there were a total of 43.3 million immigrants living in the United States. The top states for foreign-born populations include California (10 million), New York (4 million), Texas (3 million), Florida (2 million) and Illinois (1 million).
According to the Pew Research Center, the number of unauthorized immigrants in the United States has declined since 2007 to 11.1 million in 2014 from 12 million in 2007 due to a decline in unauthorized Mexican migration since 2005 as well as an increase in deportations under President Obama’s administration.
In 2015, there were nearly 42 million foreign-born residents in America, making up 13.3% of the total U.S. population.
While these numbers are staggering, they don’t tell the full story of how immigration impacts our country. For example, most of these immigrants are legal permanent residents and have been here for a long time; about 2 million people become naturalized citizens each year. But there are also millions of undocumented immigrants who live in the country or visit frequently.
According to the Migration Policy Institute, about 44% of immigrants in America live in a city or suburb (as opposed to rural areas). But only 21% of Americans do so.
One of the most significant differences between immigrants and nonimmigrants is that they tend to have different levels of education.
