Just How Many Immigrants are in the United States?
If we are going to chase or discuss undocumented residents, we should at least know the numbers of them. The word immigrants includes US citizens and undocumented residents. Some more data: “How many immigrants are coming to the US?” USAFacts. A report from 2023. “Statistics on unauthorized US immigration and US border crossings by year,” USAFacts
How many immigrants are in the US?
Approximately 50.2 million in 2024. This represents approximately 14.8% of the population, or about 1 in 7 residents in the United States. Immigrants are defined as foreign-born residents, which includes people who became US citizens, are authorized to come to the US (e.g., on work visas, student visas), or are undocumented residents.
The number of foreign-born residents in the United States grew from 42.4 million in 2014 to 50.2 million in 2024. This occurred alongside changes in the native-born population due to births, deaths, and people moving. Analyzing the foreign-born share of the total population provides a better view of these demographics. In the United States, the foreign-born share of the population was 14.8% in 2024, and up from 13.3% in 2014.
Variations in immigrant populations illustrate a changing population landscape in both local areas and the nation as a whole. The largest immigration populations are concentrated in big metro areas. Metro areas in California, Texas, Florida, and parts of the Northeast generally have a higher share of foreign-born residents.
In 2024, California had the highest foreign-born population share at 27.7%, while West Virginia had the lowest at 2.1%.
Among metro areas, from 2019 to 2023, the Miami, FL area had the highest foreign-born population share at 41.9%, and the Parkersburg, WV area had the lowest at 0.98%.
Breaking Down the Total Numbers of Foreign-Born Citizens – Top Ten States.
- In 2024, California had the highest foreign-born population share at 27.7%.
- West Virginia had the lowest at 2.1%.
To Find Other State Foreign Population? Click on the Link: “How many immigrants are in the US?,” USAFacts
Breaking it down further . . .
Breaking Down the Total Numbers of Foreign-Born Citizens by City. Top Ten Cities.
- Among metro areas or cities: From 2019 to 2023, the Miami, FL area had the highest foreign-born population share at 41.9%.
- The Parkersburg, WV area had the lowest at 0.98%.
To Find Other City Foreign Population? Click on the Link: “How many immigrants are in the US,” USAFacts
Additional Population Data: Census.gov | U.S. Census Bureau Homepage
Depends on who you ask 😏 News out of Harvard ~ Claim ‘Pure’ Bloodlines? Ancestral Homelands? DNA Science Says No ~ We’ve been pushing each other over the horizon since we were we
Test three, see how it goes taking the link the long way …
@Ten,
I was told my maternal grandparents were Christians from Austria-Hungary and my paternal grandparents were Jews from Ukraine. Six years ago, I had my DNA sequenced at 30-50-fold coverage by Veritas. Here’s what the Veritas ancestry report said:
Ashkenazi. 25.5%
Eastern Mediterranean. 10.8%
Northern/East European. 14.3%
Northern/Central European. 25.7%
Southwestern European. 17.8%
Unassigned. 5.9%
I don’t find any of that surprising. Outside of the Amish in America and the Tamils in Southern India, humans are pretty outbred.
Eastern Mediterranean
The report I linked claims we are as inbred as we’ve ever been
On the one hand we have oral tradition, which without DNA is just that: oral tradition. On the other hand I knew my grand parents, a pair raised me; met three g-grandparents. I could see the mixed ancestry … which doesn’t really mean anything to me. It’s all talk
And on the table is a cock brought afar: all farmers know you grow the best crops with someone else’s seeds, the best poultry from another’s rooster …
@Ten,
” . . . all farmers know you grow the best crops with someone else’s seeds, the best poultry from another’s rooster …”
In genetics, it’s called heterosis (“hybrid vigor”).
What I find fascinating is how it doesn’t work like the Blood Quorum … more like birds of a feather. The Blood Quorum ~ the progression we’re all familiar with of halves and quarters and sixteenths ~ is of course like race itself is a man-made construct, Birds of a Feather more like cross “race” reinforcement of like … whatever. Hence the weird percentages, only two of those fit the progression though getting creative with the math could sorta’ fit in the remainders in various aggregate, all of which serve to reinforce each other
The Blood Quorum is closer to the byte/kilobyte progression while the Birds of a Feather more the melting pot, Heinz 57 varieties …
@Ten,
We have a pretty good idea what mechanism underlies hybrid vigor and its opposite, inbreeding depression. Any plant or animal carries multiple deleterious mutations, but most of these are recessive. The chance of two unrelated individuals in a mating that carry the same mutations is low, but the chance that closely related individuals in a mating will share those mutations is much higher. Hence, outbreeding results in greater genetic health (by concealing deleterious mutations) and inbreeding exposes some of these deleterious mutations, leading to genetic diseases and deleterious traits.
Why are there any foreign-born residents of West Virginia?
Why is there a West Virginia … ?
@Ten,
West Virginia became a state during the Civil War when western counties of Virginia, disloyal to the secessionist government, formed their own government, got permission from this “Reorganized Virginia” to separate, and were admitted to the Union as the 35th state on June 20, 1863, after President Lincoln signed the bill and the new state agreed to gradual emancipation of slaves.
I’ve always wondered why Rhode Island is still a state. The entire state has a population smaller than the greater St. Louis metro area.
@Dave,
I’m surprised there aren’t more. West Virginia University is not only a large university in the state, but it has a medical school, nursing school, dental school, pharmacy school and school of public health. Between the students and faculty, I’m sure there are many foreign born. Also Toyota and International Coal Group are among the major employers that probably have foreign-born employees.