Latest Census Data Shows Foreign-Born Population Booming
FAIR Take | April 2024
New data from the Census Bureau released this month shows that our nation’s foreign-born population is booming, increasing by 15.6 percent since 2010. The foreign-born population has now reached 13.9 percent (46.2 million) of the total U.S. population, compared to 12.9 percent (40 million) in 2010.
The data was released as part of the 2022 American Community Survey. The American Community Survey (ACS) is a yearly survey undertaken by the Census Bureau that collects a wide variety of demographic data from across the United States. The ACS was established to update data collected in the decennial census and to provide the public with more frequent snapshots of social, economic, housing, and demographic data. This report, entitled The Foreign-Born Population in the United States: 2022, reports the latest data the Census Bureau has collected on the foreign-born population and compares it against 2010 data to measure demographic shifts.
The ACS reports that the recent increase in the foreign-born population is actually the continuation of a 50-year trend, both in terms of actual numbers and percentage. In 1970, the foreign-born numbered 9.6 million (4.7 percent) of the total U.S. population; in 1980, it was 14.1 million (6.2 percent); in 1990, it was 19.8 million or (7.9 percent); and in 2000, it was 31.1 million (11.1 percent). In 2010, it was 40 million (12.9 percent) and by 2022, it was 46.2 million (13.9 percent) of the total U.S. population.
Even this dramatic growth in the foreign-born population is likely to be under-estimated. Due to the timeframe needed to collect and publish the ACS, the survey is inherently a snapshot of the past and thus does not capture the spectacular volume of illegal immigration since 2022. Moreover, like most demographic surveys, it undercounts populations that are reluctant to admit their immigration status, such as the illegal alien population. Still, the ACS is a useful tool to understand broader trends in immigration.
FAIR’s June 2023 estimate of the illegal alien population found that the nation’s total foreign-born population is over 50 million people after adjusting for undercounting. This would be equivalent to 15 percent of the total population and the highest proportion in American history. This exceeds the foreign-born population percentage during the “Great Wave” of immigration in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Foreign-Born Populations in the States
As in 2010, the states with the highest foreign-born population in 2022 were California (27 percent), New Jersey (23 percent), New York (almost 23 percent), and Florida (21 percent).
In terms of states with the largest growth in foreign-born populations, Delaware, North Dakota, South Dakota, and West Virginia, each experienced a 40 percent or greater growth in their foreign-born populations.
The state with the lowest foreign-born percentage is West Virginia (1.6 percent).
Regional Origins of the Foreign-Born
The ACS reports that half of the nation’s foreign-born are from Latin America. In fact, in both 2010 and 2022, Latin America was the most prevalent region of origin. However, the composition of its migrants has shifted over the course of the past 12 years. By 2022, the number of foreign-born from South America and other Central American countries increased by 2.1 million, while those born in Mexico decreased by about 1.0 million.
Again, the ACS estimate here is likely to be an undercount. When one considers the sheer numbers of aliens crossing our southern border over the past two years, plus aliens permitted to stay through Temporary Protected Status designations and extensions and aliens permitted to enter through the Biden Administration’s categorical parole programs, we already know certain populations have already grown. For example, over a million Venezuelans alone have entered and are now living in the U.S. since President Biden took office. It is unlikely the ACS statistics reflect this yet.
Naturalization
The 2022 ACS also notes that over one-half of the foreign-born population are naturalized citizens and that naturalization rates increased across the board for all foreign-born groups. European- and Asian-born were the most likely to become citizens, with naturalization rates of 67.4 percent and 62.8 percent, respectively. Naturalization rates were lowest among the foreign-born from Oceania and Latin America.
Age
The foreign-born population became older over the past 12 years, with the median increasing by more than 5 years since 2010. All groups had higher median ages than they did in 2010, particularly for Asians and Latin Americans. The median foreign-born person is now 46.7 years old, while the median native-born individual is now 36.9 years old.
Education
The ACS data also shows that foreign-born individuals in the United States are gradually reaching higher levels of education. Among foreign-born adults, 53 percent had attained some college education or more in 2022, up from 46 percent in 2010. Still, the most recent data shows 47 percent of foreign-born adults – nearly half – had attained only a high school degree or less. This is significantly lower than the education level of native-born adults, 66 percent of whom had attained some college education or more in 2022 while 34 percent had only a high school diploma or less.
At the same time, the ACS data shows that foreign-born persons from certain areas fall significantly below the average. For example, in 2022, a stunning 77 percent of foreign-born adults from Mexico had a high school degree or less. Regarding foreign-born adults from the rest of Central America, 72 percent had a high school degree or less. Interestingly, the education level attained by adults born in South America was somewhat higher, with 40 percent having a high school degree or less and 60 percent having attained some college education or more.
Labor Force Participation
The ACS notes that the foreign-born have a higher labor force participation rate compared to native-born Americans (66.9 percent vs. 62.9 percent). Indeed, foreign-born workers are a record high percentage of the American workforce, and all net job gains for the past several years have gone exclusively to the foreign-born. Unfortunately, the ACS does not provide any information regarding what jobs these populations perform or their average income.
Conclusion
While the ACS offers us a snapshot of information on demographics in the U.S., it still only represents a past snapshot of data, and does not capture the full scale of the recent wave of mass immigration — especially illegal immigration. Data over the next few years will be necessary to see the full impact of President Biden’s open-borders policies. Unfortunately for policy-makers and the American people, this data will not be timely enough for many critical issues that demand immediate attention. This is why FAIR and other organizations in the immigration reform movement work tirelessly to shine a light on the issue and to demand oversight of our immigration institutions.