Data Bank Focus: Immigration by the Numbers

With the battle over immigration reform heating up, it’s worth a look at the numbers behind the debate. The number of immigrants in the U.S. totals about 40 million, or roughly 13 percent of the U.S. population. Among total immigrants, most are authorized to live here, but 11 million* are not. Of the latter group, approximately 8 million are working, making up 5 percent of the total labor force.

To put those numbers in context, they have all grown significantly since 1980. The number of total immigrants has climbed steadily. However, the number of unauthorized immigrants has remained fairly flat for several years.

Workforce Management, March 2013, p. 12-13 Subscribe Now!