The population living in the United States that was born abroad (including legal and illegal immigrants) reached a historic high in March, hitting a record of 51.6 million. This increases the percentage of foreign-born residents to 15.6% of the total U.S. population, according to a new study by the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS).
The CIS report concluded that between March 2022 and March 2024, the foreign-born population in the U.S. increased by 5.1 million people, which the report states is the largest two-year increase in American history.
Since Biden took office in 2021, the foreign-born population has increased by a total of 6.6 million people, according to the study.
“If current trends continue, the foreign-born population will reach 62.5 million by 2030 and 82.2 million by 2040 – larger than the current combined populations of 30 states plus the District of Columbia,” the report states.
The analysis is based on the Current Population Survey (CPS) conducted by the government, and like any survey, it has a margin of error, so there are fluctuations in the data. But the authors of the study argue that the increase in the last two years is unlike anything seen before and is statistically significant.
Source: Center for Immigration Studies