The population of unauthorized immigrants living in the United States reached 10.5 million in 2021, according to new estimates from the Pew Research Center. This was a modest increase compared to 2019, but almost identical to 2017 and below the peak of 12.2 million in 2007.
The Pew Research Center researched the changes that occurred in this population between 2017 and 2021. Below are the main conclusions of the study:
• The country of birth for the majority of unauthorized immigrants is Mexico. However, the population of unauthorized immigrants from Mexico fell by 900,000 between 2017 and 2021, to 4.1 million;
• There were increases in unauthorized immigrants from almost all other regions of the world – Central America, the Caribbean, South America, Asia, Europe, and Sub-Saharan Africa;
• Among all U.S. states, only Florida and Washington recorded increases in their populations of unauthorized immigrants, while California and Nevada saw decreases. In all other states, the populations of unauthorized immigrants remained unchanged;
• The six states with the largest populations of unauthorized immigrants in 2021 were: California (1.9 million), Texas (1.6 million), Florida (900,000), New York (600,000), New Jersey (450,000), Illinois (400,000);
• 4.6% of U.S. workers, or 7.8 million people, in 2021 were unauthorized immigrants, a figure virtually identical to that of 2017.
• Since 2003, unauthorized immigrants have accounted for 4.4% to 5.4% of all U.S. workers.
• The Pew Hispanic Center’s research also found that the immigrant population living in the U.S. was 14.1% of the country’s total population in 2021. This number was slightly higher than in the last five years but a bit below the record of 14.8% in 1890.
• In 2021, the 10.5 million unauthorized immigrants in the country represented about 3% of the total U.S. population and 22% of the foreign-born population. These shares are among the lowest since the 1990s.
• Between 2007 and 2021, the unauthorized immigrant population decreased by 1.75 million, or 14%.
• Meanwhile, the population of documented immigrants grew by more than 8 million, a 29% increase, and the number of naturalized citizens grew by 49%. In 2021, naturalized citizens represented about half (49%) of all immigrants in the country.
Source: Pew Hispanic Center