Immigrant Population at an All-Time High

The number of immigrants both legal and illegal in the United States hit a new record of 40 million in 2010, a 28 percent increase from 2000, a wide-ranging new report reveals.

And the number of immigrants plus their children born in this country now stands at around 50 million, accounting for about one-sixth of the U.S. population, according to Steven A. Camarota, director of research for the Center for Immigration Studies. His report — "Immigrants in the United States, 2010: A Profile of America’s Foreign-Born Population" — is based on U.S. Census Bureau data from 2010 and 2011.

“One of the most important findings is that immigration has dramatically increased the size of the nation’s low-income population,” Camarota writes, adding that even immigrants who have been in the country for 20 years are much more likely to live in poverty, lack health insurance, and take advantage of welfare benefits than are native-born Americans.

The all-time high of 40 million immigrants is up sharply from 9.6 million in 1970, although the immigrant share of the population, 12.9 percent, is lower than it was in 1910 — 14.7 percent.

New immigration both legal and illegal plus births to immigrants added 22.5 million residents over the last decade, accounting for 80 percent of the total U.S. population growth.

The Center estimates that 28 percent of immigrants are in the country illegally.

Camarota also points out that between 12 million and 15 million new immigrants, legal and illegal, are expected to settle in the United States in the next 20 years.

Other findings of the Center’s study include:

In March 2011, 68 percent of immigrants aged 18 to 65 held a job, the same as for natives.
In 2010, 23 percent of immigrants and their U.S.-born children under age 18 lived in poverty, compared to 13.5 percent of natives and their children.
Among countries accounting for the most immigrants in the United States, poverty is highest for those from Mexico (35 percent), Honduras (34 percent), and Guatemala (31 percent), and lowest for Germany (7 percent) and India (6 percent).
36 percent of immigrant-headed households used at least one major welfare program in 2010, primarily food assistance and Medicaid, compared to 23 percent of native households.
29 percent of immigrants and their American-born children lacked health insurance that year, compared to 13.8 percent for natives.
10.4 million students from immigrant households are in public schools, and 78 percent of them speak a language other than English at home.
Self-employment is highest among immigrants from Korea and Canada and lowest among those from Haiti and Honduras.
Of adult immigrants aged 25 to 65, 28 percent have not completed high school, compared to 7 percent of natives.
Immigrants account for 27.2 percent of the population in California, 22.2 percent in New York, and 21 percent in New Jersey, but just 1.2 percent in West Virginia.
The state showing the largest increase in immigrant population from 2000 to 2010 was Alabama, up 92.1 percent, followed by South Carolina (88.4 percent), and Tennessee (81.8 percent). New York was lowest (11.1 percent). Remarkably, the immigrant population in North Carolina rose a whopping 524 percent from 1990 to 2010.
Of those immigrants in the United States in 2010, the greatest number came from Mexico, 11.7 million, followed by China/Hong Kong/Taiwan (2.1 million), India (1.78 million), Philippines (1.77 million), and Vietnam (1.2 million).

Another interesting fact the report has brought to light: While many Americans believe immigrants dominate in a number of professions, the fact is that natives account for 52 percent of maids, 73 percent of janitors, and 66 percent of construction laborers. The only category where immigrants form a majority is “Farm Workers Non-Supervisors,” at 53.5 percent.