Approximately 41 million people immigrated to the United States of America between the years 1820 and 1957. During this time period, the United States expanded across North America, growing from 23 to 48 states, and the population grew from approximately 10 million people in 1820, to almost 180 million people by 1957. Economically, the U.S. developed from being an agriculturally focused economy in the 1820s, to having the highest GDP of any single country in the 1950s. Much of this expansion was due to the high numbers of agricultural workers who migrated from Europe, as technological advances in agriculture had lowered the labor demand. The majority of these migrants settled in urban centers, and this fueled the growth of the industrial sector.

American industrialization and European rural unemployment fuel migration The first major wave of migration came in the 1850s, and was fueled largely by Irish and German migrants, who were fleeing famine or agricultural depression at the time. The second boom came in the 1870s, as the country recovered from the American Civil War, and the Second Industrial Revolution took off. The final boom of the nineteenth century came in the 1880s, as poor harvests and industrialization in Europe led to mass emigration. Improvements in steam ship technology and lower fares led to increased migration from Eastern and Southern Europe at the turn of the century (particularly from Italy). War and depression reduces migration Migration to the U.S. peaked at the beginning of the 20th century, before it fluctuated greatly at the beginning of the 20th century. This was not only due to the disruptions to life in Europe caused by the world wars, but also the economic disruption of the Great Depression in the 1930s. The only period between 1914 and 1950 where migration was high was during the 1920s. However, the migration rate rose again in the late 1940s, particularly from Latin America and Asia. The historically high levels of migration from Europe has meant that the most common ethnicity in the U.S. has been non-Hispanic White since the early-colonial period, however increased migration from Latin America, Asia and Africa, and higher fertility rates among ethnic minorities, have seen the Whites' share of the total population fall in recent years (although it is still over three times larger than any other group.

United States Immigrants Admitted: All Countries data was reported at 1,127,167.000 Person in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 1,183,505.000 Person for 2016. United States Immigrants Admitted: All Countries data is updated yearly, averaging 451,510.000 Person from Sep 1900 (Median) to 2017, with 118 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1,827,167.000 Person in 1991 and a record low of 23,068.000 Person in 1933. United States Immigrants Admitted: All Countries data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by US Department of Homeland Security. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.G087: Immigration.

As of 2023, 27.3 percent of California's population were born in a country other than the United States. New Jersey, New York, Florida, and Nevada rounded out the top five states with the largest population of foreign born residents in that year. For the country as a whole, 14.3 percent of residents were foreign born.

In 2022, an estimated 10.99 million unauthorized immigrants were living in the United States. This is an increase from about 3.5 million unauthorized immigrants who lived in the United States in 1990.

This graph shows the distribution of nationalities among documented immigrants who arrived in the United States between 1820 and 1870. As we can see, over seven million people arrived in the US in this 50 year period, with the majority coming from Ireland, Germany and Britain. The largest groups, by far, were Irish and German, who together made up roughly two thirds of all immigrants to the US during this time. The reasons for this were because of the Irish Potato famine from 1845 to 1849, which resulted in the death or emigration of twenty to twenty five percent of the total Irish population, and a number of internal factors in Germany such as economic migration for farmers affected by industrialization, political/religious asylum, and in order to avoid conscription. One noteworthy exclusion from the information is of those transported to US as slaves, whose information was not recorded in this statistic (although the slave trade was abolished in 1808, the practice continued in the decades that followed).

The United States hosted, by far, the highest number of immigrants in the world in 2020. That year, there were over 50 million people born outside of the States residing in the country. Germany and Saudi Arabia followed behind at around 16 and 13 million, respectively. There are varying reasons for people to emigrate from their country of origin, from poverty and unemployment to war and persecution. American Migration People migrate to the United States for a variety of reasons, from job and educational opportunities to family reunification. Overall, in 2021, most people that became legal residents of the United States did so for family reunification purposes, totaling 385,396 people that year. An additional 193,338 people became legal residents through employment opportunities. In terms of naturalized citizenship, 113,269 people from Mexico became naturalized American citizens in 2021, followed by people from India, the Philippines, Cuba, and China. German Migration Behind the United States, Germany also has a significant migrant population. Migration to Germany increased during the mid-2010's, in light of the Syrian Civil War and refugee crisis, and during the 2020’s, in light of conflict in Afghanistan and Ukraine. Moreover, as German society continues to age, there are less workers in the labor market. In a low-migration scenario, Germany will have 37.2 million skilled workers by 2040, compared to 39.1 million by 2040 in a high-migration scenario. In both scenarios, this is still a decrease from 43.5 skilled workers in 2020.

This data collection contains information on the characteristics of aliens who became legal permanent residents of the United States in fiscal year 1978 (October 1977 through September 1978). Data are presented for two types of immigrants. The first category, New Arrivals, arrived from outside the United States with valid immigrant visas issued by the United States Department of State. Those in the second category, Adjustments, were already in the United States with temporary status and were adjusted to legal permanent residence through petition to the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service. Variables include port of entry, month and year of admission, class of admission, and state and area to which immigrants were admitted. Demographic information such as age, sex, marital status, occupation, country of birth, country of last permanent residence, and nationality is also provided.

Russia Number of Immigrants: Year to Date: Non CIS: USA data was reported at 959.000 Person in Dec 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 679.000 Person for Sep 2018. Russia Number of Immigrants: Year to Date: Non CIS: USA data is updated quarterly, averaging 375.000 Person from Mar 1999 (Median) to Dec 2018, with 80 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1,240.000 Person in Dec 2017 and a record low of 71.000 Person in Mar 2005. Russia Number of Immigrants: Year to Date: Non CIS: USA data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Federal State Statistics Service. The data is categorized under Russia Premium Database’s Demographic and Labour Market – Table RU.GE005: Number of Immigrants: by Country: ytd.

United States Immigrants Admitted: United Kingdom data was reported at 10,948.000 Person in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 12,673.000 Person for 2016. United States Immigrants Admitted: United Kingdom data is updated yearly, averaging 13,552.000 Person from Sep 1986 (Median) to 2017, with 32 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 19,973.000 Person in 1992 and a record low of 7,647.000 Person in 1999. United States Immigrants Admitted: United Kingdom data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by US Department of Homeland Security. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.G087: Immigration.

United States Immigrants Admitted: Taiwan data was reported at 4,858.000 Person in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 5,120.000 Person for 2016. United States Immigrants Admitted: Taiwan data is updated yearly, averaging 9,012.000 Person from Sep 1986 (Median) to 2017, with 32 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 16,344.000 Person in 1992 and a record low of 4,697.000 Person in 2014. United States Immigrants Admitted: Taiwan data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by US Department of Homeland Security. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.G087: Immigration.

United States Immigrants Admitted: Japan data was reported at 4,635.000 Person in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 5,207.000 Person for 2016. United States Immigrants Admitted: Japan data is updated yearly, averaging 5,989.000 Person from Sep 1986 (Median) to 2017, with 32 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 11,028.000 Person in 1992 and a record low of 3,959.000 Person in 1986. United States Immigrants Admitted: Japan data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by US Department of Homeland Security. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.G087: Immigration.

United States Immigrants Admitted: South America data was reported at 79,076.000 Person in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 79,608.000 Person for 2016. United States Immigrants Admitted: South America data is updated yearly, averaging 72,183.000 Person from Sep 1986 (Median) to 2017, with 32 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 137,971.000 Person in 2006 and a record low of 41,007.000 Person in 1988. United States Immigrants Admitted: South America data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by US Department of Homeland Security. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.G087: Immigration.

Denmark Number of Immigrants: Domestic: USA data was reported at 2,065.000 Person in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 2,117.000 Person for 2016. Denmark Number of Immigrants: Domestic: USA data is updated yearly, averaging 1,777.500 Person from Dec 1980 (Median) to 2017, with 38 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 2,181.000 Person in 1994 and a record low of 851.000 Person in 1980. Denmark Number of Immigrants: Domestic: USA data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Statistics Denmark. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Denmark – Table DK.G007: Number of Immigrants: by Country.

United States Immigrants Admitted: Indonesia data was reported at 1,914.000 Person in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 2,129.000 Person for 2016. United States Immigrants Admitted: Indonesia data is updated yearly, averaging 2,134.000 Person from Sep 1986 (Median) to 2017, with 32 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 4,868.000 Person in 2006 and a record low of 905.000 Person in 1997. United States Immigrants Admitted: Indonesia data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by US Department of Homeland Security. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.G087: Immigration.

The number of Mexican-born immigrants to the United States has increased significantly over time, although the number has begun to decrease in recent years. In 2023, there were over 10.91 million Mexican-born immigrants in the U.S., although this is a decrease from the peak of 11.7 million in 2010.

Graph and download economic data for Employment Level - Foreign Born (LNU02073395) from Jan 2007 to Feb 2025 about foreign, household survey, employment, and USA.

International migrant stock is the number of people born in a country other than that in which they live. It also includes refugees. The data used to estimate the international migrant stock at a particular time are obtained mainly from population censuses. The estimates are derived from the data on foreign-born population--people who have residence in one country but were born in another country. When data on the foreign-born population are not available, data on foreign population--that is, people who are citizens of a country other than the country in which they reside--are used as estimates. After the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991 people living in one of the newly independent countries who were born in another were classified as international migrants. Estimates of migrant stock in the newly independent states from 1990 on are based on the 1989 census of the Soviet Union. For countries with information on the international migrant stock for at least two points in time, interpolation or extrapolation was used to estimate the international migrant stock on July 1 of the reference years. For countries with only one observation, estimates for the reference years were derived using rates of change in the migrant stock in the years preceding or following the single observation available. A model was used to estimate migrants for countries that had no data.

United States Immigrants Admitted: Russia data was reported at 9,297.000 Person in 2016. This records an increase from the previous number of 8,799.000 Person for 2015. United States Immigrants Admitted: Russia data is updated yearly, averaging 12,079.000 Person from Sep 1992 (Median) to 2016, with 25 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 20,771.000 Person in 2002 and a record low of 6,718.000 Person in 2010. United States Immigrants Admitted: Russia data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by US Department of Homeland Security. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.G086: Immigration.

In January 2022, it was estimated that about 1.85 million male illegal immigrants living in the United States were aged between 35 and 44 years old. In that same year, it was estimated that 1.52 million female illegal immigrants living in the U.S. were between 35 and 44 years old.

United States Immigrants Admitted: Ethiopia data was reported at 14,637.000 Person in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 13,232.000 Person for 2016. United States Immigrants Admitted: Ethiopia data is updated yearly, averaging 6,359.500 Person from Sep 1986 (Median) to 2017, with 32 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 16,152.000 Person in 2006 and a record low of 2,156.000 Person in 1987. United States Immigrants Admitted: Ethiopia data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by US Department of Homeland Security. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.G087: Immigration.