Demographics of U.S. Immigrants- Elementary School

Have you ever heard the United States called a "nation of immigrants"? That's because, except for Native Americans, almost everyone living in the country today has a family who originally moved here from somewhere else in the world.

Today, tens of millions of people living in America were born in other countries. Let's look at the numbers, where people come from, and how they shape the nation!

What Percentage of the U.S. Is Immigrants?

About 15% of everyone living in the United States was born in another country. Native Americans are around 1-3% of people living in the U.S., meaning almost 99% of U.S. citizens were descended from people who originally lived somewhere else!

To picture that percentage, imagine a school classroom with 20 students:

• 3 students would be immigrants born in another country.

• 17 students would be people born in the U.S.

Out of all the immigrants living in America today, about 74% are legal residents or naturalized U.S. citizens who have passed a test to make America their official home.

Immigrants come to the United States from all over the globe, but if you look at the whole immigrant population today, it breaks down like this:

• 52% from Latin America: More than half of all immigrants come from countries in North, Central, and South America. Mexico is the largest single origin country, making up about 22% of all immigrants in the U.S.

• 27% from Asia: About one-fourth of immigrants come from Asian nations, with India and China leading as the largest sources.

• 10% from Europe and Canada: Around 1 out of every 10 immigrants arrived from European countries or Canada.

• 11% from Africa, the Middle East, and Other Regions: A growing percentage of newcomers arrive from African nations (such as Nigeria and Ethiopia) and the Middle East.

Immigrants live in every single state, but almost half (45%) of all immigrants in the U.S. live in just four states:

California (home to about 23% of all U.S. immigrants)

Texas 

Florida

New York

People move to the United States for three main reasons:

• Joining parents, spouses, or siblings already living here.

• Going to college or taking jobs as scientists, builders, farmers, and doctors.

• Some immigrants (called refugees) leave their home countries to escape war or dangerous situations.

No matter where they come from, immigrants bring new ideas, delicious foods, traditions, and hard work that help make communities vibrant across the country!