Pew Research Center

FOR RELEASE MARCH 21, 2002

How Many Undocumented

The Numbers Behind The U.S.-Mexico Migration Talks

BY B. Lindsey Lowell and Roberto Suro

FOR MEDIA OR OTHER INQUIRIES:

Communications Department
202.419.4372
www.pewresearch.org

RECOMMENDED CITATION

Pew Research Center, March 2002, "How Many Undocumented"

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Table of contents

  • About Pew Research Center

How Many Undocumented

The Numbers Behind The U.S.-Mexico Migration Talks

There are more than 5 million unauthorized workers in the U.S. economy. This study estimates that these workers have become a very substantial presence in the sectors where they are concentrated. More than a million undocumented persons are employed in manufacturing and a similar number in the service industries. More than 600,000 work in construction and more than 700,000 in restaurants.