About Pew Research Center

Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan, nonadvocacy fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. It does not take policy positions. The Center conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, computational social science research and other data-driven research. It studies politics and policy; news habits and media; the internet and technology; religion; race and ethnicity; international affairs; social, demographic and economic trends; science; research methodology and data science; and immigration and migration. Pew Research Center is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts, its primary funder.

Facts on U.S. immigrants, 2018

Statistical portrait of the foreign-born population in the United States

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The nation’s foreign-born population has become more dispersed since 1990, but the Southwest region and large cities continue to have the highest concentrations of immigrants. As of 2018, 19% of the national immigrant population lives in the top five counties: Los Angeles County, California; Miami-Dade County, Florida; Harris County, Texas; Cook County, Illinois; and Queens County, New York. In comparison, 30% of the nation’s immigrant population in 1990 lived in the top five counties at the time.

Percent foreign born, by county, 2006-2010

Percent foreign born, by county, 2012-2016

Percent foreign born, by county, 2014-2018

Facts on U.S. immigrants, 2018

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