Q&A: How Pew Research Center estimates the number of unauthorized immigrants living in the U.S.
In this Q&A, we speak with Senior Demographer Jeffrey S. Passel about how the Center estimates the number of unauthorized immigrants in the U.S.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
Race and Ethnicity
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U.S. Unauthorized Immigrant Population Reached a Record 14 Million in 2023
The number of unauthorized immigrants in the U.S. reached an all-time high after two consecutive years of record growth.
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What the data says about immigrants in the U.S.
As of June 2025, the country’s foreign-born population had shrunk by more than a million people, marking its first decline since the 1960s.
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About 1 in 4 U.S. adults worry they or someone close to them could be deported
About four-in-ten immigrants (43%) say they worry a lot or some, up from 33% in March.
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U.S. public is split on birthright citizenship for people whose parents immigrated illegally
Half of U.S. adults say people born in the United States to parents who immigrated illegally should have U.S. citizenship, while 49% say they should not.
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Views of Race, Policing and Black Lives Matter in the 5 Years Since George Floyd’s Killing
Americans have expressed skepticism that attention to racial issues after Floyd’s killing led to changes that improved Black people’s lives.
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Key facts about Asians in the U.S.
The number of Asian Americans grew from 11.9 million in 2000 to 24.8 million in 2023.
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Latinos worry more than other U.S. adults about deportations
About four-in-ten (42%) Hispanic adults say they worry that they or someone close to them could be deported.
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42% of U.S. adults expect deportations to lead to higher food prices in their area
A majority of Democrats (64%) expect costs to go up as a result of deportations, while 19% of Republicans share this view.
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Americans’ Views of Deportations
Most say arrests of immigrants living in the U.S. illegally should be allowed at protests or in homes, but not at places of worship or schools.
