Demographics: Countries of Origin, States of Residence, and Employment Data

Demographics and Socio-Economic Status of Unauthorized Immigrants in the United States, 2000-2006

I. Introduction

II. Unauthorized Immigrant Population: Countries of origin, 2000-2006

III. Unauthorized Immigrant Population: States of residence in the United States, 2000-2006

IV. Distribution of unauthorized immigrant workers compared to native workers by major occupation group, 2005

V. Comparison of low-wage workers: Unauthorized immigrants vs. legal immigrants vs. native-born, 2000-2005

I. Introduction

Immigrant march in Los Angeles, CA, Aug. 25, 2007

Who are the unauthorized immigrants in the United States? Where do they come from and where do they settle in the United States? After entry, what socio-economic roles do they play in the U.S. economy?

As of 2006, the unauthorized immigrant population in the United States is estimated to be approximately 11.5 million. More than half (57%) of the unauthorized immigrants in the country are from Mexico, and nearly a quarter (24%) of all unauthorized immigrant workers reside in California. Unauthorized immigrants, as of 2005, represent 4.9% of the total civilian labor force in the United States. Over half (51%) of these immigrants, compared to 22% of native workers, hold occupations in the service and construction industries. While the number of native low-wage female workers decreased (8%) between 2000-2005, unauthorized immigrant low-wage male and female workers increased (16% and 5% respectively).

The following charts and tables delineate the demographic and socio-economic background of unauthorized immigrants in the United States.

II. Unauthorized Immigrant Population: Countries of origin, 2000-2006

Countries of origin, 2006





Countries of origin and percent change, 2000-2006





Sources and notes:

Sources for Unauthorized Immigrant Population and State of Residence 2000-2006 from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS):

1. Estimates of the Unauthorized Immigrant Population Residing in the United States: January 2006 (PDF) 577KB Aug. 2007

2. Estimates of the Unauthorized Immigrant Population Residing in the United States: January 2005 (PDF) 221KB Aug. 2006

Supplemental documents of unauthorized immigrant populations from 1990-2000, released by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS):

3. Estimates of the Unauthorized Immigrant Population Residing in the United States: 1990-2000 (PDF) 473KB Jan. 2003

4. Illegal Alien Resident Population (PDF) 24KB Updated Dec. 2001



Notes:

*Countries listed under 2000 were not necessarily the top ten of that year. Countries for 2000 are listed to compare the population change between 2000 and 2005.


III. Unauthorized Immigrant Population: States of residence in the United States, 2000-2006


States of residence, 2006





States of residence and percent change, 2000-2006





Sources and notes:

Sources for Unauthorized Immigrant Population and State of Residence 2000-2006 from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS):

1. Estimates of the Unauthorized Immigrant Population Residing in the United States: January 2006 (PDF) 577KB Aug. 2007

2. Estimates of the Unauthorized Immigrant Population Residing in the United States: January 2005 (PDF) 221KB Aug. 2006

Supplemental documents of unauthorized immigrant populations from 1990-2000, released by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS):

3. Estimates of the Unauthorized Immigrant Population Residing in the United States: 1990-2000 (PDF) 473KB Jan. 2003

4. Illegal Alien Resident Population (PDF) 24KB Updated Dec. 2001



Notes:

*States listed under 2000 were not necessarily the top ten of that year. States for 2000 are listed to compare the population change between 2000 and 2005.

**Percent increase for Washington was computed from average annual increase between 2000 and 2005 because population of unauthorized immigrants in Washington in 2005 was not available for release by the Department of Homeland Security.




IV. Distribution of unauthorized immigrant workers by major occupation group in 2005*





Sources and notes:

Sources:

Mar. 7, 2006, Jeffrey S. Passel
Pew Hispanic Center Research Report: The Size and Characteristics of the Unauthorized Migrant Population in the U.S.: Estimates Based on the March 2005 Current Population Survey (PDF) 141KB

Notes:

* According to the Congress of the United States Congressional Budget Office's Nov. 2005 report The Role of Immigrants in the U.S. Labor Market:

"Considerable uncertainty is inherent in estimates of the number of unauthorized immigrants that reside in the United States and the number that are in the labor force. The decennial census, the Current Population Survey (CPS), and similar sources of information about the population and labor force do not ask foreign-born people about their legal status in the United States aside from whether they are naturalized citizens. Thus, the number of unauthorized immigrants must be estimated by indirect methods that introduce the possibility of significant errors. A recent analysis, based on survey data from the CPS and administrative data from the Department of Homeland Security and other federal agencies, indicated that in early 2004 about 10 million foreign-born people were living in the United States without authorization and about 6.3 million of them were in the labor force."

Congress of the United States Congressional Budget Office, "The Role of Immigrants in the U.S. Labor Market" (PDF) 350KB Nov. 2005


V. Comparison of low-wage workers: Unauthorized immigrants vs. legal immigrants vs. native-born, 2000-2005


Hourly wages were calculated based on total earnings for the previous calendar year, divided by the total number of hours worked for that year. Low-wage workers in the following graph include those averaging below $10.30 per hour, which is less than 200 percent of the federal minimum wage during the time period. In 1999 and 2004, the federal minimum wage was $5.15, which in this graph was adjusted for inflation in 2004.





Sources:

Mar. 2007, Randy Capps , Michael Fix , Karina Fortuny
Trends in the Low-Wage Immigrant Labor Force, 2000–2005 (PDF) 102KB

Last updated on: 4/14/2009 7:01 AM PST


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