Share of Foreign-Born People in America Is at Its Highest Rate in More Than a Century, Census Bureau Says
Nearly one in seven residents of the United States were born in another country in 2023.
The percentage of American residents who were foreign-born last year grew to its highest level in more than a century, according to figures released Thursday from the most comprehensive survey of American life.
The share of people born outside of America increased in 2023 to 14.3 percent from 13.9 percent in 2022, according to estimates from the U.S. Census Bureauâs annual American Community Survey, which tracks commuting times, internet access, family life, income, education levels, disabilities, military service, and employment, among other topics.
International migrants have become a primary driver of population growth this decade, increasing their share of the overall population as fewer children are being born in America compared with years past. The rate of the foreign-born population in America hasnât been this high since 1910, when it was 14.7 percent.
âWe knew that here you can have savings, live well. Here you can have normal services such as water and electricity,â Luciana Bracho, who moved legally to Miami from Venezuela as part of a humanitarian parole program with her boyfriend, parents, and brother in April 2023, said. âI like Miami and the opportunities that I have had.â
In 2023, international migrants accounted for more than two-thirds of the population growth in America, and so far this decade they have made up almost three-quarters of Americaâs growth.
The growth appears to have been driven by people coming from Latin America, whose share of the foreign-born population increased year-over-year to 51.2 percent from 50.3 percent, according to the estimates. Latin America was the only world region of origin to experience an increase among those American residents born in another country, as the share of foreign-born residents from Europe and Asia dropped slightly.
Among the states with the largest year-over-year bumps in the foreign-born population was Delaware, going to 11.2 percent from 9.9 percent; Georgia, to 11.6 percent from 10.7 percent; and New Mexico, to 10.2 percent from 9.3 percent. The share of the foreign-born population dropped slightly in Washington, D.C., Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, and Oregon.
The Census Bureau figures donât distinguish whether people are in America legally or illegally. Illegal immigration has become a top issue in the 2024 presidential race, even as illegal border crossings from Mexico plunged this summer after reaching a record last December.
The rate of American residents who identify as Hispanic, no matter what race, jumped last year to 19.4 percent from 19.1 percent in the previous year, according to the survey. At the same time, those who identify as non-Hispanic white alone dropped to 57.1 percent from 57.7 percent. The share of American residents who identify as Black alone dropped slightly, to 12.1 percent from 12.2 percent, and it increased slightly for those who identify as Asian alone to 6 percent from 5.9 percent.
The survey also showed that the median cost of renting, plus utilities and related expenses, grew faster than median home values in 2023 for the first time in a decade. The 3.8 percent jump in rental costs was the largest annual increase since at least 2011. Despite the spike in rental costs, the share of renter income spent on rent and utilities remained unchanged at 31 percent in 2023, suggesting that incomes kept pace with rent hikes, the Census Bureau said.
