Foreign students who stayed and worked in the U.S. under OPT after graduation by metro area, 2004-2016
Number of foreign graduates with an associate degree or higher, by metro area
The sortable table below provides details on the 113 metro areas that had 2,000 or more foreign students approved for the U.S. government’s Optional Practical Training (OPT) program from 2004 to 2016. Under the program, foreign students who have graduated from a U.S. institution may be temporarily employed in a field that is directly related to their area of study for up to 12 months, or up to 36 months for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) graduates. See the methodology section for more details on the calculations in the table.
Metro area | Number who attended school in area | Number who left area for work | Number who entered area to work | Total number who worked in area following school | Net change in area’s foreign graduate population |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA | 170,700 | 26,300 | 74,000 | 218,400 | 22% |
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 97,700 | 21,900 | 27,800 | 103,600 | 6% |
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 69,700 | 19,400 | 22,600 | 73,000 | 4% |
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI | 54,300 | 17,200 | 21,800 | 59,000 | 8% |
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA | 50,300 | 18,600 | 33,700 | 65,400 | 23% |
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 50,200 | 16,200 | 26,800 | 60,800 | 17% |
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 45,100 | 15,800 | 19,200 | 48,500 | 7% |
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 33,200 | 12,600 | 11,900 | 32,500 | -2% |
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | 32,300 | 14,400 | 44,500 | 62,400 | 48% |
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | 23,900 | 8,100 | 16,600 | 32,400 | 26% |
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | 21,900 | 5,400 | 6,300 | 22,700 | 4% |
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 20,500 | 6,900 | 12,600 | 26,300 | 22% |
Pittsburgh, PA | 20,400 | 11,100 | 3,900 | 13,300 | -54% |
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA | 17,000 | 4,800 | 9,400 | 21,600 | 21% |
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 16,700 | 2,700 | 20,500 | 34,500 | 52% |
Ann Arbor, MI | 16,000 | 10,000 | 2,300 | 8,300 | -92% |
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ | 15,000 | 7,200 | 5,600 | 13,400 | -12% |
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | 13,700 | 5,700 | 6,200 | 14,200 | 4% |
Champaign-Urbana, IL | 13,600 | 7,500 | 1,300 | 7,500 | -83% |
Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls, NY | 13,400 | 10,100 | 800 | 4,100 | -225% |
Minneapolis-St, Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | 12,900 | 5,100 | 6,500 | 14,300 | 10% |
Gainesville, FL | 12,400 | 7,100 | 600 | 5,900 | -110% |
Columbus, OH | 12,300 | 5,200 | 5,600 | 12,700 | 3% |
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | 11,700 | 3,400 | 12,300 | 20,600 | 43% |
Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN | 11,700 | 6,500 | 700 | 5,900 | -99% |
St, Louis, MO-IL | 11,100 | 4,200 | 3,800 | 10,600 | -5% |
College Station-Bryan, TX | 11,000 | 7,500 | 600 | 4,200 | -164% |
Austin-Round Rock, TX | 10,700 | 4,700 | 7,800 | 13,800 | 22% |
Ithaca, NY | 10,500 | 5,400 | 700 | 5,700 | -82% |
Providence-Warwick, RI-MA | 9,800 | 5,000 | 1,900 | 6,800 | -45% |
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC | 9,400 | 5,400 | 2,300 | 6,300 | -49% |
Rochester, NY | 8,900 | 6,200 | 1,100 | 4,400 | -101% |
Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT | 8,900 | 5,500 | 2,900 | 5,600 | -60% |
Syracuse, NY | 8,600 | 4,300 | 600 | 3,900 | -124% |
Raleigh, NC | 8,600 | 5,300 | 4,400 | 8,700 | 1% |
Oklahoma City, OK | 7,800 | 2,900 | 1,000 | 5,900 | -32% |
Cleveland-Elyria, OH | 7,800 | 3,400 | 2,500 | 7,000 | -12% |
State College, PA | 7,800 | 5,100 | 600 | 3,200 | -141% |
Bloomington, IN | 7,600 | 4,200 | 500 | 4,000 | -92% |
Tampa-St, Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | 7,500 | 2,800 | 3,100 | 7,800 | 4% |
New Haven-Milford, CT | 7,500 | 3,900 | 2,200 | 5,800 | -30% |
Sacramento-Roseville-Arden-Arcade, CA | 7,400 | 3,700 | 4,100 | 7,800 | 5% |
Lansing-East Lansing, MI | 7,200 | 3,500 | 1,200 | 5,000 | -46% |
Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | 6,900 | 3,500 | 2,400 | 5,800 | -19% |
Madison, WI | 6,800 | 3,400 | 2,900 | 6,400 | -7% |
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 6,500 | 2,900 | 3,700 | 7,300 | 12% |
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | 6,100 | 1,900 | 3,000 | 7,300 | 16% |
Kansas City, MO-KS | 6,100 | 3,800 | 5,100 | 7,400 | 18% |
Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO | 5,800 | 1,700 | 3,600 | 7,700 | 25% |
Urban Honolulu, HI | 5,700 | 1,000 | 700 | 5,400 | -6% |
Worcester, MA-CT | 5,700 | 3,200 | 2,500 | 5,000 | -14% |
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT | 5,500 | 3,300 | 2,400 | 4,600 | -18% |
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 5,400 | 2,500 | 4,400 | 7,400 | 27% |
Ames, IA | 5,400 | 3,100 | 400 | 2,700 | -102% |
Dayton, OH | 5,300 | 3,100 | 700 | 3,000 | -81% |
Springfield, MA | 5,300 | 3,400 | 500 | 2,400 | -122% |
Akron, OH | 5,200 | 2,600 | 600 | 3,100 | -66% |
Wichita, KS | 5,100 | 2,900 | 300 | 2,600 | -98% |
Tucson, AZ | 5,100 | 2,700 | 700 | 3,000 | -67% |
Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA | 5,000 | 2,800 | 300 | 2,600 | -93% |
Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY | 5,000 | 2,500 | 2,200 | 4,700 | -8% |
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | 5,000 | 1,600 | 6,200 | 9,500 | 48% |
Salt Lake City, UT | 4,900 | 1,400 | 2,000 | 5,500 | 11% |
Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX | 4,700 | 3,600 | 100 | 1,200 | -286% |
San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | 4,500 | 2,100 | 1,800 | 4,300 | -6% |
Greenville-Anderson-Mauldin, SC | 4,500 | 2,900 | 600 | 2,200 | -104% |
Binghamton, NY | 4,400 | 3,000 | 100 | 1,500 | -187% |
Baton Rouge, LA | 4,300 | 2,200 | 600 | 2,800 | -57% |
Lubbock, TX | 4,200 | 3,000 | 200 | 1,500 | -185% |
New Orleans-Metairie, LA | 4,200 | 1,700 | 800 | 3,200 | -30% |
Toledo, OH | 4,100 | 1,600 | 500 | 3,000 | -40% |
Charlottesville, VA | 4,100 | 2,300 | 500 | 2,300 | -75% |
Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV | 4,000 | 800 | 1,100 | 4,300 | 7% |
Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI | 4,000 | 1,900 | 1,600 | 3,700 | -8% |
Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN | 3,900 | 1,500 | 2,900 | 5,300 | 26% |
Carbondale-Marion, IL | 3,800 | 3,000 | 100 | 800 | -356% |
Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro-Franklin, TN | 3,700 | 1,500 | 2,100 | 4,300 | 16% |
Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA | 3,600 | 1,200 | 1,200 | 3,600 | 0% |
Iowa City, IA | 3,600 | 2,100 | 500 | 2,000 | -83% |
Manchester-Nashua, NH | 3,600 | 2,600 | 1,000 | 2,000 | -79% |
Tallahassee, FL | 3,500 | 1,800 | 700 | 2,500 | -42% |
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC | 3,500 | 1,500 | 1,100 | 3,100 | -12% |
Columbia, MO | 3,400 | 1,900 | 400 | 1,800 | -85% |
El Paso, TX | 3,300 | 1,000 | 300 | 2,600 | -26% |
Provo-Orem, UT | 3,300 | 1,200 | 500 | 2,600 | -25% |
Lincoln, NE | 3,200 | 1,100 | 600 | 2,600 | -22% |
Savannah, GA | 3,100 | 1,300 | 300 | 2,100 | -50% |
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | 3,100 | 1,600 | 900 | 2,400 | -30% |
Boulder, CO | 3,000 | 1,900 | 900 | 2,000 | -52% |
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL | 3,000 | 1,800 | 800 | 2,100 | -47% |
Trenton, NJ | 3,000 | 1,700 | 2,400 | 3,800 | 19% |
Springfield, IL | 3,000 | 2,800 | 200 | 400 | -596% |
Lexington-Fayette, KY | 3,000 | 1,400 | 700 | 2,300 | -30% |
Kalamazoo-Portage, MI | 2,900 | 1,400 | 400 | 1,900 | -55% |
Athens-Clarke County, GA | 2,900 | 1,500 | 300 | 1,800 | -65% |
Fargo, ND-MN | 2,900 | 1,400 | 300 | 1,800 | -59% |
Morgantown, WV | 2,800 | 1,800 | 300 | 1,200 | -122% |
Mobile, AL | 2,700 | 1,700 | 100 | 1,200 | -136% |
Columbia, SC | 2,600 | 1,200 | 700 | 2,100 | -27% |
Eugene, OR | 2,600 | 1,100 | 200 | 1,800 | -48% |
Richmond, VA | 2,600 | 900 | 2,300 | 4,100 | 36% |
Lawrence, KS | 2,600 | 1,400 | 300 | 1,500 | -71% |
South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI | 2,500 | 1,300 | 500 | 1,700 | -47% |
St, Cloud, MN | 2,500 | 1,300 | 400 | 1,700 | -51% |
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ | 2,500 | 1,300 | 1,000 | 2,200 | -13% |
Auburn-Opelika, AL | 2,400 | 1,500 | 400 | 1,200 | -96% |
Corvallis, OR | 2,300 | 1,300 | 300 | 1,300 | -75% |
Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR-MO | 2,300 | 1,000 | 1,200 | 2,500 | 7% |
Erie, PA | 2,300 | 1,700 | 300 | 800 | -179% |
Knoxville, TN | 2,200 | 1,200 | 1,000 | 1,900 | -15% |
Birmingham-Hoover, AL | 2,200 | 800 | 700 | 2,000 | -7% |
Manhattan, KS | 2,200 | 1,200 | 200 | 1,100 | -100% |
Peoria, IL | 2,100 | 1,300 | 1,500 | 2,300 | 9% |
Note: For more information on the classification of metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) based on the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, see the methodology. Only metro areas that had at least 2,000 foreign students approved for OPT in the 2004 to 2016 calendar years are included. Figures rounded to the nearest hundred.
Source: Pew Research Center analysis of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement data received August 2017 through a Freedom of Information Act request.
Tables on educational institutions by school type