2011, Foreign-Born Population in the United States Statistical Portrait

This statistical profile of the foreign-born population is based on Hispanic Trends Project tabulations of the Census Bureau’s 2011 American Community Survey (ACS). Users should exercise caution when comparing the 2011 estimates with estimates for previous years. Population estimates in the 2011 ACS are based on the latest information from the 2010 Decennial Census; the 2005 to 2009 ACS estimates are based on the latest information available for those surveys—updates of the 2000 Decennial Census. The impact of this discontinuity on comparisons between the 2010 and later ACS and earlier years is discussed in a recent report.

Report Materials

Complete Report

Excel Workbook

Slideshow of Key Findings

The ACS is the largest household survey in the United States, with a sample of about 3 million addresses. It covers the topics previously covered in the long form of the decennial census. The ACS is designed to provide estimates of the size and characteristics of the resident population, which includes persons living in households and group quarters.

The specific data sources for this statistical profile are the 1% sample of the 2011 ACS Integrated Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS) and the 5% sample of the 2000 Census IPUMS provided by the University of Minnesota.¹ The IPUMS assigns uniform codes, to the extent possible, to data collected by the decennial census and the ACS from 1850 to 2011. Due to differences in the way in which the IPUMS and Census Bureau adjust income data and assign poverty status, data provided in Tables 31 – 37 might differ from data on these variables that are provided by the Census Bureau. For more information about the IPUMS, including variable definition and sampling error, please visit http://usa.ipums.org/usa/design.shtml. To learn more about the sampling strategy and associated error of the 2000 Census or the 2011 American Community Survey, please refer to Chapter 8 of the U.S. Census Summary File 3: 2000 and U.S. Census Design Methodology, respectively.

For the purposes of this statistical portrait, the foreign born include those persons who identified as naturalized citizens or non-citizens and are living in the 50 states or the District of Columbia. Persons born in Puerto Rico and other outlying territories of the U.S. and who are now living in the 50 states or the District of Columbia are included in the native-born population.

Table 1.Population, by Nativity and Citizenship Status: 2000 and 2011
Table 2.Population Change, by Nativity: 2000 and 2011
Table 3.Foreign Born, by Region of Birth: 2000 and 2011
Table 4.Change in the Foreign-Born Population, by Region of Birth: 2000 and 2011
Table 5.Country of Birth: 2011
Table 6.Population, by Nativity, Race and Ethnicity: 2011
Table 7.Racial Self-Identification, by Nativity: 2011
Table 8.Foreign Born, by Region of Birth and Date of Arrival: 2011
Table 9.Nativity, by Sex and Age: 2011
Table 9a.Age and Gender Distributions for Nativity Groups: 2011
Table 10.Median Age in Years, by Sex and Region of Birth: 2011
Table 11.Foreign Born, by State: 2011
Table 12.Change in the Foreign-Born Population, by State: 2000 and 2011
Table 13.Foreign Born, by State and Region of Birth: 2011
Table 13a.Foreign Born, by State and Region of Birth: 2011
Table 14.Marital Status, by Region of Birth: 2011
Table 15.Fertility in the Past Year, by Region of Birth: 2011
Table 16.Fertility in the Past Year, by Marital Status and Region of Birth: 2011
Table 17.Persons, by Household Type and Region of Birth: 2011
Table 18.Households, by Type and Region of Birth: 2011
Table 19.Households, by Family Size and Region of Birth: 2011
Table 20.Living Arrangements of Children, by Region of Birth: 2011
Table 21.Language Spoken at Home and English-Speaking Ability, by Age and Region of Birth: 2011
Table 22.Language Spoken at Home and English-Speaking Ability Among Foreign Born, by Date of Arrival and Age: 2011
Table 23.Persons, by Educational Attainment and Region of Birth: 2011
Table 24.School Enrollment, by Nativity: 2000 and 2011
Table 25.High School Dropouts, by Nativity and Region of Birth: 2000 and 2011
Table 26.College Enrollment, by Nativity and Region of Birth: 2000 and 2011
Table 27.Occupation, by Region of Birth: 2011
Table 28.Detailed Occupation, by Region of Birth: 2011
Table 29.Industry, by Region of Birth: 2011
Table 30.Detailed Industry, by Region of Birth: 2011
Table 31.Persons, by Personal Earnings and Region of Birth: 2011
Table 32.Median Personal Earnings, by Region of Birth: 2011
Table 33.Full-time, Year-round Workers, by Personal Earnings and Region of Birth: 2011
Table 34.Median Personal Earnings for Full-time, Year-round Workers, by Region of Birth: 2011
Table 35.Households, by Income and Region of Birth: 2011
Table 36.Median Household Income, by Region of Birth: 2011
Table 37.Poverty, by Age and Region of Birth: 2011
Table 38.Persons Without Health Insurance, by Age, Nativity and Citizenship: 2011
Table 39.Type of Health Insurance, by Nativity and Citizenship: 2011
Table 40.Housing Tenure, by Region of Birth: 2000 and 2011
Table 41.Homeownership Among Foreign-Born Heads of Households, by Date of Arrival: 2011

Click image to print | Back to top

Steven Ruggles, J. Trent Alexander, Katie Genadek, Ronald Goeken, Matthew B. Schroeder, and Matthew Sobek. Integrated Public Use Microdata Series: Version 5.0 (Machine-readable database). Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, 2010 http://usa.ipums.org/usa. ↩

Visit the most recent data. This statistical profile of the foreign-born population is based on Hispanic Trends Project tabulations of the Census Bureau's 2011 American Community Survey (ACS). Users should exercise caution when comparing the 2011 estimates with estimates for previous years. Population estimates in the 2011 ACS are based on the latest information from the 2010 Decennial Census; the 2005 to 2009 ACS estimates are based on the latest information available for those surveys—updates of the 2000 Decennial Census. The impact of this discontinuity on comparisons between the 2010 and later ACS and earlier years is discussed in a recent report.

Topics

Regions & Countries

Formats

Topics

Regions & Countries

Formats

2011, Foreign-Born Population in the United States Statistical Portrait

Report Materials

Table of Contents

Report Materials

Topics

MOST POPULAR

Topics

Regions & Countries

Formats

Topics

Regions & Countries

Formats

Report Materials

Sign up for our Race & Ethnicity newsletter

Table of Contents

Report Materials

Related

Key findings about Black immigrants in the U.S.

Before COVID-19, more Mexicans came to the U.S. than left for Mexico for the first time in years

Recently arrived U.S. immigrants, growing in number, differ from long-term residents

Facts on U.S. Immigrants, 2017

Immigrant share in U.S. nears record high but remains below that of many other countries

Topics

MOST POPULAR