Answers to Key Questions about U.S. Immigration

The Pew Research Center this week released its most recent "Facts on U.S. Immigrants" report.

1 minute read

June 5, 2019, 9:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Naturalization

Bill Dowling / Shutterstock

"The United States has more immigrants than any other country in the world," according to an article by Jynnah Radford. "Today, more than 40 million people living in the U.S. were born in another country, accounting for about one-fifth of the world’s migrants in 2017."

Radford is presenting the latest statistical portraits of foreign-born residents of the United States, regularly published by the Pew Research Center. Raford uses these data to address "key questions" about the U.S. immigrant population.

So, for instance, the question of where most U.S. immigrants come from, finds Mexico, China, and India as the top birthplaces for U.S immigrants, but "[]he population of immigrants is also very diverse, with just about every country in the world represented among U.S. immigrants."

Another question, about the number of immigrants arriving to the United States relative to the historic record can be answered thusly: "New immigrant arrivals have fallen, mainly due to a decrease in the number of unauthorized immigrants coming to the U.S. The fall in the growth of the unauthorized immigrant population can partly be attributed to more Mexican immigrants leaving the U.S. than coming in."

The article includes many other questions and answers, including an infographic to illustrate the cities with the largest number of immigrant residents.

Monday, June 3, 2019 in Pew Research Center

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 2, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

White and purple sign for Slow Street in San Francisco, California with people crossing crosswalk.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths

Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

July 1, 2025 - KQED

Row of older brick houses in Detroit with front porches and front lawns.

Detroit Says Problems With Property Tax Assessments are Fixed. Advocates Disagree.

With higher-valued properties under assessed and lower-valued properties over assessed, advocates say there's still a problem with Detroit's property tax system.

1 hour ago - Shelterforce Magazine

Google street view of red brick multi-story power plant building in Pittsburgh, PA.

Defunct Pittsburgh Power Plant to Become Residential Tower

A decommissioned steam heat plant will be redeveloped into almost 100 affordable housing units.

July 4 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Cyclist on protected bike lane in middle of street in Washington D.C. with Washington Monument obelisk visible in background.

Trump Prompts Restructuring of Transportation Research Board in “Unprecedented Overreach”

The TRB has eliminated more than half of its committees including those focused on climate, equity, and cities.

July 4 - Streetsblog USA