Immigrant Women in the United States:
A Portrait of Demographic Diversity
There are more than 20 million immigrant women and girls in the United States today, and they are a
formidable presence in U.S. society and the U.S. economy. 1 Immigrant women come from every corner of the
globe and slightly outnumber immigrant men. They are more likely than men to come to the United States
through the family-based immigration system, and nearly half are naturalized U.S. citizens. More than a
quarter of immigrant women have a bachelor’s degree or more education, with women from India being the
most highly educated, followed by those from the Philippines and China. Foreign-born women account for 15
percent of all employed women over the age of 16 in the United States. In fact, women from the Philippines, El
Salvador, Vietnam, the Dominican Republic, and Guatemala have higher rates of participation in the labor
force than native-born women. Immigrant women work in every occupation, with one-third being in
management and professional occupations, while nearly a third work in service occupations and under a
quarter in sales and office occupations. Despite their hard work and educational achievements, immigrant
women earn less than foreign-born men, and less than native-born men or women. Given their numbers and
diversity, however, the scale of their economic contributions cannot be denied.
Mexico is the Single Largest Country of Origin for Female Immigrants

Mexico accounted for more than one-quarter (26 percent) of all foreign-born females in 2012, followed by
China at 6.1 percent, the Philippines at 5.3 percent, and India at 4.5 percent {Figure 1}.

In a sign of their diverse range of national origins, more than two-fifths (or 42.9 percent) of foreign-born
females came from countries other than the top 10 {Figure 1}.
Immigrant Women in the United States: A Portrait of Demographic Diversity | American Immigration Council | September 2014
Figure 1: Female Foreign-Born Population by Country of Origin, 2012
Mexico
26.0%
All other countries
42.9%
China
6.1%
Philippines
5.3%
India
4.5%
Canada
2.1% Guatemala Dominican
1.7%
Republic
2.6%
Cuba
2.7%
Vietnam
3.2%
El Salvador
3.0%
Immigrant Females Slightly Outnumber Immigrant Males

There were 20.9 million female immigrants in the United States in 2012, accounting for just over half (51.3
percent) of the total foreign-born population. Similarly, females accounted for roughly half (50.7 percent)
of the native-born population.

Immigrants accounted for slightly more than 13 percent of the female population.

Males outnumbered females among immigrants from Mexico, India, El Salvador, and Guatemala {Figure 2}.

Among immigrants from China, the Philippines, Vietnam, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, and Canada,
females outnumbered males {Figure 2}.
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Immigrant Women in the United States: A Portrait of Demographic Diversity | American Immigration Council | September 2014
Millions
Figure 2: Foreign-Born Population by Gender & Select Countries of Origin, 2012
7
6
5
4
3
Male
Female
2
1
0
India
Vietnam
El Salvador
Cuba
Dominican
Republic
Canada
Guatemala
1,008,583
752,931
1,033,199
590,461
649,920
549,153
421,245
358,841
508,250
1,283,650
1,115,385
934,799
668,518
621,939
564,748
536,131
442,144
350,280
China
6,117,025
Female 5,446,349
Male

Philippines
Mexico
The Pew Hispanic Center estimates that 4.1 million unauthorized-immigrant women comprised
approximately 39 percent of the adult unauthorized population in the United States in 2008. 2 This is in line
with a 2009 survey of immigrant women by New America Media, which found that 35 percent of
respondents identified themselves as undocumented. 3
Immigrant Females Are More Likely Than Males to Come to the United States Through the
Family-Based Immigration System

Data from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) indicate that female immigrants are more likely
than male immigrants to come to the United States through the family-based class of admissions, rather
than through employment {Figure 3}.
⋅
In Fiscal Year (FY) 2012, 106,458 females obtained legal permanent resident (LPR) status under familybased “preference” categories, compared to 95,554 males. Likewise, 287,926 females obtained LPR
status because they were an immediate relative of a U.S. citizen, compared to only 190,839 men. 4
⋅
In contrast, 73,312 men obtained LPR status under employment-based categories, compared to
70,684 women. 5
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Immigrant Women in the United States: A Portrait of Demographic Diversity | American Immigration Council | September 2014
Figure 3: Foreign-Born Females Who Obtained LPR Status by Class of Admission, FY 2012
Refugees and asylees
13.0%
Other
1.3%
Family sponsored
18.9%
Diversity
3.2%
Employment based
12.5%
Immediate relatives of
U.S. citizens
51.1%
Immigrant Females from Vietnam and the Philippines Have Particularly High
Naturalization Rates

Nearly half (48.4 percent) of female immigrants were naturalized U.S. citizens in 2012, compared to 43
percent of male immigrants.

Three-fourths (74.9 percent) of female Vietnamese immigrants were naturalized U.S. citizens in 2012, as
were two-thirds (66.2 percent) of female immigrants from the Philippines. Among female immigrants from
Cuba, the naturalization rate was 60.5 percent, among those from China it was 58.8 percent, and for
Dominicans it was 52.7 percent.

According to interviews conducted by New America Media, 84 percent of the immigrant women
interviewed expressed interest in becoming a citizen of the United States.6
⋅

The main reasons given for wanting to become an American citizen were “to make sure I’m never
separated from my children” (24 percent), to be able to vote (21 percent), and to be able to live in the
United States for the rest of their lives (16 percent). 7
Immigrant women were more likely to be naturalized U.S. citizens than immigrant men for nine out of the
top 10 countries of origin {Figure 4}.
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Immigrant Women in the United States: A Portrait of Demographic Diversity | American Immigration Council | September 2014
Figure 4: Male and Female Naturalization Rates by Select Countries of Origin, 2012
90%
80%
Female
70%
Male
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Vietnam
Philippines
Cuba
China
Dominican
Republic
India
Canada
Female
74.9%
66.2%
60.5%
58.8%
52.7%
48.3%
45.7%
33.4%
31.0%
26.7%
Male
77.3%
65.4%
52.8%
54.6%
45.8%
45.7%
42.8%
26.9%
22.2%
23.6%
El Salvador Guatemala
Mexico
Immigrant Women from India Are the Most Highly Educated

Just over one-quarter (27.5 percent) of immigrant women had a bachelor’s degree or more education in
2012, compared to 29.4 percent of native-born women and 28.4 percent of foreign-born men.

The educational attainment of foreign-born women in 2012 varied widely according to country of origin.
⋅
Among the top ten origin countries for female immigrants, the highest percentage of female
immigrants with a bachelor’s degree or more education came from India (71.6 percent), followed by
the Philippines (52 percent), and China (47.1 percent). At the other end of the spectrum were
Guatemala (7.9 percent), El Salvador (7.7 percent), and Mexico (26.7 percent) {Figure 5}.
⋅
Female immigrants had a higher percentage of bachelor’s degrees or higher compared to their male
counterparts in six out of ten of the top origin countries for female immigrants {Figure 5}.
Page 5 of 10
Immigrant Women in the United States: A Portrait of Demographic Diversity | American Immigration Council | September 2014
Figure 5: Share of Foreign-Born Population with a Bachelor's Degree or Higher,
by Select Countries of Origin, 2012
90.0%
80.0%
Male
Female
70.0%
60.0%
50.0%
40.0%
30.0%
20.0%
10.0%
0.0%

India
Philippines
China
Canada
Native
Born
Vietnam
Cuba
Male
79.9%
45.1%
52.8%
48.4%
29.3%
24.7%
20.4%
12.7%
Female
71.6%
52.0%
47.1%
39.0%
29.4%
21.3%
20.7%
14.0%
El
Salvador
Mexico
6.9%
7.1%
5.0%
7.9%
7.7%
6.2%
Dom. Rep. Guatemala
The share of immigrant women with a bachelor’s degree or more education increased from 22.1 percent in
2000 to 27.5 percent in 2012. The share of native-born women with a comparable level of education also
increased from 22.9 percent in 2000 to 29.4 percent in 2012.
Immigrant women are active in the labor force, with some origin countries seeing a higher
rate of labor force participation for foreign-born women than for native-born women.

On average, 56.4 percent of foreign-born women were in the labor force in 2012, compared to 59.2 percent
of native-born women.

Foreign-born women make up 15 percent of employed women over 16 in the United States.

The labor-force participation rate of immigrant women rose from 50.5 percent in 2000 to 57.1 percent in
2008, and fell slightly in 2012 to 56.4 percent. By way of comparison, the labor-force participation rate of
native-born women rose from 58.6 percent in 2000 to 60.6 percent in 2008, and fell slightly to 59.2 percent
in 2012.
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Immigrant Women in the United States: A Portrait of Demographic Diversity | American Immigration Council | September 2014


Of the top ten origin countries for foreign-born women:
⋅
Women from five of these countries have higher rates of labor force participation than native-born
women {Figure 6}.
⋅
The Philippines (67 percent), El Salvador (65.8 percent), Vietnam (64 percent), the Dominican Republic
(61.6 percent), and Guatemala (61.2 percent), compared to native-born women (59.2 percent).
Immigrant women from Canada have the lowest rate of participation in the labor force among the top ten
origin countries at 47.8 percent.

However, in absolute numbers, there are more native-born women over 16 years old in the labor force
(66.7 million) than foreign-born women (11.3 million).
Figure 6: Percentage of Women in the Labor Force, 2012
80%
70%
60%
67.0% 65.8%
64.0%
61.6% 61.2%
59.2%
56.4% 56.1% 56.1%
50%
52.5%
50.0%
47.8%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%

About one-third (32 percent) of immigrant women in the labor force worked in management and
professional occupations in 2012, while just under a third (32.8 percent) worked in service occupations,
under one quarter (23.3 percent) in sales and office occupations, and one-in-ten (10.2 percent) in
production and transportation occupations {Figure 7}.
Page 7 of 10
Immigrant Women in the United States: A Portrait of Demographic Diversity | American Immigration Council | September 2014
Figure 7: Percentage of Foreign-Born and Native-Born Women by Occupation, 2012
45%
41.0%
40%
35%
32.0%
Foreign-born
33.7%
32.8%
30%
25%
19.8%
20%
Native-born
23.3%
17.0%
15%
10.2%
7.0%
10%
4.9%
5%
0%
Management,
business, science,
and the arts

Service
occupations
Sales and office
occupations
Construction and
Maintenance
Production and
transportation
Over two-thirds of immigrant women from India who were in the labor force in 2012 worked in
management and professional occupations (66.3 percent), compared to two-fifths of native-born women
(41 percent).

Over half of immigrant women in the labor force from Guatemala worked in service occupations (53
percent), compared to one-fifth of native-born women (19.8 percent).

Roughly 40 percent of immigrant business owners were women, and 20 percent of women business
owners were immigrants, as of 2010. 8
Immigrant Women in the Labor Force Earn Less than Any Other Demographic

Immigrant women in the labor force had an annual median income of $32,015 in 2012, compared to
$38,514 for native-born women, $36,802 for foreign-born men, and $50,283 for native-born men.

Immigrant women from India who were in the labor force had the highest median annual income
($61,767).

⋅
Immigrant women from Taiwan ($60,650), Australia ($58,657), Israel ($57,215), and Ireland ($57,020)
rounded out the top five in annual median income.
⋅
Women from Mexico, who make up more than a quarter of all female immigrants {Figure 8}, made the
least of all female immigrant groups in 2012, with an annual median income of $21,489. Four other
Latin American origin countries rounded out the bottom five for annual median incomes – Guatemala
($22,303), El Salvador ($22,380), Nicaragua ($24,074), and the Dominican Republic ($25,340).
In all top 10 countries of origin, immigrant men in the labor force earned more than immigrant women in
the labor force {Figure 8}.
Page 8 of 10
Immigrant Women in the United States: A Portrait of Demographic Diversity | American Immigration Council | September 2014
Figure 8: Median Earnings of Foreign-Born Men and Women
from Select Countries of Origin, 2012
Male
$90,000
$80,000
$70,000
$60,000
$50,000
$40,000
$30,000
$20,000
$10,000
$-
Page 9 of 10
Female
Immigrant Women in the United States: A Portrait of Demographic Diversity | American Immigration Council | September 2014
Endnotes
1.
Unless otherwise noted, all data for 2012 was taken from the 2012 American Community Survey.
2.
Jeffrey S. Passel and D’Vera Cohn, A Portrait of Unauthorized Immigrants in the United States (Washington, DC: Pew Hispanic Center, April 14,
2009), p. 4.
3.
New America Media, “Women Immigrants: Stewards of the 21st Century Family,” February 2009, p. 13.
4.
Office of Immigration Statistics, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, 2012 Yearbook of Immigration Statistics, Table 9.
5.
Ibid.
6.
New America Media, “Women Immigrants: Stewards of the 21st Century Family,” February 2009, p. 31.
7.
Ibid.
8.
Susan C. Pearce, Elizabeth J. Clifford, and Reena Tandon, Our American Immigrant Entrepreneurs: The Women (Washington, DC: American
Immigration Council, December 2011), p. 2.
Page 10 of 10