March 2012
Pew Analysis Highlights Immigrant Integration and Economic Contributions
Immigrants integrate into U.S. society over time and they contribute to the U.S. economy. These
crucial yet often-overlooked facts are illustrated well by the Pew Hispanic Center’s latest
statistical profile of the foreign-born population. 1 According to Pew’s analysis of Census data,
most immigrants have been here for more than a decade, and the longer they have been here, the
more likely they are to have become homeowners and learned English. Moreover, growing
numbers of immigrants are becoming U.S. citizens, which translates into growing political clout.
The Pew data also show the degree to which immigrants fuel labor-force growth and fill valuable
roles in the economy as workers in both high-skilled and less-skilled occupations. In short,
immigrants are integral to the nation’s social and economic fabric.
¾ The majority of immigrants are not newcomers to this country. As of 2010, just under twofifths (38.2 percent) of the nation’s 39.9 million immigrants had come to the United States
before 1990, while more than a one-quarter (27.1 percent) had arrived during the 1990s. Just
over one-third (34.7 percent) had come in 2000 or later {Figure 1}. 2
Figure 1: Foreign-Born Population by Period of Arrival in U.S., 2010
2000 and later
34.7%
Before 1990
38.2%
1990 to 1999
27.1%
Source: Eileen Patten, Statistical Portrait of the Foreign-Born Population in the United States, 2010 (Washington, DC:
Pew Hispanic Center, February 21, 2012), Table 8.
¾ The longer immigrants are here, the more likely they are to own a home. As of 2010, only
one-quarter (24.9 percent) of foreign-born heads of households who arrived in the country in
2000 or later owned their own home. But this rose to nearly half (49.1 percent) of those who
arrived during the 1990s and more than two-thirds (67.4 percent) of those who arrived before
1990 {Figure 2}. 3
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80%
Figure 2: Homeownership Among Foreign-Born Heads of
Households, by Period of Arrival in the U.S., 2010
67.4%
Share Who Own Homes
70%
60%
49.1%
50%
40%
30%
24.9%
20%
10%
0%
2000 and later
1990 to 1999
Before 1990
Period of Arrival in U.S.
Source: Eileen Patten, Statistical Portrait of the Foreign-Born Population in the United States, 2010
(Washington, DC: Pew Hispanic Center, February 21, 2012), Table 40.
¾ The longer immigrants are here, the more likely they are to speak English well. As of 2010, a
little over one-third (36.3 percent) of immigrants who had arrived in the country in 2000 or
later spoke English “very well” or spoke only English at home. That share rose to more than
two-fifths (44.9 percent) among those you arrived during the 1990s, and nearly three-fifths
(56.3 percent) among those who arrived before 1990 {Figure 3}. 4
Figure 3: English-Speaking Ability of Foreign-Born Population, By
Period of Arrival in the U.S., 2010
Share Who Speak English Very Well
60%
56.3%
50%
40%
44.9%
36.3%
30%
20%
10%
0%
2000 and later
1990 to 1999
Before 1990
Period of Arrival in U.S.
Source: Eileen Patten, Statistical Portrait of the Foreign-Born Population in the United States,
2010 (Washington, DC: Pew Hispanic Center, February 21, 2012), Table 22.
2
¾ Immigrants are becoming naturalized U.S. citizens in large numbers. Between 2000 and
2010, the number of immigrants who were naturalized citizens increased by 5 million, from
12.5 million to 17.5 million. Those 5 million newly minted citizens are also potential new
voters {Figure 4}. 5
Figure 4: Number of Foreign-Born U.S. Citizens, 2000 & 2010
20
17.5
18
16
14
12.5
Millions
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
2000
2010
Source: Eileen Patten, Statistical Portrait of the Foreign-Born Population in the United States, 2010 (Washington, DC: Pew Hispanic Center,
February 21, 2012), Table 1.
¾ Immigrants have become a driving force in the growth of the U.S. population, which is a key
component of growth in the labor force. 6 Between 2000 and 2010, the size of the foreignborn population increased by 28.2 percent, while the native-born population grew by only 7.6
percent {Figure 5}. 7
30%
Figure 5: Change in Size of Native-Born & Foreign-Born
Populations, 2000-2010
28.2%
25%
20%
15%
10%
7.6%
5%
0%
Native-Born
Foreign-Born
Source: Eileen Patten, Statistical Portrait of the Foreign-Born Population in the United States, 2010 (Washington, DC: Pew Hispanic
Center, February 21, 2012), Table 2.
3
¾ Immigrants fill vital roles in both highly skilled and less-skilled occupations. As of 2010, the
foreign-born accounted for more than two-fifths (42.6 percent) of workers in farming,
fishing, and forestry; nearly one-third (31.1 percent) in building and grounds cleaning and
maintenance; and more than one-fifth in construction (22.9 percent), production occupations
(22.4 percent); computer and mathematical occupations (22.2 percent), life, physical, and
social sciences (21.2 percent), and food preparation and serving (20.5 percent) {Figure 6}.
Immigrants accounted for more than one-seventh (15.6 percent) of the U.S. labor force
overall. 8
42.6%
45%
40%
35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
31.1%
nd
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21.2%
20.5%
18.1%
17.7%
17.3%
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Foreign-Born Share of Workers
Figure 6: Ten Occupations With Highest Foreign-Born Share of
Workers, 2010
Source: Eileen Patten, Statistical Portrait of the Foreign-Born Population in the United States, 2010
(Washington, DC: Pew Hispanic Center, February 21, 2012), Table 28.
Endnotes
1
Eileen Patten, Statistical Portrait of the Foreign-Born Population in the United States, 2010 (Washington, DC:
Pew Hispanic Center, February 21, 2012).
2
Ibid., Table 8.
3
Ibid., Table 40.
4
Ibid., Table 22.
5
Ibid., Table 1.
6
Mitra Toossi, “Labor force projections to 2020: a more slowly growing workforce,” Monthly Labor Review 135,
No. 1 (January 2012): 43.
7
Eileen Patten, Statistical Portrait of the Foreign-Born Population in the United States, 2010 (Washington, DC:
Pew Hispanic Center, February 21, 2012), Table 2.
8
Ibid., Table 28.
4