How many immigrants are in Wisconsin?
Data updated September 19, 2024
About 308K immigrants in 2023. This translates to approximately 5.2% of the population, or roughly 1 in 20 residents in Wisconsin. Immigrants are defined as foreign-born residents, which includes people who became US citizens, are authorized to come to the US (e.g., work visas, student visas), or are undocumented residents.
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The number of foreign-born residents in Wisconsin grew from 275K in 2013 to 308K in 2023. This increase occurred alongside changes in the native-born population due to births, deaths, and people moving. Analyzing the foreign-born share of the total population provides a better view of these demographics. In Wisconsin, the foreign-born share of the population was 5.2% in 2023, lower than the US overall at 14.3%, and up from 4.8% in the state since 2013.
Variations in immigrant populations illustrate a changing population landscape in both local areas and the nation as a whole. The largest immigration populations are concentrated in big metro areas. Metro areas in California, Texas, Florida, and parts of the Northeast typically have a higher share of residents that are foreign-born.
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From 2018 to 2022, the metro areas (with data) in the US with the highest and lowest foreign-born population share were: Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL at 41.5% foreign-born (highest) and Beckley, WV at 0.9% foreign-born (lowest). The highest and lowest among the metro areas in or connected to Wisconsin were: Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI at 17.7% foreign-born (highest) and Duluth, MN-WI at 1.9% foreign-born (lowest).
