How many unauthorized immigrants are in the US?
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There were an estimated 11 million unauthorized immigrants in the US in 2022. The unauthorized immigrant population consists of all foreign-born noncitizens who are not legal US residents. This includes people who entered the country undetected, those who requested asylum after entry, and those who sought asylum at the border. It also encompasses people from conflict zones, such as Ukraine, and those who have overstayed their temporary visas.
There were 46.2 million immigrants total in the US in 2022, which means that around 5 in 21 immigrants were unauthorized. Unauthorized immigrants represent 3.3% of the entire US population.
In 2022,
11M
unauthorized immigrants lived in the US
In 2022,
4.6%
more unauthorized immigrants were in the US compared to 2020
The Office of Homeland Security Statistics (OHSS) estimates 11 million unauthorized immigrants were living in the US on January 1, 2022, up from 8.46 million in 2000. Estimates of unauthorized immigrants can change as new unauthorized entrants arrive and earlier entrants emigrate, pass away, or adjust to legal resident status, and as OHSS adjusts its methodology for deriving the estimates.
The estimate for the unauthorized population in the US increased 4.6% from 2020 to 2022.
Dotted lines indicate changes to estimate methodology
How long have most unauthorized immigrants been in the US?
OHSS also estimates the period of entry for the unauthorized population. As of 2022, 79% of unauthorized immigrants, or 8.68 million people, arrived in the US before 2010. The largest proportion of unauthorized immigrants arrived between 2000 and 2009, at 35.1%, or 3.86 million people.
Most unauthorized immigrants arrived in the US prior to 2010.
2022 estimates of the unauthorized population by entry period
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Which countries do unauthorized immigrants come from?
The unauthorized population comes from countries all over the world. Out of the estimated 11 million unauthorized population, 4.81 million, or 43.8%, of them are from Mexico. Other countries also make up the top five countries of birth for this population. The top five countries of birth account for about 65.3% of the unauthorized population.
About 43.8% of unauthorized immigrants were from Mexico in 2022.
2022 estimates of the unauthorized population by country of birth
Which states have the largest unauthorized immigrant populations?
[California and Texas] had the largest unauthorized populations in [2022], with [2.6 million and 2.1 million] people, respectively. Together, the states accounted for [42.4%] of the total unauthorized population. The next leading states were [Florida (590,000), New Jersey (490,000), Illinois (420,000), and New York (410,000)]. The top 10 states represented [71.9%] of [2022’s] total unauthorized population.
In 2022, an estimated 42.4% of unauthorized immigrants lived in California and Texas.
2022 estimates of the unauthorized population by state of residence
Unauthorized immigrant population by country of birth (2022)
| Country | Number of people | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Mexico | 4,810,000 |
| 2. | Guatemala | 750,000 |
| 3. | El Salvador | 710,000 |
| 4. | Honduras | 560,000 |
| 5. | Philippines | 350,000 |
| 6. | Venezuela | 320,000 |
| 7. | Colombia | 240,000 |
| 8. | Brazil | 230,000 |
| 9. | India | 220,000 |
| 10. | People's Republic of China | 210,000 |
Unauthorized immigrant population by state of residence (2022)
| State | Number of people | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | California | 2,600,000 |
| 2. | Texas | 2,060,000 |
| 3. | Florida | 590,000 |
| 4. | New Jersey | 490,000 |
| 5. | Illinois | 420,000 |
| 6. | New York | 410,000 |
| 7. | North Carolina | 360,000 |
| 8. | Georgia | 340,000 |
| 9. | Washington state | 340,000 |
| 10. | Arizona | 290,000 |
Steve Ballmer explains the US immigration system in under 15 minutes
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
