Population

What percent of jobs in are held by immigrants?

About 33.3% of jobs in 2023. Immigrants are defined as foreign-born residents, including those who became US citizens, are authorized to work in the US, or are undocumented residents.
Data updated January 30, 2025
In 2023

1 in 3

employed workers were immigrants
In 2023

33.3%

of employed workers were immigrants
While immigrants hold 33.3% of jobs, they make up 32.5% of the total working-age population in California. This indicates a higher employment rate than expected. The working-age population includes everyone aged 16 and above.

In 2023, a larger percentage of jobs were held by immigrants in California than the US average.

Immigrant participation in the workforce varies across industries. In California, the largest gap between foreign-born and native-born workers was in the educational/health services industry, where 18.5% of the foreign-born working-age population were employed compared to 24.2% of native-born workers.

The percentage of employed people varies between different sectors in California.

Percentage of employed population in 2023

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The labor force participation rate — the percentage of the working-age population working or actively seeking work — for immigrants in California was 64.5%, higher than the 63.4% rate for the native-born population. This shows that immigrants were seeking work at a higher rate than the native-born population in the state.

The percentage of jobs held by immigrants varies by metro area.

Percentage of jobs held by immigrants in 2023

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Methodology

USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.

The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.

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.

  • US Census Bureau

    American Community Survey (ACS)

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