What percent of the workforce in are immigrants?

Updated May. 13, 2026Refreshed annually
Immigrants were 27.9% of employed workers in New York in 2024. Immigrants are defined as foreign-born residents, including those who became US citizens, are authorized to work in the US, or are undocumented residents.
In 2024,

2 in 7

employed workers in New York were immigrants
In 2024,

27.9%

of employed workers in New York were immigrants
While immigrants were 27.9% of employed workers, they made up 27.1% of the working-age population in New York. This indicates a higher employment rate than expected. The working-age population includes everyone aged 16 and above.

In 2024, immigrants comprised a larger share of employed workers in New York than the US average.

Share of employed workers that are foreign born, 2010–2024

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In what industries do immigrants work in New York?

In 2024, immigrants in New York were most commonly employed in these industries:
  1. Education and health services (28.2% of all employed foreign-born workers)
  2. Professional and business services (13.4%)
  3. Leisure and hospitality (9.6%)
Immigrant and native-born workers are sometimes concentrated in different industries. In New York, the largest gap between foreign-born and native-born workers was in the transportation, warehousing, and utilities industry, where 8.2% of the foreign-born working-age population were employed compared to 4.7% of native-born workers.

Compared to the native-born population, New York’s immigrants more often worked in the transportation, warehousing, and utilities industry.

Share of employed workers across industries, by nativity (2024)

In what metros do immigrants make up the largest share of the workforce?

The concentration of immigrants among employed workers varies across New York. They made up the largest share of employed workers in the New York, NY area and the lowest share in the Buffalo, NY area. Metro areas are made up of economically interconnected counties that include at least one urban area. They can encompass multiple cities and cross state lines, depending on the region and local economy.

The share of employed workers who are immigrants varies by metro area.

Share of employed workers who are foreign-born, by metro area (2024)

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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.

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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.