What percent of the workforce in are immigrants?

Updated May. 13, 2026Refreshed annually
Immigrants were 19.3% of employed workers in Washington, DC 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,

1 in 5

employed workers in Washington, DC were immigrants
In 2024,

19.3%

of employed workers in Washington, DC were immigrants
While immigrants were 19.3% of employed workers, they made up 17.9% of the working-age population in Washington, DC. 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 Washington, DC than the US average.

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

In what industries do immigrants work in Washington, DC?

In 2024, immigrants in Washington, DC were most commonly employed in these industries:
  1. Professional and business services (21.9% of all employed foreign-born workers)
  2. Public administration (18.0%)
  3. Education and health services (16.6%)
Immigrant and native-born workers are sometimes concentrated in different industries. In Washington, DC, the largest gap between foreign-born and native-born workers was in the leisure and hospitality industry, where 11.8% of the foreign-born working-age population were employed compared to 6.7% of native-born workers.

Compared to the native-born population, Washington, DC’s immigrants more often worked in the leisure and hospitality industry.

Share of employed workers across industries, by nativity (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.

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.