How many DACA recipients are there?

Updated quarterly
About 515,600 people at the end of June 2025 — about the same as the population of Killeen-Temple, TX Metro Area. Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) is a program created in 2012 for people who came to the US as children and who do not have legal immigration status. People accepted into DACA and who maintain active status with the program are protected from deportation and are allowed to apply for work authorization, but do not receive legal immigration status or have a path to citizenship.

516K

Number of active DACA recipients (June 2025)

81%

of active DACA recipients arrived as children from Mexico (June 2025)
When people apply for DACA, they acknowledge that they are deportable under immigration law but are requesting that the government not initiate removal proceedings against them for two years. DACA status prevents them from being arrested and removed from the US; otherwise they would be included on ICE’s non-detained docket. Called “deferred action,” this choice to not enforce immigration law against someone (by granting them DACA status) is an act of prosecutorial discretion.

Who qualifies for DACA?

The DACA program began on June 15, 2012 and outlines seven criteria that must be met for an applicant to be considered for removal protections. Enrollment in DACA is not automatic; people who meet the qualifying conditions must first apply and be accepted into the program. Eligibility criteria concern applicant age on arrival to the US and at application time, as well as residence and physical presence in the US, other immigration status, educational or veteran status, and criminal history.

Read USCIS’ guidelines for DACA eligibility

As stated by USCIS, if you are applying for DACA you must satisfy these conditions:


  1. Were under the age of 31 as of June 15, 2012 (that is, you were born on or after June 16, 1981);
  2. Came to the United States before reaching your 16th birthday;
  3. Have continuously resided in the United States since June 15, 2007, up to the time of filing your request for DACA;
  4. Were physically present in the United States on June 15, 2012, and at the time of filing your request for DACA with USCIS;
  5. Had no lawful immigration status on June 15, 2012, and at the time of filing your request for DACA, meaning that:
    • You never had a lawful immigration status on or before June 15, 2012, or
    • Any lawful immigration status or parole that you obtained had expired as of June 15, 2012, and
    • Any lawful status that you had after June 15, 2012, expired or otherwise terminated before you submitted your request for DACA;
  6. Are currently enrolled in school, have graduated or obtained a certificate of completion from high school, have obtained a General Education Development (GED) certificate, or are an honorably discharged veteran of the United States Coast Guard or armed forces of the United States; and
  7. Have not been convicted of a felony, significant misdemeanor (that is, a misdemeanor as described in 8 CFR 236.22(b)(6)), or 3 or more other misdemeanors, and do not otherwise pose a threat to national security or public safety.


The number of people with active DACA status in June 2025 is 26.6% below the May 2018 peak.

Number of active DACA recipients

DACA protections are valid for two years, after which they must be renewed. DACA renewals have historically been higher in odd years than in even years. That’s because of the spike in initial applications in FY 2013 and the two-year renewal cycle. (An application granted in FY 2013 would have expired in the same month in FY 2015.) But since FY 2015, the difference in application volume between even and odd years has become less pronounced.

In FY 2024 there were 289,651 DACA renewals, down 4.8% from FY 2023 and down 1.9% from FY 2022.

Grants of initial and renewal applications for DACA status

If a person allows their DACA status to expire, they may reapply. If DACA status has lapsed for less than one year, the applicant may submit a renewal request; if it has been longer than one year, it is necessary to submit a new initial request to US Citizenship and Immigration Services. However, since September 13, 2023, USCIS has been blocked by the courts from processing new initial requests (though it continues to accept them).

Where do people with DACA status come from?

DACA recipients came to the US as children from all over the world. In fact, the 515,600 people with active DACA status as of June 2025 were born in 171 different countries currently recognized by the US Department of State as well as 21 territories, dependencies, and/or other unrecognized geographic entities. At different points during the program, some active DACA recipients were born in countries that have since dissolved, like Yugoslavia, Serbia and Montenegro, the Netherlands Antilles, and the USSR.

81.3% of people with DACA status were born in Mexico.

Active DACA recipients by country of birth, June 2025

There are 419,070 active DACA recipients from Mexico, the most of any country. That’s nearly 21 times as many people as from the country ranked second, El Salvador. Among the 10 most common countries of birth for DACA recipients, nine are in Central and South America (the other is South Korea).
  1. Mexico (419,070 active DACA recipients)
  2. El Salvador (20,390)
  3. Guatemala (13,830)
  4. Honduras (12,720)
  5. Peru (4,560)
  6. South Korea (4,400)
  7. Brazil (3,770)
  8. Ecuador (3,450)
  9. Colombia (2,890)
  10. Argentina (2,430)

In what states do DACA recipients live?

People with active DACA status live in all fifty states. California has 144,250 DACA recipients, about 67% more than second-ranked Texas (86,140 people) and nearly 35 times that of Minnesota, the median state (4,130 people with DACA live there). Vermont has the fewest DACA recipients (20 people) followed by 49th-ranked Alaska (60 people).

28% of all people with active DACA status live in California.

Top 25 states of residency for DACA recipients, June 2025

States that make up a large share of the US population don’t necessarily have a similarly large share of the DACA population. For example, California — ranked #1 for population — accounts for 11.6% of the US population but 28% of all people with DACA. Conversely, Pennsylvania is ranked #5 for population and is home to 3.8% of the US, but only 0.7% of all DACA recipients live there.

Comparing DACA recipient distribution to each state’s population share.

Comparing DACA recipient distribution to each state’s population share.

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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.