In 2023, the US was home to an estimated 335 million people, 13.8% of whom were immigrants. Those immigrant communities tended to cluster together and concentrate in some states, and even particular parts of states. Per the Census Bureau, an immigrant (or foreign-born person) is anyone who wasn’t a US citizen at birth, even if they later naturalized.
California was home to the biggest immigrant population, with 10 million foreign-born residents — more than double the number in Texas, whose 5.1 million immigrants make up the second-largest foreign-born population among the 50 states.
Which states have the biggest immigrant communities?
In 2023, the states with the largest shares of foreign-born residents were California (27.3%), New Jersey (24.2%), New York (23.1%), Florida (22.1%), and Nevada (19.3%).
In each of these states, immigrants tend to be concentrated in counties with major metropolitan areas. Here’s a look at where foreign-born populations live, and how these populations vary by county and state.
The West: California and Nevada
California and Nevada have the first and fifth-largest immigrant populations nationwide.
Immigrant communities in California, where 27.3% of the state population is foreign-born, live primarily in central and southern California. Santa Clara County is home to the most concentrated immigrant communities with two out of five people being foreign born. More than two-thirds of Santa Clara immigrant residents are from Asia, mostly China or India, and over a fifth are from Latin America.
The counties immediately surrounding Santa Clara County have the second, third, and fourth-highest share of immigrant populations in central California: San Mateo County (35.6%), Alameda County (34.1%), and San Francisco County (34.2%).
The fifth-highest immigrant population is in southern California — Los Angeles County is 33.4% foreign-born. Over half its immigrant residents come from Latin America, primarily Mexico.
Immigrants in Nevada, a state that is 19.3% foreign-born, are most concentrated in Clark County, Nevada. Home to Las Vegas, it’s nearly 22% foreign-born. Immigrant populations in other Nevada counties range from 0.6% and 14.3%. Fifty-two percent of foreign-born residents are from Latin America.
The New York Metro Area: New York and New Jersey
Two counties in this metro area, Queens County in New York and Hudson County in New Jersey, have immigrant communities that exceed 40% of the population. They rank second and fourth immigrant density nationwide.
Queens County, where 12% of all New Yorkers live, is home to 1.1 million immigrants. These foreign-born residents are 47.6% of Queens County, the highest percentage of any county in New York. It’s also a diverse population: Nearly half (47.8%) of Queens County immigrants are from Central or South America, 39.1% are from Asia, and 10.1% are from Europe.
Nearby counties are also home to larger-than-average shares of immigrant populations: 35.2% of neighboring Kings County, 34.2% of Bronx County, 28.1% of New York County, and 22.9% of Nassau County.
As you travel north in New York state, immigrant populations drop — New York City’s immediate neighbor to the north, Westchester County, has an immigrant population of 25.6%, but no other county’s population is more than 14% foreign-born.
Across the Hudson River, 24.2% of New Jersey is foreign-born. New Jersey’s smallest and most densely populated county, Hudson County, has the highest share of immigrants (42.6%). As in Queens County, the majority are from Central or South America (52.9%), with smaller populations from Asia (30.8%) and Europe (8.3%).
The counties surrounding Hudson County also have comparatively denser immigrant populations than the rest of the state, ranging from 29.3% in Essex County to 34.7% in Middlesex County.
The Southeast: Florida
In the southeastern-most state, the almost-southeastern-most county, Miami-Dade has the highest share of immigrants of any county in the nation — at 54.3%, it’s the only county with an immigrant majority. Of those residents, 93% of those were born in Latin America.
Overall, 22.1% of the Sunshine State is foreign-born. The immigrant population ranges between 18% and 36% of other counties in the southern tip of Florida, getting smaller in northern Florida. Duval County, home to Jacksonville, has an 11.9% foreign-born population.
Which counties have the biggest immigrant communities?
The 10 US counties with the highest percentage of foreign-born residents were in Florida, New York, Alaska, New Jersey, California, Texas, and Virginia.
Most counties in the top 10 are concentrated in densely populated urban centers along the coasts.
The Aleutians West Census Area in Alaska is the outlier — it’s coastal, but has a small population of around 5,200 people. Of the Area’s foreign-born population, 71% were born in Asia; the majority is from the Philippines.
These 10 counties are the exception in the US: most counties have a relatively low foreign-born population, and in 75% of them, fewer than 6.05% of residents are foreign-born.
Current estimates show 12 counties without no foreign-born residents at all: Owsley County, Kentucky; Sharkey and Wilkinson Counties, Mississippi; Garfield County, Montana; Blaine and Hooker Counties, Nebraska; Buffalo, Haakon, and Mellette Counties, South Dakota; Cottle and Roberts Counties, Texas; and Niobrara County, Wyoming. Each of these counties have total populations of fewer than 9,000 people.
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Page sources and methodology
All of the data on the page was sourced directly from government agencies. The analysis and final review was performed by USAFacts.
Census Bureau
Place of Birth for the Foreign-Born Population in the United States
