For millions of people around the world, a choice is being made: to leave their home and move to another country for a better life. For some, the choice will be only temporary; for others, it may be a permanent one. These people are called immigrants. As of 2023, nearly 47 million people living in the United States were foreign born — a figure that is near an historic high.
Immigrants are a vital part of the U.S. economy in many ways. They work at high rates and make up more than a third of the workforce in some industries. Their geographic mobility helps local economies respond to worker shortages. Their influx of young children can offset the expected decline in the working-age population due to retiring Baby Boomers. And their contributions to Social Security and Medicare can help sustain those programs for future generations.
Most of the people who are currently living in the United States as immigrants came here legally. This group includes refugees, who undergo a lengthy vetting process and are legally admitted to the United States because they cannot return home because of war, violence or persecution based on their race, nationality, membership in a particular social group, political opinion, religion or sexual orientation; extreme poverty; or natural disasters.
The largest single national origin group of immigrants is from Mexico, but people come to the United States from all over the globe. This diversity is reflected in the responses to KFF’s Survey of Immigrants, which provides a snapshot of immigrant experiences across the country.
About half of all working immigrants report having experienced discrimination in the workplace. Discrimination most often involves being paid less or not getting the same opportunities for advancement as someone who was born in the United States, according to the survey. A significant share of those surveyed also say they have difficulty making ends meet and feel confused or fearful about U.S. immigration laws and policies. Some of these issues are more pronounced for lower-income immigrants, people of Black or Hispanic ethnicity and those with limited English proficiency. To better understand these and other issues, KFF conducted a series of focus groups with immigrant community members.