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The number of immigrants in the United States has continued to fluctuate in recent years, with estimates varying slightly depending on the source, yet indicating overall growth. Both the Pew Research Center and the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), using Census Bureau data, have released findings that give a clearer picture of the country’s foreign-born population.

According to the Pew Research Center, the nation’s “unauthorized” immigrant population has increased significantly. Pew reported that the number of unauthorized immigrants was about 10.2 million in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic. That number grew to 14 million in 2023, with an additional 3 million added during 2023–24, bringing the total to approximately 17 million unauthorized immigrants.

The Center for Immigration Studies, which advocates for tighter immigration restrictions, released a report on August 12 citing U.S. Census Bureau estimates. CIS found that the total foreign-born population grew from 45 million at the start of the Biden administration to 53.3 million during his first 48 months in office. However, from January to July of this year, that number slightly decreased to 51.1 million.

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Taken together, these figures indicate that out of the 51.1 million foreign-born residents currently in the United States, approximately 17 million are unauthorized immigrants, while the remaining 34.1 million are legal immigrants.

Placed in the context of the overall U.S. population—around 340 million people in 2024, according to Census Bureau estimates—these figures carry significant importance. Unauthorized immigrants make up roughly 5 percent of the population, while legal immigrants account for about 10 percent. Combined, the foreign-born population constitutes 15 percent of the U.S. population.

The evidence, as both sources acknowledge, is not precise. As one summary of the research explained, “The evidence, as always with illegal immigration, is not precise. But it comes from diverse sources, which have earned some respect for rigorous analysis.” However, the combination of Pew’s focus on unauthorized immigrants and CIS’s use of Census Bureau data on the total foreign-born population offers a solid view of immigration in the United States today.

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