This chart, from Pew Research, is up to 2018. The U.S. Census estimates that as of August 2023, 14.8% of the U.S. population is foreign-born – the highest percent since 1890.
In percentage terms, the foreign-born population in the U.S. has tripled since the mid-1970s, which was an historic low.
In numeric terms (rather than percentage), the increase is about 4x more and closer to 5x if the data is brought up to the present.
About 2 out of 3 American residents has close immigrant ties, as shown by this chart.
The brown line is foreign born.
The yellow line is 1st generation born to immigrant parents.
The grey line is 2nd generation (meaning their grandparents were immigrants).
If you add these together, about 2/3ds of the U.S. population has close immigrant ties – by either being born abroad, or the child or grand-child of immigrants. This is amazing.
The age distribution of the immigrant population has changed over time. In 1960, the immigrant population was elderly. But today, the immigrant population is overwhelmingly young adult (note the chart is 2018, not 2023).
Because of “right of descent” immigration policies in some countries, that provide automatic or relatively easy residency or citizenship to descendants of immigrants, it is estimated that a staggering 40% of U.S. residents have a right of residency or citizenship in the EU, if they chose to pursue that option.
Those that have immigrated, by definition, have global skills, and those skills may extend to those with close immigrant ties. For example, one reporter wrote that since Russia invaded Ukraine, she has been in close contact with “immediate family members” in Ukraine (as best I can tell, she is 1st generation Ukrainian-American, as her parents had immigrated to the U.S.)
An estimated 50% of those with Ph.D. degrees in STEM fields, in the U.S., are foreign born. About 3 in 4 end up staying and working in the U.S. long term, and likely a similar percentage for foreign born Master’s students: 80% of Master’s students in computer science and engineering at U.S. universities are foreign born.
1 in 4 STEM workers in the U.S., were born abroad.
In Silicon Valley, an estimated 40% of residents are foreign born and 70% of tech workers are foreign born. In the Seattle area, nearly one half of tech sector workers are foreign born.
I created this blog as a way to track what I learn about global topics, immigration and travel.
I have learned that I grew up at a time when the foreign born population in the U.S. was at a low point for the past 150 years – about 5% in the early 1970s (see chart above). That shaped my world views – in the wrong way. Today I recognize immigration has played an enormous role in the U.S., and that most people have close immigrant ties. I did not have close immigrant ties. My closest immigrant relatives trace to the mid to late 1800s, but much of my ancestry goes back to the 16th to the 17th century in the U.S. This created a warped view, in my mind, of the role of immigration. To me, immigration was something that happened long ago. My view was completely wrong.
My views of other countries was also shaped by growing up with National Geographic, the publication that has since admitted to a long history of racism and distortion of the truth about other countries and societies.
My parent’s family did not travel internationally and I did not travel internationally. In 2022, we made our first trip to Europe, a self-directed trip to the Netherlands. In 2023, we made a self directed two week trip to Norway. I am slowly developing a broader perspective on the world around me. However, considering that 93% of college graduates have traveled internationally, that 70% of have been to 3 or more countries, and 28% have been to 10 or more countries, I have a long ways to go to catch up on global skills and knowledge and having a better global perspective.