Last updated on: 6/22/2022 | Author: ProCon.org

Demographics of Undocumented Immigrants in the United States, 2019

While demographic estimates of undocumented immigrants in the United States are difficult to estimate, the Migration Policy Institute provided the following estimates for the undocumented population living in the country in 2019, based on US Census Bureau data from the 2015-2019 American Community Survey (ACS) and the 2008 Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP). The demographic estimates are based on a population estimate of 11,047,000 undocumented immigrants.

Top Countries of Birth

CountryUndocumented Population
in the United States
% of Total Undocumented
Population in the United States
Mexico5,313,00048%
El Salvador741,0007%
Guatemala724,0007%
India553,0005%
Honduras490,0004%
Other3,226,00029%

Regions of Birth

RegionUndocumented Population
in the United States
% of Total Undocumented
Population in the United States
Mexico & Central America7,381,00067%
Asia1,697,00015%
South America907,0008%
Europe/Canada/Oceania440,0004%
Caribbean327,0003%
Africa295,0003%

Years of US Residency

YearsUndocumented Population
in the United States
% of Total Undocumented
Population in the United States
Fewer than 52,370,00021%
5 to 91,744,00016%
10 to 142,132,00019%
15 to 192,368,00021%
20 or More2,433,00022%

Age

AgeUndocumented Population
in the United States
% of Total Undocumented
Population in the United States
Under 16606,0005%
16 to 241,577,00014%
25 to 342,986,00027%
35 to 443,084,00028%
45 to 541,772,00016%
55 and over1,023,0009%

Sex

SexUndocumented Population
in the United States
% of Total Undocumented
Population in the United States
Female5,062,00046%
Male5,985,00054%

Marital Status

Marital StatusUndocumented Population
in the United States
% of Total Undocumented
Population in the United States
Never Married4,057,00039%
Married to US Citizen4,057,00012%
Married to LPR (Legal Permanent Resident)654,0006%
Married to Non-Citizen/LPR (Legal Permanent Resident)2,822,00027%
No Longer Married (Divorced, Separated, or Widowed1,665,00016%

Children in the Home

ChildrenUndocumented Population
in the United States
% of Total Undocumented
Population in the United States
At Least One US-Citizen Minor3,521,00033%
Noncitizen Minors Only3,521,0008%
No Children6,185,00059%

School Enrollment (3-17 Years Old)

Enrollment StatusUndocumented Population
in the United States
% of Total Undocumented
Population in the United States
Enrolled651,00089%
Not Enrolled83,00011%

School Enrollment (18-24 Years Old)

Enrollment StatusUndocumented Population
in the United States
% of Total Undocumented
Population in the United States
Enrolled569,00040%
Not Enrolled842,00060%

Educational Attainment (25 Years Old & Older)

Educational AttainmentUndocumented Population
in the United States
% of Total Undocumented
Population in the United States
Grade 0-51,330,00015%
Grade 6-81,444,00016%
Grade 9-121,334,00015%
High School Diploma or Equivalent1,334,00024%
Some College or Associate's Degree (AA/AS)1,062,00012%
Bachelor's (BA/BS), Graduate (MA/MS/MFA/PHD/etc), or Professional Degree (MD/JD/etc)1,558,00018%

English Proficiency (Ages 5 & up)

English ProficiencyUndocumented Population
in the United States
% of Total Undocumented
Population in the United States
Speak only English773,0007%
Speak English "Very Well"2,734,00025%
Speak English "Well"2,450,00022%
Speak English "Not Well" or "Not at All"4,994,00046%

Languages Spoken at Home (Ages 5 & up)

LanguageUndocumented Population
in the United States
% of Total Undocumented
Population in the United States
Spanish7,919,00072%
English780,0007%
Chinese377,0003%
Tagalog290,0003%
Portuguese166,0002%
Other1,419,00013%

Employment Status (Ages 16 & up)

Employment StatusUndocumented Population
in the United States
% of Total Undocumented
Population in the United States
Employed6,829,00065%
Unemployed448,0004%
Not in the Labor Force3,157,00030%

Source

Migration Policy Institute, “Profile of the Unauthorized Population: United States,” migrationpolicy.org (accessed June 22, 2022)