The number and share of the U.S. population that are foreign-born or are immigrants reached record highs in January, a report says.
The Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) think tank reported that according to the government’s Current Population Survey, the foreign-born or immigrant population, including legal and illegal immigrants combined, reached 53.3 million individuals, constituting 15.8 percent of the total U.S. population as of January 2025.
CIS emphasized the significance of the data derived from the CPS, highlighting that it provides a more accurate depiction of the immigrant population within the country compared to solely relying on border statistics. The organization’s analysis suggested that out of the 8.3 million growth in the foreign-born population since President Biden assumed office in January 2021, an estimated 5.4 million were illegal immigrants, which constituted two-thirds of the total increase.
Pointing out the extensive scale of both legal and illegal immigration, CIS underscored the far-reaching consequences across various aspects of society, ranging from schools and public resources to the labor market and housing sector. The organization raised critical questions about the United States’ capacity to effectively integrate and assimilate the existing immigrant population, in addition to considering the feasibility of accommodating new arrivals each year.
President Biden welcomes U.S. President-elect Donald Trump to the White House ahead of his inauguration on Jan. 20, 2025. The CIS said “the 53.3 million foreign-born residents are the largest number ever in U.S. history; and the 8.3 million increase in the last four years” during the Biden administration “is larger than the growth in the preceding 12 years.” (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
A chart released by CIS, citing government data, showed that the foreign-born population in the U.S. increased by 2.9 million during former President Barack Obama’s first term, 3.4 million during his second, 1.6 million during President Donald Trump’s first term and 8.3 million during the Biden administration.
“Of course, during the latter part of the Trump administration, COVID significantly curtailed immigration, so one can see his four years as artificially low,” the CIS said.
A U.S. Border Patrol agent stands on a cliff looking for migrants that crossed the border wall between the U.S. and Mexico near the city of Sasabe, Ariz., in January 2022. (Photo by Salwan Georges/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
It also noted that 60% of immigrants in the U.S. are employed and “There were 31.7 million immigrant workers in January 2025, and they account for nearly 20 percent of all workers.”
