On December 7, the U.S. Census Bureau published the results of the 2018-2022 American Community Survey (ACS), which provided vital information on the demographic composition of the United States. The five-year estimate – which covered the social, economic, and demographic characteristics of the U.S. population between 2018 and 2022 – revealed that almost 14% of the U.S. population is foreign-born. That group includes naturalized citizens, lawful permanent residents, refugees, people who were granted asylum, unauthorized immigrants, and people who were temporarily admitted to the country, excluding international tourists.
In other words, in a country of around 335 million people, 45.3 million were foreign-born by the end of 2022. That number represented an increase of over 5 million compared to the 2008-2012 ACS, where there were only 39.8 million foreign-born people. Notably, more than half of all foreign-born people (52.3%) are naturalized U.S. citizens.
This year’s ACS also highlighted how foreign-born residents have powered population growth in key states, making up more than one-fifth of the population in states like California (26.5%), New Jersey (23.2%), New York (22.6%), and Florida (21.1%).
The survey also shed light on the education level of the foreign-born population compared to the native-born. According to the ACS, almost one-fifth (19%) of the foreign-born population over 25 years of age had a bachelor’s degree – still slightly below the 21% of the native-born population. However, the percentage of the foreign-born population with a graduate or professional degree (15%) is higher than the native-born (13%).
The ACS also revealed that nearly half (49%) of all foreign-born people entered the United States before 2000. It also showed that almost two-thirds (64%) of the foreign-born population over 16 years of age are employed, with large numbers working in key sectors including management, business, science and arts occupations.
The survey also highlighted that English remains the most common language spoken of the United States. According to the estimates, 78% of all the people over 5 years of age speak only English at home.
However, the survey also showed that the Spanish-speaking population of the United States continues growing. The survey revealed that of those who speak speaks a language other than English at home, an overwhelming majority (61%) speak Spanish. That growth has positioned the U.S. as the country with the fourth-most Spanish speakers in the world. Notably, approximately two-thirds of those who speak Spanish in the United States are reported to speak English very well.
The 2018-2022 American Community Survey is a noteworthy document highlighting the vital role that immigrants continue to play, both in terms of demographics and the workforce.