The undocumented population in the United States increased to 12.2 million in 2023
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New York, NY – The Center for Migration Studies (CMS) has released its annual estimates of the undocumented population, finding that the undocumented population in the United States increased to 12.2 million in 2023.
In a time of widespread misinformation about and political hostility toward undocumented immigrants, CMS continues to publish rigorous and evidence-based estimates of the undocumented population size. The latest report by Robert Warren presents estimates of the undocumented population in the United States for 2023, based on the most recent data collected through the American Community Survey (ACS) conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Key findings of the new data estimating the size of the undocumented population include:
- The total undocumented population increased by two million to reach 12.2 million from 2020 to 2023 after declining by 800,000 from 2013 to 2020.
- Thirteen countries accounted for most of the growth (in thousands): Thirteen countries accounted for most of the growth (in thousands): Mexico (350); four countries in Central America — El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua (620); six countries in South America — Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela (690); and two Asian countries — China and India (200). The undocumented population from those 13 countries increased by 1.9 million from 2020 to 2023.
- The undocumented population increased in all the top six states from 2020 to 2023, but California and Illinois had fewer undocumented residents in 2023 than in 2013. Florida, New York, and New Jersey were the fastest-growing states from 2020 to 2023.
On June 11, at 1 pm ET, the Center for Migration Studies (CMS) is hosting a webinar event bringing together leading experts in demography and immigration policy to discuss its new estimates.
In this webinar, speakers will present the 2023 population estimates, contextualize the policy changes and geopolitical trends driving changes in the data, and reflect on the challenges that mass deportation policies and a climate of fear pose for demography. Attendees can register for the webinar here.
The Center for Migration Studies and the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs also announce their new partnership to study the undocumented population in the United States. This will include continued development of the data tool to estimate the size and characteristics of the undocumented and making accessible accurate data to researchers, advocates, media, and the general public.
Speakers will include:
- Robert Warren is a Senior Visiting Fellow at CMS since 2013 leading the organization’s research into demographic estimates of the undocumented population. He served as a demographer for 34 years with the United States Census Bureau and the former Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS).
- Ryan Allen, PhD, is a professor and associate dean for research at the University of Minnesota with a dual appointment at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs and University of Minnesota Extension. His research focuses on housing and community development with an emphasis on the experience of immigrant communities in the U.S.
- Phillip Connor, PhD, is Senior Demographer at FWD.us, as well as Research Fellow at the Center for Migration and Development at Princeton University. Dr. Connor oversees quantitative and policy-oriented research on immigration, demographic change, and immigrant integration in the United States.
- Mario Russell, Executive Director at CMS, will moderate the discussion.
For more information, contact Rosalie Wells at rwells@cmsny.org or 347-407-5137.
The Center for Migration Studies (CMS) is a New York-based educational institute devoted to the study of international migration, to the promotion of understanding between immigrants and receiving communities, and to public policies that safeguard the dignity and rights of migrants, refugees, and newcomers. For more information, please visit www.cmsny.org.
307 East 60th Street, Fourth Floor, New York, NY 10022 • P: 212.337.3080 • cms@cmsny.org • www.cmsny.org
