US Immigration Statistics and Data
U.S. Census Bureau Migration and Geographic Mobility Statistics - Information about surveys/programs that collect information about internal/domestic migration and estimates of international migration, including:
- The American Community Survey (includes place of birth, year of entry, residence one year ago, citizenship status, county-to-county migration flows)
- Current Population Survey Monthly survey conducted by Bureau of Labor Statistics and Census bureau. Data-based reports on various topics, including foreign born workers. Special topical modules of the survey have included immigration. A chart of those supplements indicates the topics, the months and years they were administered, and whether or not the data are available. Data can be obtained via several sources.
- Population Estimates (see Geographic Mobility tables)
- Decennial Census (see 2000 and earlier)
- Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) - Domestic migration and length of time at current residence.
- Yearbook of Immigration Statistics, 1996-presentAdmissions on permanent basis, temporary basis, asylum or refugee status, and naturalizations. Data is by country and region, in Excel.
Older immigration statistics by country
- Historical Statistics of the United States Millennial Edition immigrants by country of birth, 1941-1997 and immigrants by country of last residence, 1820-1997. Under Population>international migration. Data in Excel.
- 1978-2001: Statistical Yearbook of the Immigration and Naturalization Service scanned pdf but has by country breakdowns not always available in Historical Statistics of the US. Also in print either at Firestone (F) or Stokes (SPR) (call number JV6461 .S8) or in ReCAP.
- 1940s-1980s: Annual report of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, scanned pdf but has by country breakdowns not always available in Historical Statistics of the US. Also in print in Firestone JV6414 .A6.
- DHS also produces data on immigration enforcement actions and estimates of the undocumented immigrant populations.
- Visa Statistics, Dept. of State, 2000-presentThe Report of the Visa Office is an annual report providing statistical information on immigrant and non-immigrant visa issuances by consular offices, as well as information on the use of visa numbers in numerically limited categories.
- 1965-1993: scanned pdf of the report. Also in print in ReCAP, 1974-2001.
- TRAC Immigration ToolsProvides access to data on the immigration court caseloads and outcomes (including deportation proceedings); ICE detentions, removals, and facilities; immigration judges; and juvenile cases. Information on criminal enforcement of immigration law including statutes used is also available. Based upon analyses by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University of court and agency records obtained via the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
- Statistical Abstract of the United States This link opens in a new windowSummary statistics on the social, political and economic organization of the United States. Compiled from publications and records of various government and private agencies. Serves as a convenient reference volume and as a guide to other statistical sources. Emphasis is on national data but many tables include statistics on states, regions and foreign countries. 1878+
- Social Explorer This link opens in a new windowAllows user to visually analyze and understand the demography of the United States through the use of interactive maps and data reports from 1790 to the present. Also includes the 2011 censuses for Canada and the United Kingdom.
- Handbook of U.S. Labor StatisticsCompilation of statistical tables, including those about the foreign born population, based on Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
- Pew Research CenterCharts and statistics about U.S. immigrants. 1980+
International Migration Data
Note: Governments vary in the way they collect statistics on international and internal migrants and many do not count the number of individuals who emigrate from the country. The sources below provide comparative figures calculated by the issuing organization. For more detailed information, it may be helpful to examine publications from individual country statistical offices. In addition, Stokes Library houses a print collection of international census publications and vital statistics. They may be found by searching the Library catalog with the following Subject headings: (country name) -- Census or (country name) -- Statistics, Vital (for example, Argentina--Census or Nigeria--Statistics, Vital). To find microdata about immigration available through Princeton University Libraries, see Data and Statistical Services.
- UN International Migration Stock EstimatesThe dataset presents estimates of international migrant by age, sex and origin. Estimates are presented for 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010 and 2015 and are available for all countries and areas of the world. The estimates are based on official statistics on the foreign-born or the foreign population. Data in Excel.
- UN International Migration FlowsThe dataset contains annual data on the flows of international migrants as recorded by the countries of destination. The data presents both inflows and outflows according to the place of birth, citizenship or place of previous / next residence both for foreigners and nationals. Data available from 45 countries, 1980+, in Excel.
- UN Demographic YearbookInternational migration characteristics by country.
- OECD International Migration StatisticsIncludes the International Migration Database and labor market outcomes of immigrants. Flows and stocks of the total immigrant population and immigrant labor force in OECD countries, together with data on acquisition of nationality, 1975+. Downloadable to .csv.
- OECD Indicators of Immigrant IntegrationBroad international comparison across all EU and OECD countries of the outcomes for immigrants and their children based on 68 indicators. See also: Indicators of Immigrant Integration: Settling In.
- UNHCR Population Statistics DatabaseContains data about UNHCR's populations of concern from 1951-2019. Can filter by location of residence, origin, and status (refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced persons (IDPs), returned refugees, returned IDPs, stateless people). Data downloadable in .csv.
- Global Internal Displacement DatabaseCovers more than 160 countries and territories and provides data (in Excel) on situations of:
- Internal displacement associated with conflict and generalized violence (2003-present)
- Displacement associated with sudden-onset natural hazard-related disasters (2008-present)
- Migration Policy InstituteMPI's datahub has maps and data on migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers as well as on global remittances.
- Humanitarian Data ExchangeHub and platform for NGOs to post humanitarian data. Includes more than 6000 datasets and provides infographics and data visualizations as well.
- World Bank Global Bilateral Migration DatabaseGlobal matrices of bilateral migrant stocks spanning the period 1960-2000, disaggregated by gender and based primarily on the foreign-born concept.
- International Organization for Migration (IOM) Migration Data PortalData about internal displacement, missing migrants, migration governance and many other migration topics, including health. Primarily UN data.
- Eurostat Asylum and Migration StatisticsEuropean Union country statistics and articles about citizenship, asylum, first and second generation immigrants, migrant integration, migration by area and region, residence permits.
- International Labour Organization (ILO) Labour Migration StatisticsIncludes international migration stocks, nationals abroad, international migration flow.
- Migrant Integration Policy IndexProject of CIDOB and the Migration Policy Group. Measures policies to integrate migrants in all EU Member States, Australia, Canada, Iceland, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, Turkey and the US. Useful to evaluate and compare what governments are doing to promote the integration of migrants.
Migration Research Projects
- Mexican Migration Project (1982-)A yearly study of Mexican migrants that randomly samples households in communities throughout Mexico. After gathering social, demographic, and economic information on the household and its members, interviewers collect basic information on each person's first and last trip to the United States. From household heads, they compile a year-by-year history of United States migration and collect information about the last trip northward, focusing on employment, earnings, and use of United States social services. More than 25,000 households have been interviewed across 24 states in Mexico, with individual-level data on more than 160,000 people.
- Latin American Migration Project (1998-)Aims to advance our understanding of the complex processes of international migration and immigration to the United States through surveys of migrant households. LAMP employs the ethnosurvey approach, which combines the tecniques of ethnographic fieldwork and representative survey sampling to gather qualitative as well as quantitative data. Countries covered include Puerto Rico, Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Haiti, Peru, Guatemala, and Ecuador. Data in SAS, SPSS, and Stata.
- Migrations between Africa and Europe Project (2008-2010)Collected data on migration flows between Sub-Saharan Africa and Europe. MAFE conducted household surveys in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana and Senegal, as well as individual biographical questionnaires in Africa (DR Congo, Ghana, Senegal) and in Europe (Congolese in Belgium and the UK; Ghanaians in the Netherlands and the UK; Senegalese in France, Italy and Spain). Data were collected both in origin and destination countries, providing data on migrants abroad at the time of the surveys and also on returnees and non-migrants interviewed in origin countries. The individual questionnaire collects full retrospective histories of individual's housing, study and work trajectories, family formation, property ownership and migrant networks.
- Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Study (1992-2006)Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Study (CILS) was designed to study the adaptation process of the immigrant second generation. CILS followed a sample of over 5,200 children of immigrants from early adolescence to early adulthood, interviewing them at three key points of their life cycle: in junior high school, at average age 14, just prior to high school graduation (or dropping out of school), at average age 17, at the beginning of their work careers (or continuing schooling), at average age 24. Each sample wave retrieved approximately 85 percent of the preceding one. The third wave produced data on 3,564 respondents or 68 percent of the original sample.
- New Immigrant Survey (2003-2009)The New Immigrant Survey (NIS) is a nationally representative multi-cohort longitudinal study of new legal immigrants and their children to the United States based on nationally representative samples of the administrative records, compiled by the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), pertaining to immigrants newly admitted to permanent residence. It asks about immigrant lifestyles pre- and post-immigration, family networks, schooling, health, employment, income and transfers, housing, and assimiliation.
- Comparative Immigrant Organization Project (2006)The Comparative Immigrant Organizations Project (CIOP) studied the effects of transnational and domestic organizations on the political incorporation of Latin American (Mexican, Colombian, Dominican) immigrants in the United States by examining the views of leaders of immigrant organizations toward citizenship acquisition and political participation in the United States as well as the actual activities of these organizations in civic life and politics, both in the United States and abroad. The dataset contains detailed measures of the extent of economic, political, and socio-cultural transnationalism, activities in the U.S. and sending countries, and characteristics of both the organizations and their members. Data in both Stata and SPSS formats.
- Center for Migration and Development Data ArchiveRepository of datasets conducted by researchers at the Center for Migration and Development at Princeton University.
Policy Organizations and Reports
- Migration Policy InstituteMigration Policy Institute--Data Hub Collection of International migration statistic. Includes data on net migration, asylum, citizenship, integration and other aspects of migration. Contains some historical data. Also includes data about global remittances, maps, and U.S. immigration trends.
- Pew Research CenterNonpartisan think tank that provides information on social issues, public opinion, and demographic trends shaping the United States and the world, including immigrant populations, unauthorized immigration, and refugees and asylum seekers, and more.
- Urban Institute: Program on Immigrants and ImmigrationAmong the research interests at the Urban Institute are US immigration policy and the role immigrants play in the economy, the challenges immigrants face in different communities, and immigrants’ access to the social safety net.
- Center for Immigration StudiesIndependent research center focused on immigration policy in the US and advocating a "low-immigration, pro-immigrant" vision.
- International Organization for Migration (IOM)United Nations affiliated intergovernmental organization that provides services and advice concerning migration to governments and migrants, including internally displaced persons, refugees and migrant workers.
- Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF)Non-profit organization focusing on national health issues including immigrant health policy.
- National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL)U. S. State immigration laws and legislation, and sanctuary policies. Includes an Immigration Database
- Migration Policy GroupBrussels-based migration think tank in the areas of integration, migration and anti-discrimination. Publishes research, manages the European Web Site on Integration, and offers the Migration Integration Poicy Index.
- PAIS: Public Affairs Information Service This link opens in a new windowCitations to articles, books, reports, and select government documents on U.S. and international public policy issue. Generally considered to be a comprehensive index to policy literature. 1915+
Overviews of the Literature
The following resources provide focused reviews of the scholarship and research relating to various aspects of migration, which can help you understand the context of your research question as well as identify sources for further exploration.
- Topical overviews of the fieldGood starting points for getting a sense of the field. This catalog search uses the keywords (immigration OR migration OR migrant OR refugee OR diaspora) as subjects and (handbook OR encyclopedia) in the title.
Here are some examples of what you might find:
International Migration Outlook : Annual Report by
Call Number: JV6001.A1 S66 (Stokes Library)Publication Date: 2006-Annual publication analyzing recent developments in migration movements and policies in OECD countries. Includes statistical information on immigrant stocks and flows, the immigrant labor market and migration policies. Focus on a different issue each year. Former title: Trends in International Migration.
Routledge International Handbook of Migration Studies by Call Number: JV6035 .R68 2013 (Stokes Library)Publication Date: 2013Featuring forty-seven essays written by leading international and multidisciplinary scholars, the Handbook offers a contemporary, integrated and comprehensive resource for students and scholars of sociology, politics, human geography, law, history, urban planning, journalism, and health care.
Debates on U. S. Immigration by Call Number: JV6483 .D422 2012 (Stokes Library)Publication Date: 2012Point/counterpoint articles explore key aspects of immigration debates in the United States, including labor & economic, social & cultural, and political & legal issues. Each article includes lists of readings, data sources, and other resources as a jumping-off spot for further research.
The Oxford Handbook of Refugee and Forced Migration Studies by Call Number: HV640 .O94 2014 (Stokes Library)Publication Date: 2014Comprising more than 50 chapters, this authoritative handbook critically evaluates the birth and development of Refugee and Forced Migration Studies and provides a comprehensive overview of the key intellectual, political, social and institutional challenges arising from mass displacement in the world today.
Immigration and Asylum by Call Number: JV6012 .I56 2005 (Firestone Reference)Publication Date: 2005Key concepts, terms, personalities, and real-world issues associated with the surge of immigration from the beginning of the 20th century to the present. Focus on the United States. Organized around four themes: immigration and asylum; the major migrating groups around the world; expulsions and other forced population movements; and the politics of migration.
The Oxford Handbook of the Politics of International Migration by Call Number: JV6035 .O94 2012 (Firestone)Publication Date: 2012Written by top scholars from a variety of disciplines, this handbook analyzes the origins and causes of migration, the consequences of migration at both ends of the migration chain, immigration policy, aspects of the immigrant experience, and contemporary policy issues, including transborder crime and terrorism, migration and organized labor, and normative debates about citizenship and immigration.
The Encyclopedia of Global Human Migration by Call Number: GN370 .E55 2013 (Stokes Library Reference)Publication Date: 2013An extensive exploration of the prominent themes, events, and theoretical underpinnings of the movements of human populations from prehistory to the present day. Provides thematic discussions of key topics, detailed migration histories, biographies, and more.
Contemporary Immigration in America by Call Number: JV6465 .C745 2015 (Stokes Library-Reference, Firestone Library- ReferencePublication Date: 2015Chapters for each state. Includes: a historical timeline; topical essays about important immigration events, issues, legislation, and notable figures or groups. Covers 1945-present.
Anti-Immigration in the United States by Call Number: JV6450 .A67 2011 (Stokes Library)Publication Date: 2011Explores the debate, policies, ideas, and key groups from historical and contemporary perspectives surrounding anti-immigration sentiment.
Undocumented Immigrants in the United States by Call Number: JV6475 .U48 2014 (Firestone Library)Publication Date: 2014Addresses the dynamic lives of undocumented immigrants in the United States
Encyclopedia of the Great Black Migration by Call Number: JV6475 .U48 2014 (Firestone Library - African American Studies Reading Room))Publication Date: 2006Explores the movement of southern African Americans to the urban North and West from 1900 to the 1990s.
The Encyclopedia of European Migration and Minorities by Call Number: JV7590 .E4913 2011 (Stokes Library Reference)Publication Date: 2011A systematic overview migration within and into Europe. Includes survey studies of the various regions and countries in Europe covering the last centuries and information on about 220 individual groups of migrants from the 16th century to the present.
Encyclopedia of Diasporas by Call Number: JV6225 .E53 2005 (Firestone Library)Publication Date: 2004Discusses the history behind the social, economic, and political reasons for leaving the original countries, and the cultures in the new places, for over 20 ethnic groups. Covers the impact and assimilation that the immigrant cultures experience in their adopted cultures.
Encyclopedia of Immigrant Health by Call Number: RA448.5.I44 E58 2012 (Stokes Library Reference)Publication Date: 2012Biopsychosocial-historical approach to global immigrant health. Includes chapters on the United States.
Related Subject Headings in the Catalog
Several subject headings* exist to search in the catalog for works about immigration, migration, and immigrants.
- Migration: search by receiving country and then --Emigration and immigration, for example United States--Emigration and immigration
- may be futher subdivided by topics like --government policy, --economic aspects, --history, --statistics
- Immigrants
- may be subdivided by names of places where immigrants settle, e.g. immigrants--France or by key topics like --education, --employment, --government policy, --political activity, or both, like immigrants--France--social conditions
- Children of immigrants or immigrant children or women immigrants
- Noncitizens or undocumented immigrants or children of undocumented immigrants and their host country --United States
- Refugees and their host country --Germany
- Diasporas: nationality group and the place in which they live, e.g. Hungarians--Romania or Chinese--Southeast Asia or
- Migration, Internal and the country of interest --United States
- Return migration and the country of interest --Mexico
- Forced migration and the country of interest --Russia (Federation)
- Deportation and the country of interest --United States
- Migrant labor or Migrant agricultural laborers or Foreign workers
- Immigrants in literature or Immigrants' writings
- Intercountry adoption
*Subject headings are provided by the Library of Congress.