2009 Estimate
2009 Estimate
2009 Estimate
JANUARY 2010
Immigrant Population Residing in
the United States: January 2009
MICHAEL HOEFER, NANCY RYTINA, AND BRYAN C. BAKER
This report provides estimates of the number of unauthorized immigrants residing in the United
States as of January 2009 by period of entry, region and country of origin, state of residence, age,
and gender. The estimates were obtained using the “residual” methodology employed for estimates
of the unauthorized population in 2008 (see Hoefer, Rytina, and Baker, 2009). The unauthorized
resident population is the remainder or “residual” after estimates of the legally resident foreign-
born population – legal permanent residents (LPRs), asylees, refugees, and nonimmigrants – are
subtracted from estimates of the total foreign-born population. Data to estimate the legally resident
population were obtained primarily from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) while the
American Community Survey (ACS) of the U.S. Census Bureau was the source for estimates of the
total foreign-born population.
In summary, DHS estimates that the unauthorized required to leave. Unauthorized immigrants applying
immigrant population living in the United States for adjustment to lawful permanent resident status
decreased to 10.8 million in January 2009 from 11.6 under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA)
million in January 2008. Between 2000 and 2009, the Section 245(i) are unauthorized until they have been
unauthorized population grew by 27 percent. Of all granted LPR status, even though they may have been
unauthorized immigrants living in the United States in authorized to work. Persons who are beneficiaries of
2009, 63 percent entered before 2000, and 62 percent Temporary Protected Status (TPS)—an estimated several
were from Mexico. hundred thousand—are not technically unauthorized
but were excluded from the legally resident immigrant
DEFINITIONS population because data are unavailable in sufficient
Legal Residents detail to estimate this population.
The legally resident immigrant population as defined
METHODOLOGY AND DATA
for these estimates includes all persons who were
granted lawful permanent residence; granted asylee sta- Two populations are estimated in order to derive the
tus; admitted as refugees; or admitted as nonimmigrants unauthorized population estimates: 1) the total foreign-
for a temporary stay in the United States and not born population living in the United States on January
required to leave by January 1, 2009. Nonimmigrant 1, 2009, and 2) the legally resident population on the
residents refer to certain aliens who were legally admit- same date. The unauthorized population is equal to 1)
ted temporarily to the United States for specified time minus 2). It was assumed that foreign-born residents
periods such as students and temporary workers. who had entered the United States prior to 1980 were
legally resident since most were eligible for legal per-
Unauthorized Residents manent resident status.1 Therefore, the starting point for
The unauthorized resident immigrant population is
defined as all foreign-born non-citizens who are not 1
The Registry Provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) allows persons
who have been in the United States since January 1, 1972 to apply for LPR status.
legal residents. Most unauthorized residents either Additionally, persons who had lived in the United States before 1982 as unauthor-
entered the United States without inspection or were ized residents were eligible to adjust to LPR status under the Immigration Reform
and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986.
admitted temporarily and stayed past the date they were
Limitations 4.0
Assumptions about undercount of the foreign-born population in the ACS and rates of 2.0
DHS estimates not produced
emigration. The estimates are sensitive to the assumptions that are for 2001–2004
made about these components (see RESULTS). 0
2000 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Accuracy of year of entry reporting. Concerns exist among immigration Source: U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
analysts regarding the validity and reliability of Census survey data
Table 2.
Components of the Unauthorized Immigrant Population: January 2009
2009
1) Foreign-born population
a. Foreign-born population, entered 1980-2008, 2008 ACS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29,010,000
b. Adjustment for shift in reference date from July 1, 2008 to January 1, 2009 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 490,000
c. Undercount of nonimmigrants in ACS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190,000
d. Undercount of other legally resident immigrants (LPRs, recent refugee/asylee arrivals) in ACS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 470,000
e. Undercount of unauthorized immigrant population in ACS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,080,000
f. Estimated foreign-born population, January 1, 2009 (a.+b.+c.+d.+e.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31,220,000
2) Legally resident population
g. LPR, refugee, and asylee flow January 1, 1980-December 31, 2008 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23,540,000
h. Mortality 1980-2008 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,520,000
i. Emigration 1980-2008 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,420,000
j. LPR, refugee, and asylee resident population, January 1, 2009 (g.-h.-i.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18,610,000
k. Nonimmigrant population on January 1, 2009 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,860,000
l. Estimated legally resident population, January 1, 2009 (j.+k.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20,470,000
3) Unauthorized immigrant population
m. Estimated resident unauthorized immigrant population, January 1, 2008 (f.-l.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10,750,000
APPENDIX 2
Country of Birth and State of Residence of the Unauthorized Immigrant Population: January 2000 and 2005–2009
Estimated population in January
Country of birth 2000 2005 2006* 2007 2008 2009
All countries . . . . . . . 8,460,000 10,490,000 11,310,000 11,780,000 11,600,000 10,750,000
Mexico . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,680,000 5,970,000 6,570,000 6,980,000 7,030,000 6,650,000
El Salvador . . . . . . . . . 430,000 470,000 510,000 540,000 570,000 530,000
Guatemala . . . . . . . . . . 290,000 370,000 430,000 500,000 430,000 480,000
Honduras. . . . . . . . . . . 160,000 180,000 280,000 280,000 300,000 320,000
Philippines . . . . . . . . . . 200,000 210,000 280,000 290,000 300,000 270,000
India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120,000 280,000 210,000 220,000 160,000 200,000
Korea . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180,000 210,000 230,000 230,000 240,000 200,000
Ecuador . . . . . . . . . . . . 110,000 120,000 150,000 160,000 170,000 170,000
Brazil. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100,000 170,000 210,000 190,000 180,000 150,000
China . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190,000 230,000 170,000 290,000 220,000 120,000
Other countries . . . . . . 2,000,000 2,280,000 2,290,000 2,100,000 2,000,000 1,650,000
Estimated population in January
State of residence 2000 2005 2006* 2007 2008 2009
All states . . . . . . . . . 8,460,000 10,490,000 11,310,000 11,780,000 11,600,000 10,750,000
California . . . . . . . . . . . 2,510,000 2,890,000 2,790,000 2,840,000 2,850,000 2,600,000
Texas . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,090,000 1,670,000 1,620,000 1,710,000 1,680,000 1,680,000
Florida . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800,000 970,000 960,000 960,000 840,000 720,000
New York . . . . . . . . . . . 540,000 560,000 510,000 640,000 640,000 550,000
Illinois . . . . . . . . . . . . . 440,000 550,000 530,000 560,000 550,000 540,000
Georgia . . . . . . . . . . . . 220,000 490,000 490,000 490,000 460,000 480,000
Arizona . . . . . . . . . . . . 330,000 510,000 490,000 530,000 560,000 460,000
North Carolina . . . . . . . 260,000 370,000 360,000 380,000 380,000 370,000
New Jersey . . . . . . . . . 350,000 440,000 420,000 470,000 400,000 360,000
Nevada . . . . . . . . . . . . 170,000 230,000 230,000 260,000 280,000 260,000
Other states . . . . . . . . 1,760,000 1,800,000 2,900,000 2,950,000 2,950,000 2,730,000
Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.
*Revised as noted in the 1/1/2007 unauthorized estimates report published in September 2008.
Source: U.S. Department of Homeland Security.