Demographics

On Topic

How old we are, how much education we have, where we were born and where we live have immense implications for our families and for our communities. Brookings experts use demographic data to make informed policy recommendations for issues such as community development, housing and education.

Immigrant children at Ellis Island, ca. 1908, from the records of the Public Health Service. (Brown Brothers)

Blog Post

What Percentage of U.S. Population Is Foreign Born?

October 3, 2013, Fred Dews

In 2013, over 40 million foreign-born representing 13% of the population resided in the United States. In the midst of a government shutdown, House Democrats introduced their comprehensive immigration reform package on Wednesday. How has the size and share of the immigrant population waxed and waned over the last 150 years?

Recent Activity

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Podcast

U.S. Immigrants and Prospects for Immigration Reform

September 27, 2013, Audrey Singer and Fred Dews
In the News

More so than ever, we need to recognize the importance of young minorities for the growth and vitality of our labor force and economy.
June 13, 2013, William H. Frey, The Associated Press
In the News

More than 70 percent of today's baby boomers and seniors are white, and they grew up during a time when the nation's minority population was relatively small and consisted mainly of African Americans. By contrast, 40 percent of those under age 35 belong to minority groups. They have grown up during a period when racial mingling is the norm at school, work, social occasions and houses of worship.
March 14, 2013, William H. Frey, Phys.org
In the News

The fact that outer suburban growth has continued to falter two years after the recession ended calls into question whether today’s younger generations will hold the same residential preferences as their forebears.
February 26, 2013, William H. Frey, The International
Interview | National Journal

Three "Must-Knows" Regarding Immigration

January 30, 2013, William H. Frey
In the News

We need to have an immigration policy that recognizes the labor-force needs of this country, whatever they are. Clearly, we focus on the high-skilled workers because they have the greatest productivity for the economy. But low-skilled jobs are important, too. As we get a bigger middle-class population, we will need people to work in many of those lower-skilled jobs which may not be filled with our existing population.
January 30, 2013, William H. Frey, National Journal
In the News

We still are a country that's kind of divided, and a lot of that fissure in the population tends to be based in race and age and ethnicity. There's kind of a dangerous result in this election when we see older whites moving in one direction and younger minorities moving in another direction.
January 21, 2013, William H. Frey
In the News

What’s constant in this country is its ability to adapt—adapt to people with changing backgrounds, people with changing attitudes. But Hispanics really are a very big part of America’s present and future. And they’re not clustered in one area. They’ve been fanning out to all parts of the United States, and by moving into new parts of the country ...they’re becoming accepted by these communities.
January 19, 2013, William H. Frey, USA Today
In the News

When the 2020 Census comes around, we’re going to have a majority-minority child population.
December 13, 2012, William H. Frey, New York Times
Expert Q & A | William H. Frey

America’s Changing Demographic Landscape: New Projections from the Census Bureau

December 13, 2012, William H. Frey