Immigrants make up over 19% of the US workforce as of June 2024 — over 32 million out of a total of 169 million — and participate in the labor force at a higher rate than native-born workers, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
“Foreign-born workers” are people who “reside in the United States but who were not US citizens at birth. Specifically, they were born outside the United States (or one of its outlying areas such as Puerto Rico or Guam), and neither parent was a US citizen.” The BLS’s definition includes both legal and undocumented immigrants.
How many immigrants are currently working in the US?
There were 30.9 million foreign-born people employed in the US in June 2024. The total foreign-born labor force is 32.2 million people, including those who are employed and unemployed.
That month, Foreign-born workers were 19% of the active labor force and 18% of the total possible labor force[1].
How does that number compare to the number of native-born workers?
There were 130.9 million native-born workers employed in the US in June 2024, out of a total native-born labor force of 136.8 million. The native- and foreign-born populations had similar unemployment rates — 4.3% and 4.2%, respectively.
How has the participation rate of immigrants in the workforce changed in recent years?
Since dropping to a low of 61.8% at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the immigrant labor force participation rate has recovered to 67.0% in June 2024, higher than the pre-pandemic level of 65.8% that same month in 2019.
The labor force participation rate is the percentage of the civilian noninstitutional population 16 years and older that is working or actively looking for work. Both the native- and foreign-born participation rates dropped in the early months of the pandemic in spring 2020, with foreign-born participation falling more. Since then, the labor force participation rate of foreign-born workers has risen faster than that of their native-born colleagues. The native-born rate remains below its pre-pandemic level.
How have unemployment rates of foreign-born and native-born workers changed?
Following a Great Recession spike, the unemployment rate for both native- and foreign-born workers generally declined through the 2010s before rising even higher in 2020 during the pandemic.
The June 2019 foreign-born unemployment rate was 2.7%. The native-born unemployment rate was 4.1%. Rates for both groups fell back to below 4% in June 2022 and 2023 before rising in the ensuing year.
What is the demographic makeup of the US immigrant workforce?
As of 2023, a higher percentage of the foreign-born workforce was male (57.0%), compared to the native-born workforce (52.3%).
In general, the labor force participation rate for women increased more from 2022 to 2023 than the participation rate for men, with rates rising the most for foreign-born women (from 55.0% to 56.1%). Still, they had a lower participation rate than foreign-born men or native-born men and women.
In terms of race and ethnicity, 73% of the foreign-born labor force was Hispanic (48%) or Asian (25%). Labor force participation rose for all included races.
How much do immigrant workers earn?
2023 median weekly earnings for full-time foreign-born workers was 86.6% of what their native-born counterparts earned. Foreign-born men brought home $1,051 a week, compared to $1,238 for native-born men. Foreign-born women earned $899, compared to $1,025 for native-born women.
In some instances, foreign-born workers outearned their native-born counterparts. Foreign-born Hispanic workers earned 83.6% of their native-born Hispanic counterparts, whereas foreign-born white (+12.7%), Black (+5.7%), and Asian (+2.7%) workers earned more than their native-born counterparts.
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[1] The total possible labor force includes all civilian noninstitutionalized people ages 16 and older.
