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Foreign-born population by state

California has the largest immigrant share of any state: 27.2% of its residents were born abroad in 2025, followed by New Jersey (24.9%) and New York (23.4%). West Virginia has the smallest (2.3%). By number, California (10.7 million), Texas and Florida have the most of the nation's 50.4 million1 foreign-born residents.

Data as of October 29, 2026 (newest release used on this page).

Foreign-born share of the population by state, 2025
Foreign-born share of the population by state, 2025

Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B05002; Census Bureau, 2024 Cartographic Boundary Files. Darker states are higher; DC is the dot. Period: 2025.

Full table ↓

Foreign-born residents by state, 2025 (ACS 1-year)
1California27.2%±0.21stHigher−0.4%10,687,55357.2%11.6%
2New Jersey24.9%±0.32ndHigherNot significant2,380,18958.2%10.4%
3New York23.4%±0.33rdHigherNot significant4,673,72760.6%9.2%
4Florida22.7%±0.24thHigher−0.4%5,336,89757.8%9.6%
5Nevada19.4%±0.55th–6thHigherNot significant637,74256.1%8.5%
6Massachusetts19.1%±0.45th–6thHigherNot significant1,368,80653.6%8.9%
7Texas18.5%±0.27th–8thHigherNot significant5,850,85145.4%10.1%
8Hawaii18.0%±0.87th–9thHigherNot significant257,54664.5%6.4%
9Maryland17.7%±0.48th–9thHigher+0.6%1,110,32356.5%7.7%
10Washington16.6%±0.310thHigher+0.5%1,329,13151.5%8.1%
11Connecticut15.7%±0.511th–14thHigherNot significant580,31257.2%6.7%
12Illinois15.6%±0.311th–14thHigherNot significant1,984,93854.0%7.2%
13Rhode Island14.9%±0.811th–14thNot significantNot significant165,99458.0%6.3%
14District of Columbia14.8%±1.011th–15thNot significantNot significant102,69349.3%7.5%
15Virginia13.9%±0.214th–15thLower+0.4%1,238,73059.0%5.7%
16Arizona13.2%±0.316thLowerNot significant1,008,58451.7%6.4%
17Georgia11.7%±0.317thLowerNot significant1,326,02950.8%5.8%
18Delaware10.7%±0.918th–23rdLowerNot significant113,28749.8%5.4%
19Colorado10.4%±0.418th–21stLowerNot significant624,44848.9%5.3%
20Oregon10.0%±0.418th–23rdLowerNot significant429,36151.2%4.9%
21North Carolina9.9%±0.219th–23rdLowerNot significant1,105,83943.7%5.6%
=22New Mexico9.8%±0.618th–23rdLowerNot significant208,66945.6%5.3%
=22Utah9.8%±0.419th–23rdLowerNot significant345,16740.9%5.8%
24Minnesota9.1%±0.324th–25thLowerNot significant528,63559.6%3.7%
25Nebraska8.8%±0.524th–27thLowerNot significant177,50043.9%4.9%
26Pennsylvania8.4%±0.225th–27thLowerNot significant1,099,59957.6%3.6%
27Kansas8.3%±0.425th–28thLower+0.5%246,91141.2%4.9%
28Michigan7.7%±0.228th–30thLowerNot significant779,38556.8%3.3%
29Alaska7.6%±0.627th–31stLowerNot significant56,02362.8%2.8%
30New Hampshire7.3%±0.428th–32ndLower+1.4%103,49461.0%2.8%
31Indiana7.1%±0.329th–32ndLowerNot significant494,58243.3%4.0%
32Tennessee6.8%±0.330th–35thLowerNot significant494,64942.7%3.9%
=33Iowa6.6%±0.332nd–36thLowerNot significant214,00242.8%3.8%
=33South Carolina6.6%±0.332nd–36thLowerNot significant368,97644.2%3.7%
35Oklahoma6.4%±0.233rd–37thLowerNot significant265,07045.4%3.5%
=36Idaho6.0%±0.435th–41stLowerNot significant122,13450.1%3.0%
=36North Dakota6.0%±0.832nd–42ndLowerNot significant48,26747.1%3.2%
38Ohio5.9%±0.236th–41stLower+0.4%699,14351.9%2.8%
=39Arkansas5.7%±0.336th–42ndLowerNot significant177,32837.7%3.5%
=39Kentucky5.7%±0.336th–42ndLower+0.5%262,88741.7%3.3%
=41Vermont5.4%±0.636th–43rdLower+0.9%35,10770.3%1.6%
=41Wisconsin5.4%±0.238th–42ndLowerNot significant323,25247.5%2.8%
43Louisiana5.0%±0.242nd–44thLowerNot significant230,20740.3%3.0%
=44Maine4.7%±0.343rd–46thLowerNot significant67,07052.7%2.2%
=44Missouri4.7%±0.244th–46thLowerNot significant295,40652.9%2.2%
46Alabama4.6%±0.244th–46thLowerNot significant236,55641.7%2.7%
47South Dakota3.8%±0.447th–48thLowerNot significant35,49744.1%2.1%
48Wyoming3.6%±0.547th–48thLowerNot significant21,15744.7%2.0%
49Mississippi3.0%±0.249th–50thLower+0.3%87,49843.2%1.7%
50Montana2.8%±0.349th–50thLower+0.7%32,03656.6%1.2%
51West Virginia2.3%±0.251stLowerNot significant40,13356.5%1.0%
United States14.7%±0.150,409,32053.9%6.8%

Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B05002; Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B05001. Period: 2025. "=" marks a tie at the displayed precision. Rank range: the ranks consistent with the 90% margins of error (Census Bureau method). "Compared with US" and changes use the Census Bureau significance test at 90% confidence; "Not significant" means the difference is within the margins of error.

Most immigrants by number

A share and a headcount give two different top tens. Four states hold most of the country's immigrants: California (10,687,553), Texas (5,850,851), Florida (5,336,897) and New York (4,673,727). Those four alone account for more than half of the 50,409,320 foreign-born residents counted by the American Community Survey in 2025; New Jersey (2,380,1891) is fifth.

States with the most foreign-born residents, 2025
California10,687,553 ±63,533
Texas5,850,851 ±62,988
Florida5,336,897 ±57,093
New York4,673,727 ±50,876
New Jersey2,380,189 ±31,790
Illinois1,984,938 ±34,735
Massachusetts1,368,806 ±29,531
Washington1,329,131 ±21,745
Georgia1,326,029 ±31,010
Virginia1,238,730 ±22,076
Maryland1,110,323 ±27,641
North Carolina1,105,839 ±26,726

Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B05002. Whiskers show the 90% margin of error; states whose whiskers overlap may not differ significantly. Period: 2025.

Show the numbers
StateForeign-born populationMOE
California10,687,553±63,533
Texas5,850,851±62,988
Florida5,336,897±57,093
New York4,673,727±50,876
New Jersey2,380,189±31,790
Illinois1,984,938±34,735
Massachusetts1,368,806±29,531
Washington1,329,131±21,745
Georgia1,326,029±31,010
Virginia1,238,730±22,076
Maryland1,110,323±27,641
North Carolina1,105,839±26,726

Large states move up when you count heads. Illinois has the 6th highest immigrant population by number but only the 12th highest share. Georgia is 9th highest by number and 17th highest by share; Ohio, with 699,143 foreign-born residents, is 16th highest by number yet 14th lowest by share. Small states move the other way: Hawaii has the 8th highest share (18.0%) but ranks 22nd lowest by number. Half of the states have fewer than 323,2521 foreign-born residents.

Coastal states lead, the interior trails

Nationally, 14.7% of residents were born abroad (±0.1 percentage points). Only 12 states are significantly above that figure, while 37 are significantly below it; Rhode Island and the District of Columbia are not statistically different from it. The median state is at 8.4%1, well under the national share, because immigrants are concentrated in a few large states that pull the national figure up.

Each region has a high and a low end. In the Northeast, New Jersey (24.9%) sits next to Maine (4.7%). In the South, Florida (22.7%) is far from West Virginia (2.3%), the lowest share in the country. The West runs from California (27.2%) down to Montana (2.8%). In the Midwest, only Illinois (15.6%) is above the national share, 0.9 percentage points above the US figure (14.7%); Minnesota, next in the region, is at 9.1%, and South Dakota is lowest (3.8%1).

Where each state's immigrants were born

The national mix hides very different populations from state to state. Across the country, 50.3% of foreign-born residents were born in Latin America, 31.9% in Asia, 9.5% in Europe and 5.9%1 in Africa.

  • Latin America. In Florida, 75.7% of immigrants were born in Latin America (±0.6 percentage points), 25.4 percentage points above the US figure (50.3%). New Mexico is similar at 75.3% (±3.1 percentage points), and Texas has 61.9%.
  • Asia. In Hawaii, 77.8% of the foreign born were born in Asia, 45.9 percentage points above the US figure (31.9%). Asia is also the largest region of birth in several other states, among them Michigan (53.1%), Washington (46.1%) and Virginia (43.5%).
  • Africa. Minnesota's share born in Africa is 27.2% (±2.0 percentage points), 21.3 percentage points above the US figure (5.9%); Maine's is 26.9% (±5.6 percentage points) and Maryland's 19.5%. North Dakota's estimate, 35.8%, has a wide margin of error (±8.5 percentage points).
  • Europe. In Vermont, 25.3% of immigrants were born in Europe (±5.0 percentage points), 15.8 percentage points above the US figure (9.5%); New Hampshire (22.3%) and Montana (21.8%1) are also well above the national share.
Region of birth of the foreign-born population by state, 2025
Florida75.7% ±0.610.9% ±0.31.9% ±0.29.2% ±0.4
New Mexico75.3% ±3.116.0% ±1.41.6% ±0.85.5% ±0.9
Utah63.1% ±2.919.6% ±1.22.7% ±0.67.8% ±1.0
Texas61.9% ±0.626.3% ±0.56.3% ±0.34.0% ±0.2
Louisiana60.5% ±3.227.9% ±2.03.4% ±1.26.4% ±0.9
Oklahoma59.7% ±2.427.3% ±1.63.5% ±0.86.1% ±0.8
Arizona59.2% ±1.823.7% ±1.04.3% ±0.87.9% ±0.6
Arkansas58.2% ±3.727.0% ±2.33.7% ±1.46.9% ±1.2
Nebraska57.7% ±3.426.0% ±2.68.9% ±1.85.0% ±1.0
Kansas56.3% ±3.327.5% ±1.57.9% ±2.05.3% ±1.1
Idaho55.2% ±3.521.0% ±2.74.9% ±1.613.0% ±1.9
Rhode Island54.0% ±4.517.0% ±2.011.0% ±2.216.5% ±2.3
Nevada52.9% ±2.034.3% ±1.54.0% ±1.06.8% ±0.7
Colorado52.4% ±2.523.8% ±0.97.8% ±0.912.1% ±1.0
South Carolina51.9% ±3.121.5% ±1.76.3% ±1.516.1% ±1.4
North Carolina51.7% ±1.428.8% ±0.87.0% ±0.910.3% ±0.7
Alabama50.7% ±3.032.6% ±2.15.1% ±1.19.6% ±1.3
Tennessee50.5% ±2.028.4% ±1.39.2% ±1.89.3% ±1.2
Indiana49.7% ±2.631.7% ±1.39.7% ±1.77.6% ±0.7
Connecticut49.4% ±2.425.6% ±1.24.5% ±0.818.6% ±1.4
Wyoming49.4% ±11.220.0% ±5.13.3% ±2.819.0% ±5.4
New Jersey48.5% ±1.233.1% ±0.65.8% ±0.411.6% ±0.5
Georgia48.0% ±1.532.8% ±0.810.3% ±0.87.2% ±0.5
California47.9% ±0.541.9% ±0.42.1% ±0.16.1% ±0.2
New York47.4% ±0.831.8% ±0.55.6% ±0.313.8% ±0.4
Kentucky45.0% ±2.329.6% ±2.013.7% ±2.59.0% ±1.4
Illinois44.8% ±1.131.5% ±0.64.3% ±0.418.3% ±0.7
Oregon43.4% ±2.932.6% ±1.64.1% ±0.713.6% ±1.2
District of Columbia42.8% ±4.923.2% ±2.817.1% ±4.014.6% ±2.5
Mississippi42.0% ±4.541.3% ±3.84.6% ±1.810.2% ±2.0
Wisconsin41.9% ±1.835.1% ±1.97.1% ±2.113.9% ±1.2
Massachusetts41.4% ±1.530.8% ±0.99.6% ±0.815.8% ±0.6
Delaware41.3% ±5.134.3% ±3.813.1% ±5.19.8% ±1.6
Maryland41.1% ±1.430.8% ±0.619.5% ±1.27.6% ±0.6
Iowa38.8% ±2.930.3% ±2.320.2% ±3.07.7% ±1.1
South Dakota38.3% ±6.629.5% ±6.718.1% ±4.69.5% ±2.8
Virginia35.5% ±1.243.5% ±0.911.0% ±0.78.3% ±0.5
Pennsylvania34.8% ±1.639.6% ±0.89.0% ±0.914.5% ±0.8
West Virginia32.0% ±6.035.4% ±3.615.0% ±5.615.3% ±3.1
Missouri30.2% ±1.939.6% ±1.911.8% ±2.414.5% ±1.7
New Hampshire28.4% ±4.033.3% ±4.17.8% ±2.322.3% ±3.1
Washington28.3% ±1.346.1% ±0.96.9% ±0.713.4% ±0.9
Ohio25.9% ±1.840.8% ±1.016.7% ±1.813.6% ±0.7
Minnesota25.8% ±1.635.0% ±1.227.2% ±2.08.9% ±0.8
Montana23.1% ±6.731.2% ±5.58.7% ±3.621.8% ±4.4
Michigan20.8% ±1.253.1% ±1.55.7% ±0.815.8% ±1.0
Vermont18.1% ±4.129.8% ±5.69.8% ±5.125.3% ±5.0
Maine16.8% ±4.325.6% ±3.626.9% ±5.618.6% ±2.9
North Dakota16.4% ±4.427.3% ±4.935.8% ±8.512.2% ±3.1
Alaska13.9% ±3.551.1% ±2.53.6% ±1.918.3% ±4.9
Hawaii4.4% ±0.877.8% ±1.71.4% ±0.54.3% ±0.7
United States50.3% ±0.331.9% ±0.15.9% ±0.19.5% ±0.1

Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B05002. ± is the 90% margin of error.

Where immigrants come from shapes other parts of a state's profile, such as its Hispanic and Asian populations and the languages spoken at home; see the Hispanic population, Asian population and languages rankings.

Citizens and non-citizens

More than half of the foreign born are US citizens. In 2025, 53.9% (±0.1 percentage points) of foreign-born residents had become citizens through naturalization, up from 51.4% in 20241.

The share varies by state, but the small foreign-born populations of many states give wide ranges of possible ranks. Vermont has the highest share, 70.3% (±6.2 percentage points, between 1st and 3rd), followed by Hawaii (64.5%). Arkansas has the lowest, 37.7% (between 46th and 51st), with Louisiana (40.3%) and Utah (40.9%) next. Among the large immigrant states, New York (60.6%) is 6.7 percentage points above the US figure (53.9%), while Texas (45.4%) is 8.5 percentage points below the US figure (53.9%)1.

Non-citizens, measured as a share of all residents, were 6.8% of the US population, down from 7.2% in 2024. California's share is 11.6%, 4.8 percentage points above the US figure (6.8%); New Jersey's is 10.4% and Texas's 10.1%. At the other end, non-citizens are 1.0% of West Virginia's residents and 1.2%2 of Montana's.

Change since 2024

The foreign-born share of the US population was down from 14.8% in 2024; the number of foreign-born residents was not statistically different from 50,234,858 in 20241. In most states the share did not change by a statistically significant amount between the two surveys.

The changes that did pass the test went both ways. California's foreign-born population was down from 10,902,022 in 2024, a drop of 214,469 (2.0%), while Texas's was up from 5,762,477 in 2024, a gain of 88,374 (1.5%). Florida's share was down from 23.1% in 2024. Among smaller states, New Hampshire's foreign-born share was up from 5.9% in 2024 and Montana's up from 2.1% in 2024; Maryland's (up from 17.1% in 2024) and Washington's (up from 16.1% in 20241) also rose.

Arrivals are a separate measure. The Census Bureau's population estimates put net international migration to the United States at 1.3 million in the year to June 2025, down from 2.7 million the year before. Florida added the most people this way (178,674), ahead of Texas (167,475) and California (109,278). Relative to population, Florida also led, at 7.7 per 1,000 residents against 3.7 per 1,000 residents4 nationally.

Net international migration per 1,000 residents, July 2024 to June 2025
Florida7.7
Washington5.8
District of Columbia5.7
Massachusetts5.6
New Jersey5.6
Rhode Island5.3
Texas5.3
New York4.8
Connecticut4.8
Virginia4.6
United States3.7

Source: Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025. Period: July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025.

Show the numbers
StateNet international migration rate per 1,000
Florida7.7
Washington5.8
District of Columbia5.7
Massachusetts5.6
New Jersey5.6
Rhode Island5.3
Texas5.3
New York4.8
Connecticut4.8
Virginia4.6
United States3.7

These flows are not the same thing as the foreign-born population. The survey counts the immigrants living in a state; net international migration counts moves into and out of the country during one year. The two do not add up from one year to the next.

Undocumented immigrants by state

The figures on this page include immigrants of every legal status, but they cannot show how many are undocumented. The Census Bureau does not collect data on the legal status of the foreign born; unauthorized migrants are included in its foreign-born totals but cannot be tabulated separately.

The official estimates come from the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Homeland Security Statistics. Its latest report, published in April 2024, estimates the unauthorized population as of January 2022, including a breakdown by state of residence. No more recent official state estimate has been published, so this page does not rank states on that measure.

What "foreign-born" means here

The Census Bureau defines the foreign born as anyone who was not a US citizen at birth. That includes naturalized citizens, lawful permanent residents, temporary residents such as foreign students, refugees and asylees, and unauthorized migrants. People born abroad to a US-citizen parent, or born in Puerto Rico or another US territory, are not counted as foreign born.

Points to keep in mind when you use this ranking:

  • These are survey estimates. The American Community Survey 1-year figures for 2025 carry 90% margins of error. In the full table, states whose ranges overlap may not differ in fact; the rank range column shows how far a rank could move.
  • "Immigrant" and "foreign-born" are used as the same thing here. Some sources use "immigrant" only for lawful permanent residents; the Census Bureau's foreign-born total is broader.
  • The District of Columbia is a single city. Its share (14.8%, ±1.0 percentage points1) is not directly comparable with states that include rural areas.
  • Shares by region of birth are shares of immigrants, not of all residents. Hawaii's figure for Asia describes its foreign-born population, not its whole population.

Questions about immigrants by state

Which state has the most immigrants?

California, with 10,687,553 foreign-born residents in 2025 (±63,533), 27.2% of its population. That is both the largest number and the largest share of any state. Texas (5,850,851) and Florida (5,336,8971) follow by number.

What percent of New York is immigrants?

23.4% (±0.3 percentage points) of New York State residents were born outside the United States in 2025, 8.7 percentage points above the US figure (14.7%). That is the 3rd highest1 share among the states and DC, after California and New Jersey. The figure covers the whole state, not New York City alone.

Which state has the fewest immigrants?

By share, West Virginia (2.3%), then Montana (2.8%) and Mississippi (3.0%). By number, Wyoming has the fewest foreign-born residents (21,157, ±3,1811).

Does this ranking include undocumented immigrants?

Yes. The Census Bureau counts every foreign-born person who answers its surveys, whatever their legal status, but it does not ask about status, so the undocumented cannot be separated out. Estimates by state come from the Department of Homeland Security (see the section below).

Related rankings

Sources

  1. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B05002; 2025; released October 29, 2026. data.census.gov
  2. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B05001; 2025; released October 29, 2026. data.census.gov
  3. Census Bureau, 2024 Cartographic Boundary Files; table cb_2024_us_state_20m; 2024; released April 10, 2025. www2.census.gov
  4. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025; released January 27, 2026. www2.census.gov

Margins of error (±) are at the 90% confidence level. A difference is called significant only when it passes the Census Bureau's test at that level. How every figure is built: methodology. Found an error? Write to [email protected]; corrections are listed on the updates page.