Basic Data Concerning Immigration into the United States

This article provides a wide range of data measuring the volume of international migration into and out of the United States and describing the immigrants' demographic and labor market characteristics. Data from Canada, Australia, Great Britain, and Israel show a pattern consistent with that of the United States. The volume of immigration, both relative to population size and in absolute numbers, is lower than it was at the turn of this century. Present-day immigrants, like immigrants always and everywhere, tend to be youthful adults who have not yet attained full family size. Contemporary immigrants tend to be substantially more concentrated in the professional and highest education groups than the native labor force, with a slightly higher concentration in the lowest education groups as well. Immigrant groups generally have higher labor force participation than native groups. Their fertility is no higher, and in most groups is lower, than the natives'. These demographic and behavioral characteristics emerge despite the fact that only a very small proportion of present-day immigrants into the United States are admitted through skill preferences, whereas most are admitted for family reconstitution.