The U.S. Census Bureau released the Foreign-Born Population in the United States: 2022 Report on April 9th. The report includes data on location, education, employment, and health status among forty parameters. The foreign-born cohort includes naturalized citizens, lawful permanent residents, temporary migrants, humanitarian migrants and unauthorized migrants. Collectively these categories represented 13.9 percent of the total population or 46.2 million compared to 12.9 percent or 40.0 million in 2010. States with increases in foreign-born population greater than 40 percent included Delaware, North Dakota, South Dakota and West Virginia. The median age of the foreign-born population increased from 41.4 to 46.7 years compared to the native-born population that increased from 35.9 to 36.9 years of age. In 2022, 75.1 percent of foreign-born residents completed high school or attained higher educational status compared to 68.3 percent in 2010.
Immigrants comprise over 20 percent of the population of California, New Jersey, New York and Florida, ranging from 25.5 percent down to 21.1 percent. Half of the immigrants in the U.S. entered before 2000. Approximately 63 percent of the foreign-born population over the age of 16 was employed, with one-third in management, business or science occupations.
The report suggests that immigrants contribute to the economy of the U.S. and are essential to maintain the population that would otherwise decline. Immigrants in the workforce strengthen social security through their contributions. Without immigrants, payments into the program by an aging and shrinking native-born population of U.S. citizens would require higher contributions or alternatively benefits would have to be reduced to maintain the solvency of the Social Security System.