Related Guides
Data & Statistics
- LPR by State, County, Country of Birth, and Major Class of Admission (Department of Homeland Security) Lawful permanent residents (LPRs), also known as “green card” holders, are non-citizens who are lawfully authorized to live permanently within the United States. The tables offer county-level data for the top 200 counties of residence of new LPRs by major class of admission and by country of birth. OIS assigns county of residence using zip codes USCIS receives in applications for admission as an LPR or adjustment to LPR status.
- The Growing Wave of Federal Immigration Restrictions: What's at Stake for Massachusetts? (The Boston Foundation) Prior research has shown that essentially all of Greater Boston’s population growth since 1990 can be attributed to the arrival of immigrants. Most of today’s newcomers are from Asia, Central and South America, Africa, Haiti and other Caribbean countries. And, as in the past, our region’s economic success owes a tremendous debt to the innovation and energy they bring. At the same time, there has rarely been a time in our country’s history when immigration has been the target of such heated rhetoric and harsh restrictions
- Immigration Data Matters This useful online guide links users directly to the most credible, high-quality data on immigrants and immigration in the United States and internationally. The easy-to-use publication includes more than 250 data resources compiled by governmental and authoritative nongovernmental sources. The guide covers a wide range of topics, among them foreign-born population stocks and flows, humanitarian and labor migration, naturalization, education and language attainment, labor force participation, income and poverty rates, remittance size and flow, immigration enforcement actions, public opinion, religious affiliation, and development indicators.
- Immigration Data and Statistics (Homeland Security) Since the passage of the Homeland Security Act of 2002, the Office of Immigration Statistics has responsibility to carry out two statutory requirements: 1) to collect and disseminate to Congress and the public data and information useful in evaluating the social, economic, environmental, and demographic impact of immigration laws; and 2) to establish standards of reliability and validity for immigration statistics collected by the Department’s operational Components. The following are key datasets and resources published by the Office of Immigration Statistics.
- Yearbook of Immigration Statistics (Homeland Security) The Yearbook of Immigration Statistics is a compendium of tables that provides data on foreign nationals who, during a fiscal year, were granted lawful permanent residence (i.e., admitted as immigrants or became legal permanent residents), were admitted into the United States on a temporary basis (e.g., tourists, students, or workers), applied for asylum or refugee status, or were naturalized. The Yearbook also presents data on immigration enforcement actions, including noncitizen apprehensions, removals, and returns. The Yearbook tables are released as they become available. A final PDF is released in September of the following fiscal year.
- Refugees and Asylees (Homeland Security) A refugee is a person outside his or her country of nationality who is unable or unwilling to return to his or her country of nationality because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. An asylee is a person who meets the definition of refugee and is already present in the United States or is seeking admission at a port of entry. Refugees are required to apply for Lawful Permanent Resident (“green card”) status one year after being admitted, and asylees may apply for green card status one year after their grant of asylum. The Office of Immigration Statistics (OIS) annual flow reports on refugees and asylees contain information obtained from the Worldwide Refugee Admissions Processing System (WRAPS) of the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration of the U.S. Department of State on the numbers and demographic profiles of persons admitted to the United States as refugees, and those applying for and granted asylum status during a given fiscal year. Below are the annual flow reports on Refugees and Asylees.
- Admissions & Arrivals (Refugee Processing Center, Department of State) Refugee arrival data sorted by country of origin and state of initial resettlement in the United States; some historical data (1975-onward); geographic maps of refugee arrivals. Update: Weekly/monthly.
- Migration Data Hub (Migration Policy Institute) The Data Hub showcases stock, flow, citizenship, net migration, and historical data for countries around the world, as well as national and state-level demographic, social, and economic facts about immigrants and immigration to the United States.
- U.S. Immigrant Population by State and County (Migration Policy Institute) Interested in how many immigrants live in your state, their countries and regions of origin, and their top settlement destinations by county? This map displays the state-level distribution of immigrants in the United States by country and region of origin, and also provides a county-level view of the immigrant population.
- Boston's Immigrant Labor Force (Boston Planning & Development Agency) This report compares the labor force integration and standard of living indicators of Boston's immigrant workers to native-born workers and provides descriptive infor- mation on the composition of Boston's foreign-born resident workforce and their so- cio-economic characteristics. It also examines the relationship between labor market outcomes and individual characteristics such as education, gender, length of resi- dence, naturalization and national origin.
- Demographic Change Across Greater Boston (Boston Indicators) The following three interactive features allow you to explore trends detailed in Changing Faces of Greater Boston. The maps display demographic change across the region and within Boston neighborhoods, and the scatterplots show the range of socioeconomic outcomes for the top 10 countries of ancestry within each of the Latino, Black and Asian American racial groups.
- Immigrant Demographics (City of Boston) Data and research about Boston’s diverse immigrant populations.
- Boston, MA Profile (New American Economy) The New American Economy Cities Index is the first-ever comprehensive look at how the nation’s largest 100 cities welcome immigrants.
- State and Local Immigration Data (New American Economy) New American Economy is a bipartisan research and advocacy organization fighting for smart federal, state, and local immigration policies that help grow our economy and create jobs for all Americans. Search by state, county, Metro Area, and Congressional District.
- Refugee Resettlement, 1975-2018 Person-level data on 2.5+ million refugees who arrived in the US between 1975 and 2008. The anonymized records, obtained from the National Archives and originally collected by the Office of Refugee Resettlement, indicate each refugee’s country and date of birth, marital and family status, education level and English proficiency, date of US arrival, US city of resettlement, and more. The researchers also combined
- Refugee Arrivals in Massachusetts by Country of Origin, FY2006-FY 2010 (Mass.gov) Spreadsheet includes regional statistics for Greater Boston.
- Understanding Pathways To and Away From Violent Radicalization Among Resettled Somali Refugees, 4 North American cities, 2013-2015 (ICPSR 37449) Somalis in North America offer a window into the remarkable potential that can be realized by refugees/immigrants despite experiences of severe adversity as well as the challenges some subgroups encounter when adjusting to life in a new country. The qualitative interviews feature experiences of formal (e.g. police) and informal (e.g. community) institutions over the past year. Examples of interview prompts include questions related to social bonds with family and community, and interactions
Public Opinion
- Roper Center for Public Opinion Research: Immigration (Topics at a Glance) Public opinion about Immigration: immigration policy, refugees, effects of immigration, views of immigrants, and more.
- Refugees & Asylum Seekers (Pew Research Center) Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. We conduct public opinion polling, demographic research, content analysis and other data-driven social science research. We do not take policy positions.
- Immigration & Migration (Pew Research Center) Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. We conduct public opinion polling, demographic research, content analysis and other data-driven social science research. We do not take policy positions.
- General Social Survey "For more than four decades, the General Social Survey (GSS) has studied the growing complexity of American society. It is the only full-probability, personal-interview survey designed to monitor changes in both social characteristics and attitudes currently being conducted in the United States."
