May Day, 2006, immigration march in Los Angeles. Photo by Jonathan McIntosh via Wikimedia Commons
According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), an estimated 2,830,000 unauthorized immigrants resided in California in 2012, compared to 1.5 million in 1990 and 2.5 million in 2000. This number represents 24.7 percent of the entire unauthorized immigrant population estimated to reside in the United States (11.4 million in 2012). About 7.5 percent of California's population was estimated to be unauthorized immigrants, with a majority (about 60 percent) from Mexico. Across the entire United States, an estimated 6.8 million unauthorized immigrants were from Mexico, up from 4.7 million in 2000.
More recently, the Pew Research Center, estimated that, in 2016, 2.2 million unauthorized immigrants resided in California, about 6 percent of the state's entire population and 21 percent of unauthorized immigrants living in the United States.
In 2014, the Public Policy Institute of California, estimated the unauthorized immigrant population in California to be mostly from Latin American (78 percent) with a declining majority being from Mexico (52 percent). Further, about a tenth of the state's workforce was composed of unauthorized immigrants and 12.3 percent of California's K-12 school children had an unauthorized immigrant parent.
DHS does not offer unauthorized immigrant estimates specifically for Los Angeles County, but the Pew Research Center estimated the unauthorized immigrant population in the Los Angeles-Orange County metropolitan area in 2016 to be 925,000 (down from 1.25 million in 2007). The Migration Policy Institute estimates the number specifically in Los Angeles County in 2016 to be 1,051,000 (see table below), approximately 10 percent of the county's entire population and the highest concentration in any U.S. county. The unauthorized immigrant populations combined in the five boroughs (counties) of New York City are approximately 700,000. In Harris County, Texas (Houston), the number is 412,000. In Cook County, Illinois (Chicago), it is 307,000. In Dallas County, Texas (Dallas), it is 247,000. In Dade County, Florida (Miami), it is 156,000.
The Migration Policy Institute estimates that the unauthorized immigrant population in Los Angeles County is most concentrated in Southeast Los Angeles County, Eastern San Fernando Valley and the San Gabriel Valley. The University of Southern California Center for the Study of Immigrant Integration reported that, in 2013, Los Angeles had the higher percentage of self-employed unauthorized immigrants (14%) and some of the most-settled in California, with a median time of residence of 10 years.
* Per the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, "Unauthorized immigrant" is defined as a foreign-born non-citizen who is not a legal resident. Most unauthorized immigrants either entered the United States without being inspected at the United States border or were admitted temporarily and stayed past the date they were required to leave. Other terms commonly used in public discourse are "illegal immigrant," "illegal alien," "unauthorized immigrant" or "undocumented immigrant."
| Demographics | Estimate | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Unauthorized Population | 1,051,000 | 100% |
| Top Countries of Birth | ||
| Mexico | 633,000 | 60% |
| El Salvador | 106,000 | 10% |
| Guatemala | 90,000 | 9% |
| Philippines | 37,000 | 4% |
| China | 33,000 | 3% |
| Regions of Birth | ||
| Mexico & Central America | 858,000 | 82% |
| Caribbean | --- | --- |
| South America | 16,000 | 2% |
| Europe, Canada, Oceania | 22,000 | 2% |
| Asia | 146,000 | 14% |
| Africa | 6,000 | 1% |
| Years of U.S. Residence | ||
| Under 5 | 118,000 | 11% |
| 5-9 | 166,000 | 16% |
| 10-14 | 225,000 | 21% |
| 15-19 | 177,000 | 17% |
| 20+ | 363,000 | 35% |
| Age | ||
| Under 16 | 56,000 | 5% |
| 16-24 | 125,000 | 12% |
| 25-34 | 246,000 | 23% |
| 35-44 | 269,000 | 26% |
| 45-54 | 198,000 | 19% |
| 55+ | 156,000 | 15% |
| Gender | ||
| Female | 501,000 | 48% |
| Family Relationships | Estimate | % of Total |
| Parental Status | ||
| Population age 15+ | 1,005,000 | 100% |
| Reside with at least one U.S.-citizen child under 18 | 278,000 | 28% |
| Reside with noncitizen children only under 18 | 66,000 | 7% |
| Reside with no children | 661,000 | 66% |
| Marital Status | ||
| Population age 15+ | 1,005,000 | 100% |
| Never married | 447,000 | 44% |
| Married to a U.S. citizen | 93,000 | 9% |
| Married to a legal permanent resident (LPR) | 61,000 | 6% |
| Married to non-U.S. citizen/non-LPR | 201,000 | 20% |
| Divorced, separated, widowed | 203,000 | 20% |
| Education and Language | Estimate | % of Total |
| School Enrollment of Children & Youth | ||
| Population age 3-17 | 79,000 | 100% |
| Enrolled | 73,000 | 92% |
| Not enrolled | 6,000 | 8% |
| Population age 3-12 | 29,000 | 100% |
| Enrolled | 26,000 | 89% |
| Not enrolled | 3,000 | 11% |
| Population age 13-17 | 50,000 | 100% |
| Enrolled | 47,000 | 94% |
| Not enrolled | 3,000 | 6% |
| Population age 18-24 | 100,000 | 100% |
| Enrolled | 39,000 | 39% |
| Not enrolled | 60,000 | 61% |
| Educational Attainment of Adults | ||
| Population age 25+ | 869,000 | 100% |
| Grade 0-5 | 133,000 | 15% |
| Grade 6-8 | 178,000 | 21% |
| Grade 9-12 | 161,000 | 18% |
| High school diploma or GED | 195,000 | 22% |
| Some college or associate’s degree | 109,000 | 13% |
| Bachelor’s, graduate, or professional degree | 92,000 | 11% |
| English Proficiency | ||
| Population age 5+ | 1,045,000 | 100% |
| Speak only English | 53,000 | 5% |
| Speak English "very well" | 246,000 | 24% |
| Speak English "well" | 207,000 | 20% |
| Speak English "not well"/"not at all" | 540,000 | 52% |
| Top 5 Languages Spoken at Home | ||
| Population age 5+ | 1,045,000 | 100% |
| Spanish | 845,000 | 81% |
| English | 53,000 | 5% |
| Chinese | 37,000 | 4% |
| Tagalog | 32,000 | 3% |
| Korean | 23,000 | 2% |
| Workforce | Estimate | % of Total |
| Labor Force Participation | ||
| Civilian population age 16+ | 994,000 | 100% |
| Employed | 656,000 | 66% |
| Unemployed | 58,000 | 6% |
| Not in the labor force | 281,000 | 28% |
| Top Industries of Employment | ||
| Civilian employed population age 16+ | 656,000 | 100% |
| Manufacturing | 123,000 | 19% |
| Accommodation & food services, arts, entertainment, & recreation | 115,000 | 18% |
| Construction | 89,000 | 14% |
| Professional, scientific, management, administrative, & waste management services | 88,000 | 13% |
| Retail trade | 79,000 | 12% |
| Economics | Estimate | % of Total |
| Family Income | ||
| Below 50% of the poverty level | 118,000 | 11% |
| 50-99% of the poverty level | 191,000 | 18% |
| 100-149% of the poverty level | 198,000 | 19% |
| 150-199% of the poverty level | 169,000 | 16% |
| At or above 200% of the poverty level | 374,000 | 36% |
| Access to Health Insurance | ||
| Uninsured | 527,000 | 50% |
| Home Ownership | ||
| Homeowner** | 247,000 | 24% |
** A homeowner here is an unauthorized immigrant residing in a home that they own rather than rent.
Source: Migration Policy Institute analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data from the pooled 2012-16 American Community Survey (ACS) and the 2008 Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), drawing on a methodology developed in consultation with James Bachmeier of Temple University and Jennifer Van Hook of The Pennsylvania State University, Population Research Institute.
Also see: Immigration has long been a hot issue in California.
