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 2,610,000 unauthorized immigrants resided in California in 2018, compared to 2.76 million in 2015, 2.5 million in 2000, and 1.5 million in 1990. This number represents 22.9 percent of the entire unauthorized immigrant population estimated to reside in the United States (11.39 million in 2018). About 6.6 percent of California's population was estimated to be unauthorized immigrants, with a majority (about 50 percent) from Mexico. Across the entire United States, an estimated 5.4 million unauthorized immigrants were from Mexico, up from 4.7 million in 2000.
A little more recently, the Migration Policy Institute estimated, that in 2019, the unauthorized immigrant population of California was 2,739,000. This is the largest such population in any U.S. state, surpassing next-ranked Texas by almost one million additional persons.
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 U.S. counties. The Migration Policy Institute, however, estimates the number specifically in Los Angeles County in 2019 to be 951,000 (see table below), almost 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 estimated to be 600,000. In Harris County, Texas (Houston), the number is 481,000. In Dallas County, Texas (Dallas), it is 293,000. In Cook County, Illinois (Chicago), it is 257,000. In Miami Dade-Monroe Counties, Florida (Miami), it is 198,000.
The Migration Policy Institute estimated that, in 2016, the unauthorized immigrant population in Los Angeles County was 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 Los Angeles County, in 2016, 80 percent of undocumented persons were Latino, 10 percent were Asian or Pacific Islander, and 3 percent were white. It further reported that 68 percent of undocumented immigrants had lived in the United States for more than 10 years and that 852,000 U.S. citizen Angelenos and 273,000 legal permanent resident Angelenos lived with an undocumented family member. Combined with an estimated 886,000 Angelenos who were undocumented, that came to about 1 in 5 residents of Los Angeles County who were either undocumented or living with a family member who was undocumented.
* 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."
2019 Estimates
| Demographics | Estimate | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Unauthorized Population | 951,000 | 100% |
| Top Countries of Birth | ||
| Mexico | 501,000 | 53% |
| El Salvador | 112,000 | 12% |
| Guatemala | 108,000 | 11% |
| Philippines | 48,000 | 5% |
| China | 42,000 | 4% |
| Regions of Birth | ||
| Mexico & Central America | 754,000 | 79% |
| Caribbean | - | - |
| South America | 19,000 | 2% |
| Europe, Canada, Oceania | 21,000 | 2% |
| Asia | 151,000 | 16% |
| Africa | 6,000 | 1% |
| Years of U.S. Residence | ||
| Under 5 | 135,000 | 14% |
| 5-9 | 115,000 | 12% |
| 10-14 | 168,000 | 18% |
| 15-19 | 206,000 | 22% |
| 20+ | 326,000 | 34% |
| Age | ||
| Under 16 | 36,000 | 4% |
| 16-24 | 110,000 | 12% |
| 25-34 | 233,000 | 24% |
| 35-44 | 264,000 | 28% |
| 45-54 | 198,000 | 21% |
| 55+ | 110,000 | 12% |
| Gender | ||
| Female | 449,000 | 47% |
| Family Relationships | Estimate | % of Total |
| Parental Status | ||
| Population age 15+ | 920,000 | 100% |
| Reside with at least one U.S.-citizen child under 18 | 280,000 | 30% |
| Reside with noncitizen children only under 18 | 71,000 | 8% |
| Reside with no children | 569,000 | 62% |
| Marital Status | ||
| Population age 15+ | 920,000 | 100% |
| Never married | 395,000 | 43% |
| Married to a U.S. citizen | 95,000 | 10% |
| Married to a legal permanent resident (LPR) | 52,000 | 6% |
| Married to non-U.S. citizen/non-LPR | 234,000 | 25% |
| Divorced, separated, widowed | 144,000 | 16% |
| Education and Language | Estimate | % of Total |
| School Enrollment of Children & Youth | ||
| Population age 3-17 | 45,000 | 100% |
| Enrolled | 40,000 | 90% |
| Not enrolled | 5,000 | 10% |
| Population age 3-12 | 21,000 | 100% |
| Enrolled | 18,000 | 86% |
| Not enrolled | 3,000 | 14% |
| Population age 13-17 | 24,000 | 100% |
| Enrolled | 23,000 | 93% |
| Not enrolled | - | - |
| Population age 18-24 | 98,000 | 100% |
| Enrolled | 44,000 | 45% |
| Not enrolled | 54,000 | 55% |
| Educational Attainment of Adults | ||
| Population age 25+ | 805,000 | 100% |
| Grade 0-5 | 143,000 | 18% |
| Grade 6-8 | 147,000 | 18% |
| Grade 9-12 | 136,000 | 17% |
| High school diploma or GED | 180,000 | 22% |
| Some college or associate’s degree | 92,000 | 11% |
| Bachelor’s, graduate, or professional degree | 107,000 | 13% |
| English Proficiency | ||
| Population age 5+ | 945,000 | 100% |
| Speak only English | 40,000 | 4% |
| Speak English "very well" | 213,000 | 23% |
| Speak English "well" | 201,000 | 21% |
| Speak English "not well"/"not at all" | 491,000 | 52% |
| Top 5 Languages Spoken at Home | ||
| Population age 5+ | 945,000 | 100% |
| Spanish | 747,000 | 79% |
| English | 42,000 | 4% |
| Chinese | 41,000 | 4% |
| Tagalog | 40,000 | 4% |
| Korean | 28,000 | 3% |
| Workforce | Estimate | % of Total |
| Labor Force Participation | ||
| Civilian population age 16+ | 915,000 | 100% |
| Employed | 601,000 | 66% |
| Unemployed | 42,000 | 5% |
| Not in the labor force | 272,000 | 30% |
| Top Industries of Employment | ||
| Civilian employed population age 16+ | 601,000 | 100% |
| Manufacturing | 94,000 | 16% |
| Accommodation & food services, arts, entertainment, & recreation | 93,000 | 15% |
| Construction | 87,000 | 14% |
| Professional, scientific, management, administrative, & waste management services | 76,000 | 13% |
| Other services (except public administration) | 61,000 | 10% |
| Economics | Estimate | % of Total |
| Family Income | ||
| Below 50% of the poverty level | 102,000 | 11% |
| 50-99% of the poverty level | 149,000 | 16% |
| 100-149% of the poverty level | 168,000 | 18% |
| 150-199% of the poverty level | 151,000 | 16% |
| At or above 200% of the poverty level | 382,000 | 40% |
| Access to Health Insurance | ||
| Uninsured | 407,000 | 43% |
| Home Ownership | ||
| Homeowner** | 159,000 | 17% |
** 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 2015-19 American Community Survey (ACS) and the 2008 Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), weighted to 2019 unauthorized immigrant population estimates provided by Jennifer Van Hook of Pennsylvania State University.
Also see: Immigration has long been a hot issue in California.
