Unauthorized Immigrant Population Reaches Record 14 Million in US

The US unauthorized immigrant population reached a record 14 million in 2023, with six states - Illinois, Texas, California, Florida, New York, and New Jersey - consistently hosting the majority of the nation's unauthorized immigrants since at least 1980. However, these states are no longer the only draw as immigrants move to other states amid economic transformation. The Pew Research Center found that the historic rise in unauthorized immigrants during President Biden's first two years in office has fueled the backlash that helped Donald Trump's return to the White House.

Key Takeaways:

The six states that host the majority of the nation's unauthorized immigrants have consistently been home to these immigrants since at least 1980, but they are no longer the only draw as immigrants move to other states amid economic transformation.
The unauthorized immigrant population has grown in 32 states from 2021 to 2023, with a significant increase in eight states, including Florida with a 700,000 jump, Texas with a 450,000 jump, and New Jersey, Illinois, Georgia, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Ohio with a 75,000 or more growth.
The Pew Research Center estimates that in 2023, nearly 8 million unauthorized immigrants lived in the top six immigrant states, accounting for 56% of the total unauthorized immigrant population in the US, compared to 80% in 1990.
Illinois was home to about 550,000 unauthorized immigrants, or 4.4% of the state population, while California led the nation with 2.3 million, followed by Texas with 2.1 million.
The Safe Schools For All Act was signed into law in Illinois, enshrining a child's right to education regardless of immigration status and pushing districts to outline policies for responding to immigration raids.

Statistics:

14 million: the record number of unauthorized immigrants in the US as of 2023 (Pew Research Center)
56%: the percentage of unauthorized immigrants living in the top six immigrant states (Pew Research Center)
80%: the percentage of unauthorized immigrants living in the top six immigrant states in 1990 (Pew Research Center)
8 million: the estimated number of unauthorized immigrants living in the top six immigrant states in 2023 (Pew Research Center)
550,000: the number of unauthorized immigrants living in Illinois (Pew Research Center)
4.4%: the percentage of Illinois' population consisting of unauthorized immigrants (Pew Research Center)
2.3 million: the number of unauthorized immigrants living in California (Pew Research Center)
2.1 million: the number of unauthorized immigrants living in Texas (Pew Research Center)
700,000: the number of unauthorized immigrants added in Florida from 2021 to 2023 (Axios analysis)
450,000: the number of unauthorized immigrants added in Texas from 2021 to 2023 (Axios analysis)
7.1%: the percentage of unauthorized immigrants in Florida's total population (Axios analysis)
6.9%: the percentage of unauthorized immigrants in Nevada's total population (Axios analysis)
6.7%: the percentage of unauthorized immigrants in Texas' total population (Axios analysis)
6.5%: the percentage of unauthorized immigrants in New Jersey's total population (Axios analysis)

Sources:

Pew Research Center, "Unauthorized Immigrant Population Reaches Record 14 million in US, Aug 21, 2025
Axios, "US unauthorized immigrant population hits record 14 million, Aug 21, 2025
Pew Research Center, "The State of the Nation's Immigration, Aug 21, 2025
Illinois General Assembly, "Safe Schools For All Act, HB3247, Aug 2025
Axios, "Florida has the highest percentage of unauthorized immigrants among its total population, Aug 2025
ABC, "Construction Industry Must Attract 439,000 Workers in 2025, May 2024
AG America, "The Impact of the Farm Labor Shortage, Mar 2024
IOGP, "Workforce and Energy, Jul 2023