1. Data on International Migration and the Foreign-Born Population from the U.S. Census Bureau
Elizabeth M. Grieco
Chief, Immigration Statistics Staff
Population Division, U.S. Census Bureau
Finding and Using the Best Immigration Data Resources: A Seminar on Immigration Statistics
Migration Policy Institute and Population Reference Bureau
October 16, 2008

2. Purpose of Presentation
Review some basic migration terms:
Immigrant, native, and foreign born
Flow vs. stock data
Census vs. survey data
Discuss the available data sources on:
Immigration/migrants (events/flows)
Foreign born (population)
Review several major Census Bureau data sources
Decennial Census
American Community Survey (ACS)
Other sources of survey data 2

3. Things to Consider Before Looking for Data…
What do you want to know?
What data source, type of data would tell you what you want to know?
Where can you find the data you want? 3

4. Defining Terms: Immigrant, Foreign Born, and Native
Immigrant – Anyone admitted to the United States for lawful permanent residence as defined by the Immigration and Nationality Act
Legal permanent residents (LPRs) include “new arrivals” and “adjustments of status”
Foreign born – Anyone who is not a U.S. citizen at birth
The foreign born include naturalized U.S. citizens, LPRs, temporary migrants, humanitarian migrants, people illegally present in the United States
NOTE: The foreign-born population includes immigrants (LPRs).
Native – Anyone who is a U.S. citizen at birth 4

5. 5

6. Defining Terms: Cautionary Notes
U.S. definition of “foreign born” different from other countries
U.S. excludes those born abroad of at least one American citizen parent (“natives”) as foreign born
Other countries, e.g., Australia, include everyone born outside as foreign born
Exercise caution if comparing with data from other countries
When analyzing microdata,watch who you include as foreign born
Place of birth – the country where a person was born
Citizenship – the person’s citizenship status
Place of birth alone will give you all persons born abroad, including citizens born abroad, so need to cross these variables for foreign-born population 6

7. Defining Terms: Flow vs. Stock Data
Flow data – The collection or summation of events during a certain period, such as a year
Examples: vital statistics (e.g., births, deaths), administrative or work load statistics (e.g., nonimmigrant admissions, naturalizations, refugee arrivals, visas issued)
Stock data – The number of persons at a given date
Examples: survey and census data (e.g., population size by age, sex, race, Hispanic origin, or place of birth) 7

8. Flow Data: Examples
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) – Administrative/Work Load Statistics
Yearbook of Immigration Statistics
LPR arrivals/adjustments, refugee arrivals, asylees, naturalizations, nonimmigrant admissions, enforcement actions
H-1B application statistics
Temporary Protected Status (TPS) application statistics
Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) statistics
State Department – Visa Issuance Statistics
Office of Travel and Tourism Industries (OTTI) – Foreign Tourist Arrival Statistics
Department of Labor (DOL) – Foreign Labor Certification Statistics
These are not population counts!
However, DHS Office of Immigration Statistics and other researchers use stock
and flow data and various methodologies to estimate the size of some of these
populations… 8

9. Stock Data: Uses and Sources
Can help answer: how many? what kind? where?
TYPES OF DATA SOURCES:
Censuses provide counts of the population
U.S. Census of the Population
(e.g., Census 2000 Short Form/100% Data; Census 2010 Data)
Surveys are statistical samples used to estimate the size and characteristics of the population
(e.g., Census 2000 Long Form/Sample Data)
American Community Survey
Current Population Survey
Others 9

10. Census Data on the Foreign Born: Examples
Federally-funded, nationally-representative surveys are
the best sources of stock data on the foreign born
Examples of what you can do with the data:
Population size
Trends through time
Characteristics (e.g., country of birth)
Distribution and level of geography
Note: Much of this data and information are readily available
on the Census Bureau’s website (e.g., as microdata to download,
as tabulated data, maps, etc.) 10

11. Foreign-Born Population: 1990, 2000, and 2007 (in millions)
Total population
248.7
281.4
301.6
Total foreign born
19.8
31.1
38.1
Foreign born as percent of total population
7.9
11.1
12.6
Sources: and 2000 decennial censuses, 2007 American Community Survey. 11

12. Number of Foreign Born and the Foreign-Born Population as a Percent of the Total Population of the United States: 1960 to 2007 12

13. Percent Distribution of the Foreign-Born Population by Region of Birth, for the United States: 1960 to 2007 13

14. M0501. Percent of People Who Are Foreign Born: Universe: Total population Data Set: 2007 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates
Source: American FactFinder ( 14

15. Selected Population Profiles
Iterations for over 100 foreign-born groups
For nation, states, and other geographic areas that have a total population of 500,000
and group population of 65,000 or more
Additional social, economic, and demographic information on the foreign born not previously available from other ACS tables (e.g., fertility, disability, family income, poverty of individuals, etc.) 15

16. Select Sources That Include Data on the Foreign Born in the United States
Population and Housing Decennial Censuses
American Community Survey (ACS)
Other Relevant Surveys 16

17. Decennial Census – Quick Facts
Purpose: Apportionment of House seats among
the states
Universe: Entire U.S. resident population
(households and group quarters)
Frequency: Every 10 years (since 1790)
Format: Short and long forms for Census 2000 but
short form only for Census 2010
Geography: National and extensive sub-national 17

18. American Community Survey – Quick Facts
Purpose: Provide timely data at national and extensive sub-national geography levels
Universe: U.S. resident population
(3 million housing units in sample)
Frequency: Yearly estimates based on July population
Geography: Nation, state, county and, place (2005) and extensive sub-national (2008 forward)
(65,000+ available now; 20,000+ in 3-year estimates available in December 2008; every geography down to block group level in 5-year estimates available in ) 18

19. American Community Survey – Key Migration Items
In addition to all of the other items on the ACS:
Place of birth/nativity (not country of citizenship)
U.S. citizenship
Year of naturalization (beginning in 2008 ACS)
Year of entry
Migration history (residence 1 year ago)
Race, ethnicity (Hispanic origin), ancestry
Language spoken at home 19

20. Comparing 2007 ACS Data to Census 2000 Data
Global differences exist
e.g., residency rules, universes, reference periods
For most population and housing subjects, comparisons can be made
Place of birth, citizenship, nativity, language can be compared
Year of entry can be compared (watch reference periods)
Residence 1 year ago (ACS) should not be compared to residence 5 years ago (Census 2000)
“How to Use the Data”
“Comparing ACS to Other Sources” 20

21. ACS Margin of Errors (MOEs)
MOE describes the precision of an estimate at a given level of confidence
Margin of Error = x Standard Error
Census Bureau’s statistical standard: 90 percent confidence level
Users should conduct statistical testing to determine if two estimates are statistically different
This is especially important for small population groups because of large margins of error
“Data Users Handbook” 21

22. Contact Information
Elizabeth M. Grieco
Chief, Immigration Statistics Staff
Population Division, U.S. Census Bureau
Demographic Call Center Staff
(301) 22

23. Other Surveys Including Information About the Foreign Born
American Housing Survey (AHS)
American Time Use Survey (ATUS)
Current Population Survey (CPS)
National Health Interview Survey (NHIS)
National Prisoner Statistics (NPS)
National Survey of College Graduates (NSCG)
New York City Housing Vacancy Survey (NYCHVS)
Survey of Program Dynamics (SPD)
Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) 23

24. Useful Websites with Data on Migration and the Foreign Born
U.S. Census Bureau:
U.S. Census Bureau Foreign-Born Population Homepage:
American FactFinder (for Census and ACS data):
factfinder.census.gov
(including the Selected Population Profiles)
Maps in American FactFinder:
factfinder.census.gov/jsp/saff/SAFFInfo.jsp?_pageId=gn7_maps
Data Ferrett (for Census, ACS, and CPS data):
dataferrett.census.gov
Other Data Access Tools (e.g., for downloading public use Census Bureau data): 24

25. Useful Websites with Data on Migration and the Foreign Born (continued)
DHS Office of Immigration Statistics (including Yearbook of Immigration Statistics):
(see the right-hand side on the Data & Statistics page at for more links)
Department of State Visa Issuance Statistics:
travel.state.gov/visa/frvi/statistics/statistics_1476.html
SEVIS International Students/Exchange Visitor Data:
University of Minnesota IPUMS Project (for Census and CPS data):
University of Minnesota International IPUMS Project (for international data):
international.ipums.org/international 25

26. Information from Secondary Sources, e.g., Think Tanks, Advocacy Groups
Note: Data presented often secondary, information presented for
reason; use judiciously, with caution.
Migration Policy Institute (
Migration Information Source (
Center for Immigration Studies (
Urban Institute (
Pew Hispanic Center (
Brookings Institute (
Federation for American Immigration Reform (
NumbersUSA (
American Immigration Lawyers Association (
Immigration Policy Center (
American Immigration Law Foundation ( 26

27. International Data Sources
Note: Compare U.S. and international data carefully, as
concepts and definitions may make the data not directly
comparable (e.g., foreigner vs. foreign born).
United Nations Population Division (
United Nations Statistics Division (unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/default.htm)
United Nations Population Information Network (
IOM (
Statistics Canada (
Citizenship and Immigration Canada (
INEGI (
CONAPO (
Eurostat (ec.europa.eu/eurostat)
International Statistical Agencies: ( 27