U.S. Immigrant Population Hit Record 43.7 Million In 2016

New data released by the U.S. Census Bureau has revealed that the American immigrant population, both legal and illegal, hit a record 43.7 million last summer. That marks an increase of half a million since 2015 and 12.6 million since 2000. The immigrant share of the U.S. population has reached 13.5 percent, its highest share in 106 years. The all-time highest share was 14.7 percent, recorded in 1910 when the country had 13.5 million immigrants.

The Census Bureau has projected that this will be eclipsed by 2030 when the immigrant share climbs even further to 15.8 percent or just under 57 million people. The steady influx will continue right up to 2050 when the number of immigrants is expected to top 72 million while the population share will increase further to 18.2 percent.