Data are facts about people, places, and businesses that are collected in censuses and surveys and through administrative records (e.g., birth certificates). The results released based on these data collections are often called statistics.

The foreign-born population is composed of anyone who is not a U.S. citizen at birth. This includes persons who have become U.S. citizens through naturalization.

The Census Bureau does not collect data on the legal status of the foreign-born population.

The Census Bureau uses the term native to refer to anyone born in the United States, Puerto Rico, a U.S. Island Area (Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, or the U.S. Virgin Islands), or abroad of a U.S. citizen parent or parents.

The Census Bureau collects and publishes survey data on characteristics of foreign-born residents of the United States such as country of birth, U.S. citizenship status, and year of entry into the United States.

According to the Current Population Survey, 2019 Annual Social and Economic Supplement:

• States that frequently have the highest share of foreign-born residents are New York (13 times), New Jersey (10 times), and California (9 times).
• While the majority of children under the age of 18 lived with native-born parents (69.7 per- cent), over a quarter (26.3 percent) lived with at least one foreign-born parent.
• Children with at least one foreign-born parent were more likely to live in a rented home: just under half (48.6 percent) compared to a third (33.1 percent) of children with native-born parents.

These data are part of the Current Population Survey (CPS), American Community Survey (ACS), and Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP). To access the list of tools available, go to our Data Tools and Apps. ACS data can be accessed on the data.census.gov tool. Other available information is accessible at Census Survey Explorer.