Quick Immigration Statistics: Massachusetts

There are approximately 1 million immigrants in Massachusetts.

The Immigrant Learning Center has compiled a list of quick immigration statistics and facts to answer your most pressing questions about the current immigration landscape in Massachusetts. Our Research and Information page has many studies and reports focused on Massachusetts immigrants, and our Quick U.S. Immigration Statistics page will give you the basics on immigration in the United States.

If you don’t see what you need on this website, our Immigration Research Library contains more than 1,300 studies from reputable sources, and new reports are added as they become available. If you’re looking for more detailed data or want to examine specific immigrant populations, you can request a free,  personalized fact sheet through the Immigration Data on Demand service from our partner, the Institute for Immigration Research at George Mason University.

If you have questions or suggestions about these Massachusetts Quick Immigration Stats, feel free to contact us at [email protected].

How many immigrants are there in Massachusetts, and who are they?

There are approximately 1 million immigrants in Massachusetts.

About one in every six (17.6%) Massachusetts residents is foreign-born.

Pie chart depicting that 17.6% of Massachusetts residents are foreign-born, while 82.4% Massachusetts residents are U.S.-born.

Source: U.S. Census 2020 American Community Survey 5-year Estimates

The five largest immigrant populations in Massachusetts are from:Pie chart showing that the five largest immigrant populations in Massachusetts are from China (7.8%), the Dominican Republic (7.6%), India (5.9%), Brazil (5.7%), and Haiti (5.0%).

Source: U.S. Census 2017 American Community Survey

Our interactive map, created in collaboration with the Institute for Immigration Research, features more detailed data on Massachusetts immigrants’ locations, countries of origin and more. Click on individual towns and cities to see breakdowns of the foreign-born populations, use the dropdown menu to dig into one of the 11 largest foreign-born populations in the state and use the Data Explorer to learn more about the shares each population makes up by locality.

Learn more about the immigration landscape of New England.

Learn more about the role that immigrants play in Massachusetts, including their role throughout the state’s history.

Learn more about changes in the ethnic and immigration landscape of Greater Boston

What is the migration status of most foreign-born people in Massachusetts?

The majority (78%) of immigrants in Massachusetts have authorization.

Pie chart showing that the majority (78%) of immigrants in Massachusetts are documented.

Source: Institute of Immigration Research analysis of the American Community Survey (ACS) 2012-2016 5-year sample data from Integrated Public Use Microdata Sample (IPUMS-USA) file

More than half (54.6%) of all immigrants in Massachusetts have become United States citizens.

Pie chart showing that 54.6% of all immigrants in Massachusetts are U.S. citizens.

Source: U.S. Census 2020 American Community Survey 5-year Estimates

Learn more about how levels of undocumented immigration have significantly declined.

Learn more about how undocumented immigrants contribute to the U.S. tax base.

Learn more about the economic benefits of creating pathways for both documented and undocumented immigrants to naturalize.

How do immigrants impact the Massachusetts workforce?

Immigrants in Massachusetts have a 68.9 percent rate of workforce participation.*

Immigrants in Massachusetts have a 68.9% rate of workforce participation, while U.S.-born residents in Massachusetts have a 67.0% rate of workforce participation.

Source: Institute of Immigration Research analysis of the American Community Survey (ACS) 2012-2016 5-year sample data from Integrated Public Use Microdata Sample

In Massachusetts, 9.5 percent of immigrants are self-employed.

In Massachusetts, 9.5% of immigrants are self-employed, while 8.8% of U.S.-born residents are self-employed.

Source: Institute of Immigration Research analysis of the American Community Survey (ACS) 2012-2016 5-year sample data from Integrated Public Use Microdata Sample

* The workforce participation rate is calculated by dividing the number of people working and those actively seeking work by the number of non-institutionalized, working-age (16-65) civilians.

One quarter (25%) of new U.S. businesses are founded by immigrants.

 

Graphic showing that one quarter (25%) of new U.S. businesses are founded by immigrants.

 

Source: Immigrant Entrepreneurship, National Bureau of Economic Research, July 2016

Learn how immigrants lower unemployment rates and increase workforce participation rates.

Learn more about Massachusetts immigrant entrepreneurs.

Learn more about the accomplishments of female immigrant entrepreneurs.

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