Unauthorized immigrants.

• Author: Morse, Ann
• Position: TRENDS

The number of unauthorized immigrants in the U.S. has stabilized in recent years after decades of rapid growth. But where they come from has changed. The number from Mexico has been declining since 2009, while the number coming from elsewhere has been rising. Here are five facts about unauthorized immigrants in the U.S. from the Pew Research Center's Fact Tank.

1

There were 11.1 million unauthorized immigrants in the U.S. in 2014, about the same as in 2009. They account for 3.5 percent of the nation's population and about one-fourth of the nation's foreign-born residents.

2

The U.S. civilian workforce included 8 million unauthorized immigrants in 2014, accounting for 5 percent of those who were working or were unemployed and looking for work. Unauthorized immigrants are overrepresented in farming (26 percent) and construction occupations (15 percent).

3

There were 5.8 million Mexican unauthorized immigrants living in the U.S. in 2014, down from 6.4 million in 2009. Ninety-three percent of them, in 2014, had been in the U.S. for more than five years compared with 78 percent of those from all other countries. The number of unauthorized immigrants from Asia, Central America...