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The United States is home to approximately 46.2 million foreign-born people, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2022 American Community Survey. This group represents about 13.9% of the total population and concentrates in a small number of metropolitan areas. Understanding where each national group settles matters for anyone planning to immigrate, because an established community affects access to jobs in the native language, schools, religious services, specialty commerce and speed of adaptation.
This is a complete catalog of the main American metros, with Census data on the largest immigrant groups in each. The analysis covers ten reference nationalities: Mexico, mainland China, India, Philippines, El Salvador, Vietnam, Cuba, Dominican Republic, South Korea and Brazil, with mentions of Guatemala, Korea, Jamaica, Haiti and Nigeria where relevant.
New York: the world’s largest urban diaspora
The New York metropolitan area concentrates about 5.8 million foreign-born people, the largest contingent of any American city. The main groups, according to the Migration Policy Institute, are: Dominican Republic (430,000), China (380,000), Mexico (190,000), Jamaica (170,000), Ecuador (160,000), Guyana (140,000), India (130,000), Haiti (110,000), Philippines (95,000) and South Korea (90,000). The Brazilian diaspora, with approximately 180,000 people, is spread across Manhattan, Queens, Newark, Elizabeth and Long Branch.
The Ironbound in Newark concentrates Portuguese and Brazilians, Flushing in Queens is the largest Chinatown outside Asia, Jackson Heights brings together Indians, Colombians and Mexicans, and Washington Heights is the heart of the Dominican diaspora. Absorption sectors: finance, media, food service, construction, healthcare and fashion.
Los Angeles: gateway to the Pacific and the Americas
The Los Angeles metropolitan area is home to about 4.5 million immigrants. The dominant group is Mexican, with approximately 1.4 million people born in Mexico. Next come: El Salvador (270,000), Philippines (260,000), Guatemala (210,000), China (200,000), South Korea (180,000), Vietnam (130,000), Iran (120,000), India (95,000) and Armenia (85,000). The Brazilian presence is estimated at 35,000 people, concentrated in Culver City, Venice and parts of West LA.
Koreatown, Little Tokyo, Thai Town, Little Armenia, Historic Filipinotown and the Hispanic corridors of the Eastside and San Fernando Valley illustrate this stratification. Sectors: entertainment, technology, light manufacturing, hospitality, surrounding agriculture and port logistics.
Miami: Latin American capital
The Miami metropolitan area counts about 2.7 million immigrants, being the only major American city where the majority of the population is foreign-born. Cuba leads with about 850,000 people, followed by Colombia (200,000), Haiti (190,000), Nicaragua (130,000), Venezuela (130,000), Dominican Republic (110,000), Honduras (95,000), Peru (85,000), Argentina (75,000) and Brazil (60,000, part of Florida’s state estimate of 450,000).
Hialeah is majority Cuban, Little Haiti concentrates the Haitian community, Doral is known as Doralzuela for its Venezuelan presence, and Pompano Beach has strong Portuguese-Brazilian commerce. Sectors: tourism, hospitality, construction, real estate, international trade, regional finance and airport logistics.
San Francisco and Silicon Valley: the Asian and tech axis
The Bay Area concentrates approximately 2 million immigrants, with a marked academic and technical profile. The main groups are: China (380,000), Philippines (270,000), India (250,000), Mexico (240,000), Vietnam (180,000), El Salvador (90,000), South Korea (60,000), Taiwan (55,000), United Kingdom (40,000) and Brazil (about 25,000, part of California’s contingent of 100,000).
Cupertino, Fremont and Sunnyvale have a strong Indian presence tied to the software sector. San Jose, Daly City and Vallejo concentrate Filipinos. The San Gabriel Valley on the other side, in Los Angeles, mirrors the Chinese-Taiwanese pattern. Sectors: software, hardware, biotechnology, venture capital, academic research at Stanford and Berkeley, and startups.
Houston and Dallas: the rising Sun Belt
Greater Houston is home to about 1.7 million immigrants. Mexico leads with 600,000, followed by El Salvador (130,000), Vietnam (100,000), Honduras (85,000), India (80,000), China (60,000), Nigeria (55,000), Philippines (45,000), South Korea (35,000) and Guatemala (50,000). Dallas-Fort Worth counts 1.5 million, with a similar profile and strong presence of Mexicans, Indians, Vietnamese and Nigerians. Sectors: energy, construction, healthcare, logistics, expanding technology and aerospace manufacturing.
Chicago: the industrial legacy
Greater Chicago has about 1.7 million foreign-born people. Mexico concentrates 660,000, followed by Poland (130,000), India (120,000), Philippines (90,000), China (75,000), South Korea (45,000), Guatemala (45,000), Ukraine (40,000), Pakistan (40,000) and Nigeria (30,000). Pilsen and Little Village represent the Mexican axis, Devon Avenue concentrates South Asians, and the north side preserves historic Polish enclaves. Sectors: manufacturing, finance, healthcare, rail transportation and professional services.
Boston and Massachusetts: the education belt
The Boston metropolitan area has about 800,000 immigrants. China (95,000), India (75,000), Dominican Republic (70,000), Brazil (60,000 in Massachusetts, with a state estimate of 300,000), Haiti (55,000), El Salvador (45,000), Vietnam (40,000), Cape Verde (35,000), Portugal (30,000) and South Korea (25,000) make up the picture. Framingham, Marlborough, Everett, Somerville, Lowell and Allston have strong Lusophone presence. World-class hospitals, biotechnology, universities and construction are the absorption sectors.
Washington DC, Atlanta and the secondary Sun Belt
Greater Washington brings together about 1.3 million immigrants, with strong Salvadoran (170,000), Indian (100,000), Ethiopian (40,000), Korean (75,000), Vietnamese (60,000), Chinese (55,000), Filipino (50,000), Mexican (90,000), Peruvian (40,000) and Nigerian (30,000) presence. Atlanta has 800,000 immigrants, with Mexico, India, South Korea, Vietnam, Jamaica and Nigeria among the main groups. Charlotte, Raleigh, Nashville and Orlando follow similar patterns and absorb internal migration from immigrants already living in other states.
How to read these numbers when making a decision
Aggregate statistics do not replace local research. The presence of a national community eases arrival, but the decisive criterion is the intersection of profession, immigration status, total cost of living, quality of the school system and the specific labor market. Software engineers find a better fit in the Bay Area, Seattle or Austin. Healthcare professionals have more opportunity in Boston, Houston and Cleveland. Construction and hospitality absorb in Miami, Orlando and Las Vegas. Academic researchers follow the Boston-DC-Pittsburgh-Bay Area axis.
Mid-size and secondary cities often offer better quality of life and less competition for skilled positions, even if the national community is less dense. The step-by-step approach for anyone immigrating is to map profession and status first, then the region, and only then the specific city within the chosen state.
Victoria Harper
Editor-in-Chief
Leading journalism and editorial content at Visto n’ Visa, Victoria helps make immigration topics clear, trustworthy, and easy to understand. Her focus is on delivering useful, human, and relevant content for people exploring new paths abroad.
