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The United States is home to the world’s largest foreign-born population: approximately 46.2 million people, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2022 American Community Survey. This group represents roughly 13.9% of the total population and accounts for about one-fifth of all immigrants worldwide. The geographic distribution of this presence is far from uniform. A handful of states concentrate the vast majority, and within them a limited set of metropolitan areas function as true identity hubs for each nationality.
Understanding where the main immigrant communities live and why they chose those places helps anyone planning a move make better-informed decisions about destination, labor market, and support networks. This overview combines data from the Census Bureau, the Migration Policy Institute, and consular reports from several countries.
The 10 main countries of origin
According to the American Community Survey, ten countries account for more than half of the entire foreign-born population in the United States. The list below shows the approximate number of people born in each country who reside in the U.S.
1. Mexico: approximately 10.6 million. By far the largest immigrant community in the country, with a historical presence in California, Texas, Arizona, Illinois, and Georgia. 2. India: approximately 2.8 million, with heavy concentration in New Jersey, California, Texas, and the New York metropolitan area. 3. China: approximately 2.4 million, distributed mainly across California, New York, and Massachusetts. 4. Philippines: approximately 2.0 million, with particular weight in California, Hawaii, and Nevada. 5. El Salvador: approximately 1.4 million, concentrated in Washington DC, Maryland, Virginia, Texas, and California.
6. Vietnam: approximately 1.4 million, with a strong presence in Orange County, San Jose, and Houston. 7. Cuba: approximately 1.3 million, with over 70% concentrated in Florida, especially greater Miami. 8. Dominican Republic: approximately 1.2 million, predominantly in New York, New Jersey, and Florida. 9. South Korea: approximately 1.0 million, with Los Angeles, New York, and the Atlanta area as main hubs. 10. Brazil: approximately 540,000 counted by the Census Bureau, although consular estimates from the Brazilian Foreign Ministry reach 2.1 million when undocumented residents and extended visitors are included.
The states that concentrate immigration
The geographic distribution reveals that six states account for more than 65% of the entire foreign-born population. Each offers a distinct economic and cultural profile.
California
With more than 10.4 million foreign-born residents, California is home to approximately 22% of all immigrants in the country. Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, San Jose, and Silicon Valley attract varied profiles, from agricultural workers to software engineers. The largest state communities include Mexicans, Filipinos, Chinese, Vietnamese, Indians, Koreans, and Salvadorans.
Texas
Approximately 5.2 million immigrants live in Texas. Houston, Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio stand out for their diversity. The oil and gas industry, the expanding technology sector, and international logistics support a broad labor market. Mexicans form the largest community, followed by Indians, Vietnamese, Salvadorans, Chinese, and Nigerians.
Florida
Florida is home to approximately 4.7 million foreign-born residents. Miami is the only major American metropolis where the majority of the population was born outside the U.S. Cubans, Haitians, Colombians, Venezuelans, Jamaicans, Nicaraguans, and Brazilians form a Latin-Caribbean mosaic. Orlando, Pompano Beach, Boca Raton, and Deerfield Beach are relevant secondary hubs.
New York and New Jersey
The New York and New Jersey axis brings together approximately 6.7 million immigrants. Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, Newark, Elizabeth, and Jersey City form one of the most cosmopolitan regions on the planet. Dominicans, Chinese, Indians, Mexicans, Jamaicans, Colombians, Ecuadorians, and Koreans have a strong historical presence. New Jersey in particular hosts the largest relative Indian community in the country.
Illinois
Chicago and the surrounding metropolitan area concentrate the majority of the state’s approximately 1.8 million immigrants. Mexicans, Poles, Indians, Filipinos, and Chinese are the most numerous communities. The industrial, financial, and logistics base sustains the market.
Other relevant hubs
Massachusetts maintains historical communities in Boston, Framingham, Everett, Somerville, and Marlborough, with a strong presence of Chinese, Indians, Dominicans, Brazilians, and Haitians. Georgia, especially greater Atlanta, attracts Mexicans, Indians, Koreans, Vietnamese, and Nigerians. Washington, Maryland, and Virginia form a corridor with a strong Salvadoran, Ethiopian, Indian, and Korean presence. Arizona and Nevada have grown with Mexicans and Filipinos.
Why these states and cities
Five recurring factors explain the geographic concentration of immigrant communities in the U.S.: professional opportunities, relative cost of living, existing cultural infrastructure, family networks, and climate.
Professional opportunities
The American labor market offers nominally higher wages than most countries of origin across nearly all skilled occupations. Formal employment-based visa programs such as H-1B, L-1, O-1, EB-2, and EB-3 create structured pathways for qualified professionals. The trade-off is high competition and precarious conditions in entry-level occupations without formal qualifications.
Existing cultural infrastructure
The established presence of a community dramatically reduces the cost of adaptation. Churches, temples, restaurants, specialty grocery stores, bilingual schools, doctors who practice in the native language, and immigration attorneys with cultural fluency make up an informal infrastructure that softens the initial shock. This is why Mexicans tend to concentrate where there is already a Mexican community, Indians where there is already an Indian community, and so on.
Education
The American university system is a global benchmark, and K-12 education in middle-class school districts is generally solid. For families with school-age children, the choice of school district is as critical as the choice of state. Scholarships and exchange programs exist but do not replace the need for financial planning for higher education, which can cost between $30,000 and $80,000 per year at private universities.
Family reunification
The American immigration system favors family ties across several visa categories. For many immigrants, proximity to already-established relatives is the decisive factor in choosing a state, more relevant than climate or labor market.
What to consider before choosing
Each region involves specific trade-offs. Florida has a lower language barrier for Spanish and Portuguese speakers, but lower wages in entry-level occupations. Massachusetts offers a robust social network and quality public services, but a high cost of living and high taxes. California offers exceptional technical opportunities, but prohibitive housing costs and high state taxes. Texas and Georgia combine a moderate cost of living with an expanding economy, but specific communities may be smaller and more dispersed. New York concentrates capital and professional prestige, but requires high qualifications to afford city life.
The next step for anyone planning a move is to map three variables simultaneously: migration viability — that is, which visa fits your situation; economic viability — that is, whether you can sustain the cost of living in the region during the transition; and network viability — that is, whether the local community offers support during the first 12 to 24 months. The ideal region is the one that balances all three factors, not the one that looks best in social media photos.
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.
