Immigrants In Illinois

One in eight U.S. residents is an immigrant, while one in nine residents is a native-born U.S. citizen with at least one immigrant parent. The American Immigration Council has compiled state by state immigration data and states. Following is an excerpt from AIC Immigrants in Illinois Fact Sheet, you can download the complete report with citations here. 

Immigrants in Illinois

Illinois has a growing community of immigrants, many hailing from Mexico. While one in seven residents in the state is an immigrant, over 20 percent of all business owners in the Chicago metropolitan area are immigrants. As workers, business owners, taxpayers, and neighbors, immigrants are an integral part of Illinois’ diverse and thriving communities and make extensive contributions that benefit all.

One in seven Illinois residents is an immigrant, while one in eight is a native-born U.S. citizen with at least one immigrant parent.

• In 2015, 1.8 million immigrants (foreign-born individuals) comprised 14.2 percent of the population.
• Illinois was home to 870,770 women, 863,196 men, and 92,190 children who were immigrants.
• The top countries of origin for immigrants were Mexico (38.2 percent of immigrants), India (8.1 percent), Poland (7 percent), the Philippines (5 percent), and China (4.3 percent).
• In 2016, 1.6 million people in Illinois (12.6 percent of the state’s population) were native-born Americans who had at least one immigrant parent.

Nearly half of all immigrants in Illinois are naturalized U.S. citizens.

• 880,242 immigrants (48.2 percent) had naturalized as of 2015, and 326,135 immigrants were eligible to become naturalized U.S. citizens in 2015.
• Nearly three-quarters (73.2 percent) of immigrants reported speaking English “well” or “very well.”

Immigrants in Illinois are concentrated at both ends of the educational spectrum.

• Almost one in three adult immigrants had a college degree or more education in 2015, while one in four had less than a high school diploma.

What Immigration Means to Illinois from the American Immigration Council (Infographic)