Indian Immigrants in the United States

Since their initial settlement in the 19th century in communities along the West Coast, the number of Indian immigrants in the U.S. has reached 2.7 million, accounting for approximately six percent of the total foreign-born population in 2019. Using data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the Department of Homeland Security’s Yearbook of Immigration Statistics, and the World Bank, this Migration Policy Institute article finds that the U.S. is a major destination country for many Indian immigrants, second only to the United Arab Emirates. Indian immigrants are highly educated, many work in management positions, and they have higher incomes than both the total foreign- and U.S.-born populations. Many Indian immigrants use family reunification channels to obtain legal permanent residence, but they are less likely to naturalize compared to other Asian immigrant groups. Data from 2014-2018 show that Indian immigrants settle in major metropolitan areas across the U.S., including New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Houston and Atlanta. They are also highly concentrated in California (20 percent), followed by Texas and New Jersey (10 percent each). (Jaisang Sun for the Immigrant Learning Center’s Public Education Institute)