Immigration accounted for 84% of total U.S. population growth in 2024. In the same year, 14.8% of the U.S. population was foreign-born, matching the historical peak recorded in 1890.

The U.S. population reached 343 million in 2025. The geographic footprint of the U.S. is approximately 3.7 million square miles. A wave of undocumented immigrants has been noted at the southern U.S. border.

The first major wave of immigration to the U.S. occurred between the 1840s and 1889, with approximately 14 million people arriving primarily from northern and western Europe. A second wave followed from 1890 to the 1920s, during which more than 18 million migrants from southern and eastern Europe entered the country. The 1924 Immigration Act subsequently limited immigration to the U.S.

A recent wave of immigration to the U.S. began in the 1960s after previous restrictions were lifted. More than 70 million immigrants have entered the U.S. since that period. Approximately 18 million immigrants from Mexico have entered the U.S. since the 1960s.

Many immigrants and northern transplants are moving to the South, particularly to cities in Texas and Florida. Heather Cox Richardson, a U.S. history professor at Boston College, said, "One of the things that really is at the centre of the United States of America is immigration." She added, "The one thing that does link us all is that concept that we can make a future that we want."

Colin Woodard, director of the Nationhood Lab at Salve Regina University, divides the U.S. into distinct identities linked to early historical fissures. He identifies a northern region called "Yankeeland," rooted in early Puritan settlers. Woodard also points to a middle belt termed "Greater Appalachia," first settled by Scots and Irish. He describes the Deep South as historically consisting of a landowning class who formed an "oligarchic, top-down society." Woodard states that for some, "For them, freedom means maximising the autonomy and freedom of the individual and any growth in the power of government axiomatically means you know that individuals are less free." He noted, "It is the opposite of the Yankee Greater New England philosophy."

Why It Matters

The 2024 data indicates a portion of U.S. population growth is attributed to immigration, reaching a century-old historical peak in the foreign-born population percentage. These demographic shifts occur alongside ongoing discussions about immigration policy and regional identities within the U.S. The historical patterns of immigration show that the country has experienced several major influxes of people from various parts of the world.

Current migration trends include movement toward southern states, impacting local demographics and economic conditions. These movements and the historical context provided by experts like Richardson and Woodard illustrate the role of immigration in shaping the U.S. population and its regional characteristics.