According to a January 2024 report by the Migration Policy Institute, more than 4.7 million immigrants from Europe live in the USA. Among the top European countries of origin for immigrants living in the US are the United Kingdom (677,000), Germany (537,000), Ukraine (427,000), Russia (398,000), Poland (374,000), Italy (295,000), France (182,000), Portugal (160,000), Romania (158,000), and Spain (126,000) – among others. The states with the most European immigrants living in the USA include New York, California, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey and Texas. Major metropolitan areas with the most immigrants from Europe include #1 New York City-Newark-Jersey City with 864,000 European immigrants; #2 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin (360,000); #3 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim (224,000); #4 Boston-Cambridge-Newton (156,000); and #5 Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach with 143,000 immigrants from Europe. In regards to US employment, around 55% of European immigrants 16 years of age or older work in the Business, Management, Science or Arts sectors; 16% in Sales or Office jobs; 12% for Service Organizations; 10% in Material Moving, Transportation or Production occupations; and 7% in Construction, Natural Resources or Maintenance jobs. Immigrants from Europe who live in the United States generally earn higher median household incomes ($86,000) than people born in the USA or other immigrants ($75,000). To read more, click here!

The American economy is growing much faster than other advanced economies, according to recent data. During the third quarter of 2023, the gross domestic product (GDP) of the United States soared by an impressive 4.9% annualized rate. By comparison, the 20 Eurozone countries only had a collective annualized GDP growth rate of 0.1 percent, while the British economy increased GDP at an annualized rate of just 0.2 percent and Japan’s GDP actually decreased by 2.1 percent. The US economy also ended the fourth quarter of 2023 with a robust annualized GDP growth rate of 3.3 percent. One of the key reasons that the US economy is enjoying such robust growth is because of sustained spending by American consumers. To read more, click here!

A report released by the Pew Research Center on September 28, 2023, reveals that the overall population of Hispanic immigrants living in the USA is growing. According to the report, there were 19.9 million Hispanic immigrants living in the US during 2021, making up 31.8% of the entire Hispanic population of the United States. Furthermore, there has been an increase of Hispanic immigrants living in the USA over five years, rising from 15.9 million in 2010 to 17.3 million in 2021. Mexicans account for 54% of Hispanic immigrants living in the US and 24% of the overall immigrant population of the United States. In regards to recent Hispanic immigration to the US, 34% were from Mexico, while an additional 36% were from the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras or Venezuela. The research found that 27.9 years was the median age for recent Hispanic immigrants moving to the USA, however, there were big differences among the countries. For example, the median age for Guatemalans recently moving to the US was 21.9 years, for Hondurans it was 22.4 years and for Salvadorans it was 23.5 years; whereas for Colombians it was 32.1 years, for Peruvians it was 35.3 years, for Venezuelans it was 36.0 years and for Cubans it was 36.3 years. By comparison, the median age for Mexicans recently moving to the USA was 28.2 years. The education levels of recent Hispanic immigrants living in the US has increased significantly over the past two decades. In 2021, 27% of recent Hispanic immigrants 25 years of age or older living in the US had a bachelor’s degree or higher credential, compared with only 11% in 2000. To read more, click here!

The cost of living in the USA is greatly affected by where a person lives in the US. It is also influenced by how many people are in the household and other factors. A recent study reported the median yearly salaries that a single person would need to live in each of the 50 states. As you might imagine, some states are more expensive places to live in the USA, while others are less expensive. This information could be useful for immigrants when planning on where to live and work in the US. The states with the highest median annual salary requirements for a single person include Hawaii ($112,411), Massachusetts ($87,909), California ($80,013), New York ($73,226), Alaska ($71,570), Maryland ($67,915), Vermont ($65,923) and Washington ($65,640). As you can see, it will cost you to live in the US tropical paradise of Hawaii, since almost everything has to be shipped to these remote islands and there is limited real estate available. There is, however, a lower cost of living in the US Midwest and South. For example, the median yearly salary that a single person needs to live in the Midwest state of Oklahoma is only $46,024; in Kansas it is $47,379; in Missouri it is $47,771; in Iowa it is $48,518; in Indiana it is $49,855 and in Illinois it is $49,372. A single individual who wants to live in the South would require a median annual salary of $45,906 in Mississippi; $46,577 in Alabama; $47,111 in Arkansas; $48,774 in Tennessee and $49,051 in Georgia. To read more, click here!

According to a recent report by US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), H-1B Work Visa holders who work in the computer technology sector earned an average salary of $129,000 USD in 2022. The USCIS report also revealed that the average salaries for H-1B Work Visa holders employed in the computer technology sector increased by 23% from 2018 to 2022. Research shows that foreign professionals with an H-1B Work Visa generally earn the same or more than American workers in the same occupations. During Fiscal Year 2022 (FY-2022), the USCIS approved 442,043 H-1B Work Visa petitions out of the 474,301 that were filed, of which 291,780 of the approved petitions were for skilled foreign workers in the computer technology sector (66% of the total). Skilled foreign workers in the architecture, engineering and surveying sector had the second largest number of H-1B Work Visa petitions approved in FY-2022 (43,351), followed by administrative specializations (23,022); education (10,980); medicine and health (10,229); life sciences (7,918); mathematics and physical sciences (7,904); managers and officials (5,944); miscellaneous professional, technical and managerial (5,189); art (2,160); social sciences (1,884); and law (799). The highest level of education in FY-2022 for skilled foreign workers with an approved H-1B Work Visa petition were as follows: 31.7% held a bachelor’s degree, 31.1% held a master’s degree, 7.6% held a doctorate degree, and 3.1% held a professional degree (26% had an “unknown education level”). Countries of origin for the most H-1B Work Visa petition approvals in FY-2022 were: #1 India, #2 China, #3 Canada, #4 South Korea, #5 Philippines, #6 Mexico, #7 Taiwan, #8 Brazil, #9 Pakistan and #10 Nepal. To read more, click here!

There are endless places to visit in the United States, so US News & World Report ranked the top vacation destinations in America to help you narrow down your choices. The #1 best location for your US vacation is Glacier National Park in Montana, which has over 700 lakes, scenic mountains, roaring waterfalls and around 24 glaciers. Activities you can enjoy in Glacier National Park include camping, hiking, fishing and canoeing. If you prefer to relax in a tropical paradise, the Hawaiian island of Maui was ranked #2 and offers beautiful beaches, seaside golfing, snorkeling, and helicopter tours. One place in the United States that everyone should visit is Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona, which came in third place in the rankings. Many people who visit the Grand Canyon stay in one of the campgrounds, while others choose the comfort of nearby hotels. Looking into the Grand Canyon is an amazing experience, particularly at sunrise, and there are also options to go horseback riding and whitewater rafting. Other top vacation destinations include #4 Honolulu (Hawaii), #5 Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming/Montana), #6 Zion National Park (Utah), #7 Yosemite National Park (California), #8 Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming), #9 Olympic National Park (Washington), #10 Kaua’i (Hawaii), #11 Moab (Utah), #12 Lake Tahoe (California), #13 New York City (New York), #14 San Francisco (California) and #15 Washington, DC. To read more and see photos, click here!

According to new data released by the US Department of Labor, 18.1% of the people working in America are foreign-born, which is the highest percentage in 27 years. Statistics also show that foreign-born workers are enjoying a very low 3.4% unemployment rate, which is lower than the 3.7% rate for people born in the USA. During 2022, the labor force in the United States increased by 3.1 million workers and over half of them were foreign-born, according to Labor Department data. The demand for immigrant workers is only growing stronger, as more Americans retire from the labor force. There is a particularly strong need for workers with education and skills in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. To read more, click here!

The Niche.com website has released its 2023 ranking of the best places to live in America. This evaluation could be useful for anyone, including immigrants and those thinking about US immigration. According to the rating, the best cities to live in the USA overall for 2023 are: #1 Cambridge (Massachusetts); #2 Arlington (Virginia); #3 The Woodlands (Texas); #4 Naperville (Illinois); #5 Columbia (Maryland); #6 Berkeley (California); #7 Irvine (California); #8 Ann Arbor (Michigan); #9 Overland Park (Kansas); and #10 Bellevue (Washington). The most affordable US cities were also ranked, with Brownsville (Texas) achieving first place; Dayton (Ohio) taking second place; and Wichita Falls (Texas) coming in third place. Top cities in the USA for young professionals include #1 Cambridge (Massachusetts); #2 San Francisco (California); and #3 Seattle (Washington). To read more, click here!

There are more immigrants living in the USA than in any other country. The most recent Census data reports that over 45 million immigrants live in the US, including 10.7 million people from Mexico – the top source country for immigrants in the United States. The rest of the top 10 countries of origin for immigrants living in the USA are #2 India (2.71 million); #3 China (2.38 million); #4 Philippines (1.98 million); #5 El Salvador (1.42 million); #6 Vietnam 1.34 million); #7 Cuba (1.28 million); #8 Dominican Republic (1.26 million); #9 Guatemala (1.11 million); and #10 South Korea (1.01 million). Why do people immigrate to the United States? Some of the major reasons for US immigration include looking for better job opportunities, escaping persecution or violence, joining family members who are living in the USA, and global climate change. Which states are attracting the most immigrants? The state with the biggest immigrant population is California, which has 10.5 million immigrants out of an overall population of 39.2 million people. Texas is home to 5.1 million immigrants out of a population of 29.5 million residents. Florida has 4.6 million immigrants out of 21.87 million people. There are 4.4 million immigrants living in the State of New York, which has a total population of 19.8 million residents. The Bush Institute published a study that found many immigrants will ultimately relocate from the major gateway cities (like New York, Los Angeles and Miami) to other locations where they can find affordable housing, other family members, plentiful job openings, and policies that are favorable toward immigrants. To read more, click here!

Fifteen percent of US Congressmen and Senators are immigrants or the children of immigrants, according to a Pew Research Center study. This is similar to the percentage of immigrants living in the USA. Eighteen Members of the American House of Representatives and one US Senator were born outside of the United States or one or more of their parents was foreign-born. The majority of immigrants or immigrant children serving in the US Congress have their roots in Central America (30 percent), Europe (26 percent) or The Caribbean (16 percent). Mexican heritage and Cuban heritage respectively are the most common for Members of Congress who are immigrants or who are the children of immigrants. There are also Members of Congress with recent immigrant roots in Germany, India, South Korea, Canada, Taiwan and Lithuania among other countries. The regions of the United States with the most Members of Congress with recent immigrant heritage are the West, followed by the South, the Northeast and the Midwest. To read more, click here!