Green card statistics show both the annual flow of new lawful permanent residents and the much larger population already living in the United States. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recorded 1,172,910 people becoming lawful permanent residents in fiscal year (FY) 2023, while its January 2024 estimate put the resident lawful permanent resident population at 12.82 million.
Table of contents
- Annual totals and new-holder profile
- Region and country of birth
- Admission route and state of residence
- Metropolitan destinations
- Age, sex, and marital status
- Resident population and naturalization eligibility
Annual totals and new-holder profile
DHS’s annual count of people becoming lawful permanent residents rose across the three fiscal years covered in the 2023 report. The figures are annual totals, not the number of green card holders living in the country at one time.
| Fiscal year | New lawful permanent residents |
|---|---|
| FY 2021 | 740,000 |
| FY 2022 | 1,018,350 |
| FY 2023 | 1,172,910 |
Source: U.S. Lawful Permanent Residents: 2023.
The FY 2023 profile also distinguishes where people completed the process. People already in the United States accounted for 52% of new lawful permanent residents. The remainder were new arrivals, although the supplied DHS figures here do not provide a separate total for that group.
Women represented 55% of FY 2023 new lawful permanent residents. Married people represented 58%, and the median age was 35 years. People age 65 and older numbered 84,510, or 7.2% of the total. These measures describe people receiving permanent residence during FY 2023, rather than every current green card holder.
The earlier year has a different marital-status measure: in FY 2021, 493,500 new lawful permanent residents were married, representing 66.7% of that year’s total. Because this is a separate year, it should not be read as a change calculated from the FY 2023 percentage. Source: U.S. Lawful Permanent Residents: 2022.
Region and country of birth
The FY 2023 distribution by region of birth was led by North America and Asia. DHS reported 450,310 new lawful permanent residents born in North America, or 38.4% of the total. Asia accounted for 418,930 people, or 35.7%.
Other reported regional counts were 193,580 from the Caribbean, or 16.5%; 112,130 from South America, or 9.6%; and 105,520 from Africa, or 9.0%. Europe accounted for 80,280 people, or 6.8%, while Central America accounted for 64,110, or 5.5%. Oceania accounted for 5,000 new lawful permanent residents, or 0.4%.
These are categories in the DHS FY 2023 reporting, and the percentages are reported shares. They should not be added across overlapping geographic concepts or treated as a forecast of future admissions.
At the country level, Mexico was the leading country of birth, with 180,530 new lawful permanent residents, or 15.4% of the FY 2023 total. Cuba accounted for 81,600, or 7.0%, followed by India with 78,070, or 6.7%.
The Dominican Republic accounted for 68,870 people, or 5.9%, and China accounted for 59,260, or 5.1%. The Philippines accounted for 49,200, or 4.2%; Vietnam accounted for 36,000, or 3.1%; and Afghanistan accounted for 30,300, or 2.6%.
All country figures in this section come from U.S. Lawful Permanent Residents: 2023 and refer specifically to people becoming lawful permanent residents in FY 2023.
Admission route and state of residence
DHS also reports the states where new lawful permanent residents lived and, for selected states, the count entering through adjustment of status or as new arrivals. California recorded 205,040 new lawful permanent residents in FY 2023, including 112,100 adjustments of status. Florida recorded 155,500, including 86,090 adjustments of status.
New York recorded 127,980 new lawful permanent residents, including 74,440 new arrivals. Texas recorded 126,930, including 74,010 adjustments of status. New Jersey recorded 60,780, including 32,360 new arrivals.
| State | New permanent residents | Reported route detail |
|---|---|---|
| California | 205,040 | 112,100 adjustments of status |
| Florida | 155,500 | 86,090 adjustments of status |
| New York | 127,980 | 74,440 new arrivals |
| Texas | 126,930 | 74,010 adjustments of status |
| New Jersey | 60,780 | 32,360 new arrivals |
Illinois recorded 37,760 new lawful permanent residents, including 19,880 new arrivals. Massachusetts recorded 36,730, including 18,950 adjustments of status. Washington recorded 32,190, including 19,990 adjustments of status. Source: U.S. Lawful Permanent Residents: 2023.
The route figures are reported components for the named states. They are not a complete national breakdown in the figures presented here, and a state’s total should not be interpreted as its adjustment-of-status count unless DHS specifically reports that component.
Metropolitan destinations
New lawful permanent residents were concentrated in several large metropolitan areas in FY 2023. The New York-Newark-Jersey City metropolitan area received 169,180, or 14.4% of the total. The Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach area received 95,290, or 8.1%, and the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim area received 72,960, or 6.2%.
The Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands metropolitan area received 45,280 new lawful permanent residents, or 3.9%. The Washington-Arlington-Alexandria area received 40,310, or 3.4%, while Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington received 38,110, or 3.2%.
The San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont metropolitan area received 34,670, or 3.0%. DHS reported that the ten largest metropolitan areas together accounted for 50.0% of all new lawful permanent residents in FY 2023. The metropolitan figures measure the reported area of residence, not the number of people who later moved elsewhere.
Source: U.S. Lawful Permanent Residents: 2023.
Age, sex, and marital status
The FY 2023 age distribution included children, working-age adults, and older adults. People under age 5 numbered 31,030, or 2.6% of new lawful permanent residents. Those ages 5 to 14 numbered 123,790, or 10.6%, while ages 15 to 24 numbered 160,730, or 13.7%.
People ages 25 to 34 formed the largest listed age group, at 262,920 people, or 22.4%. Ages 35 to 44 accounted for 226,060, or 19.3%. Ages 45 to 54 accounted for 169,360, or 14.4%, and ages 55 to 64 accounted for 114,520, or 9.8%.
| Age group | New lawful permanent residents | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under 5 | 31,030 | 2.6% |
| 5–14 | 123,790 | 10.6% |
| 15–24 | 160,730 | 13.7% |
| 25–34 | 262,920 | 22.4% |
| 35–44 | 226,060 | 19.3% |
| 45–54 | 169,360 | 14.4% |
| 55–64 | 114,520 | 9.8% |
Together with the median age of 35, these figures describe the FY 2023 new-holder population. The sex and marital-status figures are also FY 2023 measures: females represented 55%, and married people represented 58%. The separate FY 2021 report’s married count and share should remain tied to FY 2021.
Resident population and naturalization eligibility
The resident green card population is much larger than a single year’s number of new holders. DHS estimated 12.82 million lawful permanent residents in January 2024. Of that estimated population, 8.68 million were eligible to naturalize.
DHS estimated that immediate relatives of U.S. citizens comprised 5.18 million people, or 40% of the resident lawful permanent resident population. Family-sponsored preferences comprised 2.61 million, or 20%. Refugees and asylees comprised 1.32 million, or 10%.
Employment-based preferences comprised 1.62 million people, or 13%, while the diversity category comprised 400,000, or 3%. These categories describe the estimated resident population in January 2024; they are not FY 2023 admission totals and should not be combined with the annual new-holder table.
DHS also estimated that people who entered the United States during 2015–2019 accounted for 3.18 million resident lawful permanent residents in January 2024. Of that group, 1.74 million were eligible to naturalize. The figures are estimates for the stated January 2024 population reference date, not a forecast of future naturalization.
Source: Estimates of the Lawful Permanent Resident Population in the United States: 2024.