Immigrant income statistics vary by the measure used. In 2023, U.S. households maintained by a foreign-born person had median money income of $73,360, while foreign-born full-time workers had median usual weekly earnings of $1,001 in 2024. The figures below separate household income, individual earnings, poverty status, and employment mix so each comparison remains tied to its measurement period.
Contents
- Household income in 2023
- Income by citizenship status
- Poverty counts among foreign-born people
- Weekly earnings by sex and age
- Weekly earnings by education
- Employment mix and immigrant earnings
Household income in 2023
The Census Bureau reported a 2023 median money income of $73,360 for households maintained by a foreign-born person. That was down 1.1% in real terms from the 2022 median of $74,180. The same measure for households maintained by a native-born person was $81,700 in 2023, up 4.5% in real terms from $78,200 in 2022. These are household medians, not the pay of an individual immigrant worker. U.S. Census Bureau, Income in the United States: 2023
There were 21.92 million foreign-born-householder households in 2023, compared with 110.30 million native-born-householder households. The nationwide median for all U.S. households was $80,610, and the median for family households was $102,800. The household category is based on the nativity of the householder, so it does not mean every person in the household has the same nativity or citizenship status. U.S. Census Bureau, Income in the United States: 2023
| Household category | 2023 median income | Change or comparison period |
|---|---|---|
| Foreign-born householder | $73,360 | Down 1.1% in real terms from 2022 |
| Native-born householder | $81,700 | Up 4.5% in real terms from 2022 |
| All U.S. households | $80,610 | 2023 level |
| Family households | $102,800 | 2023 level |
The 2023 household figures show why a single “immigrant income” number can be misleading. Household income includes the resources of multiple members, while the weekly earnings measures later in this article describe full-time wage and salary workers. The two measures answer different questions and should not be treated as interchangeable.
Income by citizenship status
Citizenship status is associated with a substantial difference in household median income in the 2023 Census Bureau figures. Households maintained by a naturalized citizen had median income of $86,060. Households maintained by a noncitizen had median income of $61,440. The corresponding 2022 medians were $83,970 and $64,490.
In real terms, naturalized-citizen-householder households increased median income 2.5% from 2022 to 2023. Noncitizen-householder households decreased median income 4.7% over the same period. These are changes in household median money income and do not establish why the figures moved. U.S. Census Bureau, Income in the United States: 2023
| Householder status | 2022 median | 2023 median | Real change, 2022–2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Naturalized citizen | $83,970 | $86,060 | Up 2.5% |
| Noncitizen | $64,490 | $61,440 | Down 4.7% |
The naturalized-citizen and noncitizen categories are not the same as foreign-born and native-born categories. Naturalized citizens are foreign-born people who became U.S. citizens, while noncitizens are foreign-born people who were not U.S. citizens in the underlying household classification. Keeping these categories distinct is important when interpreting immigrant income statistics.
Poverty counts among foreign-born people
The 2023 American Community Survey 5-year estimates counted 6,266,613 foreign-born people below the poverty level and 39,288,206 foreign-born people at or above the poverty level. The poverty-status table is a population count, not a household-income median. It also covers the ACS 5-year estimate period rather than the 2023 household-income release’s median-income presentation. U.S. Census Bureau, B17025: Poverty Status in the Past 12 Months by Nativity
Within the same 2023 ACS 5-year estimates, 2,410,477 naturalized citizens were below the poverty level, compared with 3,856,136 noncitizens. These counts describe people classified below the poverty level in the table. They are not a count of households and should not be added to the household medians above.
The poverty figures also have an important scope limitation: they are estimates for the ACS 5-year dataset and reflect poverty status in the past 12 months as defined by the Census Bureau table. They should not be read as a current monthly count or as a direct measure of wages. For readers comparing the categories, the main distinction is that the table reports people by poverty status and nativity or citizenship grouping, while the household section reports median money income by householder classification.
Weekly earnings by sex and age
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 2024 annual-average median usual weekly earnings of $1,001 for foreign-born full-time wage and salary workers age 16 and over, compared with $1,190 for native-born workers. Foreign-born workers’ median was 84.1% as much as the native-born median. Among men, the figures were $1,077 and $1,316, respectively, or 81.8% as much. Among women, they were $911 and $1,074, or 84.8% as much. BLS, Labor Force Characteristics of Foreign-born Workers News Release—2025 A01 Results
The 2024 age breakdown was:
- Ages 16–24: $707 for foreign-born workers and $749 for native-born workers, or 94.4% as much.
- Ages 25–34: $995 and $1,117, or 89.1% as much.
- Ages 35–44: $1,085 and $1,341, or 80.9% as much.
- Ages 45–54: $1,062 and $1,396, or 76.1% as much.
- Ages 55–64: $1,013 and $1,319, or 76.8% as much.
- Ages 65 and over: $926 and $1,206, or 76.8% as much.
For 2025, BLS reported a total age-16-and-over median of $1,059 for foreign-born workers and $1,236 for native-born workers, or 85.7% as much. These 2025 figures are an 11-month average excluding October. The 2025 medians were $1,153 and $1,364 for men, or 84.5% as much, and $960 and $1,118 for women, or 85.9% as much.
The 2025 age figures, using the same 11-month scope, were $714 versus $781 for ages 16–24, or 91.4% as much; $1,079 versus $1,150 for ages 25–34, or 93.8%; $1,184 versus $1,399 for ages 35–44, or 84.6%; $1,114 versus $1,429 for ages 45–54, or 78.0%; $1,028 versus $1,361 for ages 55–64, or 75.5%; and $976 versus $1,247 for ages 65 and over, or 78.3%.
Weekly earnings by education
Among full-time wage and salary workers age 25 and over, foreign-born workers had 2024 median usual weekly earnings of $1,027, compared with $1,259 for native-born workers, or 81.6% as much. By education, foreign-born workers earned $717 versus $789 for workers with less than a high school diploma, or 90.9%; $821 versus $962 for high school graduates with no college, or 85.3%; and $954 versus $1,074 for some college or an associate degree, or 88.8%.
The bachelor’s degree and higher category was different: foreign-born workers had median weekly earnings of $1,738, compared with $1,679 for native-born workers, or 103.5% as much. BLS, Labor Force Characteristics of Foreign-born Workers News Release—2025 A01 Results
In 2025, the age-25-and-over total was $1,106 for foreign-born workers versus $1,318 for native-born workers, or 83.9%. The education comparisons were $745 versus $805 for less than high school, or 92.5%; $851 versus $995 for high school graduates with no college, or 85.5%; and $986 versus $1,112 for some college or an associate degree, or 88.7%. For a bachelor’s degree and higher, foreign-born workers had $1,762 versus $1,735 for native-born workers, or 101.6%. The 2025 figures are an 11-month average excluding October.
These education results show that the overall comparison changes considerably by educational attainment. In both reported periods, the foreign-born median exceeded the native-born median in the bachelor’s degree and higher category, while the foreign-born median was lower in the other listed education groups.
Employment mix and immigrant earnings
In 2025, foreign-born workers accounted for 31.321 million employed people, including 17.786 million men and 13.535 million women. The employment distribution helps describe the labor-market context around the earnings medians, but it does not by itself measure pay within any occupation. BLS, Labor Force Characteristics of Foreign-born Workers News Release—2025 A01 Results
Management, professional, and related occupations comprised 36.8% of employed foreign-born workers, compared with 45.2% of native-born workers. Service occupations comprised 21.2% of foreign-born workers, compared with 15.6% of native-born workers. Sales and office occupations represented 13.6% and 19.9%, respectively.
Natural-resources, construction, and maintenance occupations represented 13.3% of employed foreign-born workers, compared with 7.9% of native-born workers. Production, transportation, and material-moving occupations represented 15.1% of foreign-born workers, compared with 11.4% of native-born workers.
The sex-specific distribution also differed: 21.9% of employed foreign-born men worked in natural-resources, construction, and maintenance occupations, while 29.9% of employed foreign-born women worked in service occupations. Together, these statistics provide context for why immigrant income comparisons should account for age, education, sex, and occupation rather than rely on one overall median.