Immigrants punch above their weight in the U.S. economy: Real contribution to economic output compared with population size, by nativity, 2023
| Total wage, salary, and business proprietor income (2024$) | Income share | Population share | |
|---|---|---|---|
| U.S.-born | $9.5 trillion | 82.0% | 85.7% |
| Foreign-born | $2.1 trillion | 18.0% | 14.3% |
| Total population | $11.6 trillion | 100.0% | 100.0% |
Notes: All figures are in 2024 dollars. Economic output is derived from wages and salary and proprietors' income. The immigrant share is simply the total income from these sources attributable to immigrant workers and business owners.
Source: EPI analysis of U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey microdata accessed via Ruggles et al. 2025. IPUMS USA: Version 16.0 [2023 ACS 1-year]. Minneapolis, MN: IPUMS, 2025. https://doi.org/10.18128/D010.V16.0.