New Study Finds 51.9 Million Immigrants Are Building Stable, Economically Productive Lives Across the United States

A sweeping new study from The Mendoza Law Firm, drawing on data from the Pew Research Center, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and multiple federal economic sources, has found that lawful immigrants across the United States are actively achieving the foundational milestones of the American Dream, often before formal citizenship is even attained. The findings challenge reductive narratives about immigration by presenting a data-driven portrait of a population defined by stability, long-term commitment, and deep economic and social integration.

As of June 2025, 51.9 million immigrants were living in the United States, representing approximately 15.4% of the total population. That figure reflects a slight decline from the historic high of 53.3 million recorded in January 2025, but it remains the largest sustained immigrant population in the country’s history. These are not recent arrivals navigating unfamiliar terrain. The majority of lawful permanent residents have lived and worked in their communities for nearly a decade. Across the top ten states for lawful permanent resident populations, more than 80% are eligible to apply for U.S. citizenship, with the average time in permanent resident status ranging from nine to ten years.

The geographic distribution of this population reflects both historical settlement patterns and newer economic corridors. California leads the nation with more than 2.5 million lawful permanent residents, followed by New York, Florida, and Texas, each housing over one million. States including New Jersey, Massachusetts, Virginia, and Washington illustrate how regional economic hubs attract and retain immigrant populations well beyond traditional gateway cities, while Georgia and Florida reflect the broader expansion of immigrant settlement across the South.

Homeownership data offers one of the clearest measures of long-term stability in the study’s findings. Among foreign-born households, 51% own their homes, a figure that reflects sustained financial planning and community investment rather than temporary residence. Between April 2024 and March 2025, Florida led all states for foreign home purchases at 21%, followed by California at 15%, Texas at 10%, New York at 7%, and Arizona at 5%. The geographic spread of these purchases confirms that immigrants are putting down roots across a wide range of communities, not merely concentrating in a handful of coastal metros.

Economic participation is equally striking. Immigrants comprise 19% of the U.S. workforce, a contribution that extends far beyond employment into business formation and job creation. In 2025, 46.2% of Fortune 500 companies were founded by immigrants or their children, a figure that underscores the role of immigrant entrepreneurship as a structural driver of national economic growth. These companies collectively generate trillions in revenue and employ millions of Americans across every sector of the economy.

Family stability reinforces the picture of long-term integration. Approximately 75% of children in immigrant households live with married parents, compared to 61% among U.S.-born families, a difference that reflects the family-centered values that many immigrants bring to their communities and that support generational upward mobility for their children.

To synthesize these dimensions of integration, Mendoza Law developed the Immigrant American Dream Index, a composite measure built on six equally weighted pillars: stability, economic participation, family life, homeownership, workforce integration, and pathways to citizenship. The Index demonstrates that immigrants are successfully achieving the foundational milestones associated with the American Dream across all six dimensions, even as administrative backlogs slow the formal legal recognition of that achievement.

As of October 2025, 6.48 million immigration applications remained pending with USCIS, a backlog that affects family reunification, workforce participation, and the ability of immigrants to fully engage in civic life. In 2024, newly naturalized citizens had spent a median of 7.5 years as lawful permanent residents, highlighting that even long-established immigrants face delays at the final stage of the legal process.

“Immigrants are not waiting to achieve stability, prosperity, or belonging,” the study concludes. “They are building it step by step, demonstrating the enduring impact of lawful immigration on the United States.”