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Chinese Immigrants in the United States from the Migration Policy Institute

Chinese Immigrants in the United States from the Migration Policy Institute

By Raquel Rosenbloom and Jeanne Batalova 

The United States is the world’s top destination for Chinese migrants. Yet after years of growth, this population has recently shrunk amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

In coming days, Lunar New Year will be celebrated by Chinese immigrants and others around the world. Ahead of those festivities, brush up on key details about the nearly 2.4 million Chinese immigrants in the United States, who compared to other immigrant groups tend to be much better educated and acquire their green cards through their work.

Click here to read a history of migration from and to China since the 19th century.

Figure 1. Chinese Immigrant Population in the United States, 1980-2021

Note: Estimates refer to immigrants from mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau.
Sources: Data from U.S. Census Bureau 2010 and 2021 American Community Surveys (ACS), and 1980, 1990, and 2000 Decennial Census.

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