Immigrants are much more likely to be in poverty but not more likely to be receiving welfare

Immigrant share of needs-based spending, share of total population and poverty population, 1994–2023

Download image
Sources: Calculations are based primarily on the Annual Social and Economic Supplements of the US Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey for March 1994–2023; and “National Data: National Income and Product Accounts,” Bureau of Economic Analysis, last revised September 2025. See Appendix for full details.