A Breakdown of Georgia’s Immigration Numbers
As we know from our work in the Atlanta area, Georgia has a large and growing immigrant population. According to a new fact sheet, one in 10 Georgians was born abroad. One in 13 Georgians is a native-born U.S. citizen with a least one parent who is an immigrant.
The American Immigration Council, an organization that attempts to challenge misinformation with research and analysis, released the fact sheet in August. Their high-level, state-by-state look at immigration statistics focuses on general population trends and the impact immigrants have on the state’s economy. The key takeaways help provide a more nuanced picture of immigration in Georgia.
More than 1 million immigrants call Georgia home
Georgia is home to 502,347 women, 493,737 men and 67,989 children who are immigrants, according to 2018 population numbers.
Seven percent of Georgians are U.S. native-born citizens with at least one parent who is an immigrant.
Of Georgia immigrants, 22 percent come from Mexico. India, Jamaica, Korea and Guatemala are other top countries of origin.
Most immigrants in Georgia—78 percent—report speaking English “well” or “very well.”
Immigration status in Georgia is complex, even within families
More than two in five immigrants in Georgia (480,192 people) are naturalized citizens, according to 2018 numbers.
In 2016, 36 percent of the immigrant population was undocumented, or 4 percent of the total state population.
More than 180,000 immigrants were eligible to become naturalized citizens in 2017.
In 2016, 1 in 13 kids in Georgia was a U.S. citizen living with one or more undocumented family member.
As of early this year, nearly 21,000 Georgians were active Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) recipients.
Immigrants play a major part in Georgia’s economy
More than a third of Georgia’s immigrant population is highly educated, with a college degree or more. Conversely, one quarter of the immigrant population has less than a high school degree.
In 2018, 13 percent of Georgia’s