Filipino Immigrants in the United States
AUGUST 8, 2023
SPOTLIGHT
By Caitlin Davis and Jeanne Batalova
Migration from the Philippines to the United States has occurred in several waves since the U.S. annexation of the Philippines in 1898, reflecting close and enduring political, military, and economic ties between the two countries. Over the course of the 20th century, the composition of new arrivals has shifted from primarily agricultural workers to family and economic migrants who work in a range of sectors including education, health care, hospitality, and manufacturing.
In 2021, the most recent year for which data are available from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS), close to 2 million Filipino immigrants resided in the United States, representing more than 4 percent of all 45.3 million U.S. immigrants. They comprise the fourth-largest national-origin immigrant group after Mexicans, Indians, and Chinese. Nearly one in seven immigrants from Asia in the United States in 2021 was from the Philippines.
Most new Filipino lawful permanent residents (LPRs, also known as green-card holders) obtained their status through family reunification channels, either as immediate relatives of U.S. citizens or through other family-sponsored channels. More than one-quarter receiving a green card in fiscal year (FY) 2021 did so through employment preferences.
Filipinos are more likely than other immigrants to have strong English skills and be naturalized U.S. citizens. Compared to immigrants overall and the U.S. born, Filipino immigrants are more likely to hold a college degree and have a higher income, and are less likely to lack health insurance. Filipino immigrants also tend to be older than these groups.
https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/filipino-immigrants-united-states
