Welfare Use by Non-Citizens Across States in the U.S.
By Steven A. Camarota and Karen Zeigler on June 11, 2026
This report examines welfare use (means-tested anti-poverty programs) for households headed by non-citizens by state using the 2021 to 2025 Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement (CPS ASEC). About half of non-citizens are illegal immigrants, with lawful permanent residents making up most of the remaining. We find that non-citizen households use one or more means-tested programs at substantially higher rates than the U.S.-born in virtually every state. This is the case despite restrictions on non-citizens directly receiving some benefits, significant differences across states in non-citizens’ country of birth, and state welfare systems.
Among the Findings
Traditional welfare programs examined are TANF, SSI, SNAP, WIC, free/subsidized school meals, Medicaid, and public/subsidized housing. The CPS ASEC also calculates eligibility for the “refundable” portion of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC) — cash payment to low-wage workers who pay no federal income tax.
Of households headed by non-citizens, 47 percent use one or more traditional welfare programs, 19 percentage points higher than the 28 percent for U.S.-born households. The non-citizen rate rises to 57 percent when eligibility for the EITC or ACTC is added, compared to 34 percent for the U.S.-born.
Restrictions on welfare eligibility have a modest impact on non-citizen overall use rates primarily because: 1) non-citizens, including illegal immigrants, can receive benefits on behalf of their U.S.-born children; 2) the bar does not apply to all non-citizens or all programs; 3) some states provide welfare to ineligible immigrants on their own; and 4) most legal immigrants have lived here long enough to qualify for welfare.
Compared to the U.S.-born, non-citizen households are much more likely to use one or more traditional welfare programs in 48 states. Adding in EITC/ACTC eligibility, the non-citizen rate is higher in every state.
Non-citizen households use one or more traditional welfare programs or have incomes low enough to qualify for the EITC/ACTC or both in all of the states with the largest non-citizen populations. For example, the share is 65 percent in New York, 62 percent in California, 57 percent in Texas, 53 percent in Florida, and 51 percent in both Illinois and New Jersey.
In states with larger non-citizen populations, their receipt of traditional welfare and/or EITC/ACTC eligibility exceeds the U.S.-born by the largest margins in Maryland (59 percent for non-citizen vs. 28 percent for the U.S.-born), Arizona (60 percent vs. 30 percent), New York (65 percent vs. 37 percent), and North Carolina (59 percent vs. 33 percent).
Non-citizens use traditional welfare or are EITC/ACTC eligible at higher rates than the U.S.-born in states with generous welfare systems, such as Massachusetts (61 percent vs. 36 percent) and Illinois (51 percent vs. 30 percent); and in states with less generous systems, like Arizona (60 percent vs. 30 percent) and Florida (53 percent vs. 30 percent).
Use of traditional welfare for non-citizen households tends to be the highest in absolute terms and relative to the U.S.-born for food assistance programs and Medicaid. Eligibility for the EITC and ACTC also significantly exceeds the U.S.-born. Use of traditional cash welfare (TANF and SSI) or housing programs are generally not significantly higher.
Heavy non-citizen use of means-tested programs is not explained by their unwillingness to work. A larger share of non-citizen households have a worker than do U.S.-born households. But qualifying for a program reflects income, number of dependents, and sometimes assets, not employment. The relatively low education level of many non-citizens and their resulting low incomes means they or their U.S.-born children often qualify for means-tested programs at high rates.
https://cis.org/Report/Welfare-Use-NonCitizens-Across-States-US
