The recent political unrest in Haiti has raised concerns about a potential increase in migration from the country to the United States. With growing interest in the Haitian immigrant community residing in the U.S., this fact sheet offers an in-depth socio-demographic analysis of individuals from the Caribbean nation currently residing in the United States. The data presented below is derived from analyses conducted by the Center for Immigration Studies, based on the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS), monthly Current Population Survey (CPS), and Annual Social and Economic Supplement of the Current Population Survey (ASEC CPS), each providing distinct insights into the U.S. population, including the Haitian community.
Key Socio-Demographic Statistics:
According to the Census Bureau’s more recent Current Population Survey (CPS) conducted in February 2024, there were approximately 852,000 Haitian immigrants in the United States, marking a notable increase from 1990 and 2000 figures.
The larger-scale American Community Survey (ACS) conducted in July 2022 reported 727,000 Haitian immigrants (including both legal and illegal) in the United States, with a consistent upward trend from previous decades.
Top states for Haitian immigrant settlement, based on the 2022 ACS, include Florida (369,000, 51 percent), New York (113,000, 16 percent), Massachusetts (63,000, 9 percent), New Jersey (46,000, 6 percent), Georgia (28,000, 4 percent), and Connecticut (14,000, 2 percent).
As of February 2024, there were 689,000 U.S.-born individuals with at least one parent born in Haiti, totaling 1.5 million people in the United States with either Haitian birth or parentage.
Of the 852,000 foreign-born Haitians in the United States in 2024, 68.7 percent had attained naturalized U.S. citizenship by February 2024, compared to 49.5 percent for the overall foreign-born population.
Between 2010 and 2022, 235,350 Haitians were granted green cards for permanent residence, predominantly through family-based immigration channels.
Among Haitian immigrants aged 25 to 64, educational attainment levels vary, with 17.1 percent not graduating from high school, 30.3 percent holding a high school diploma, 30 percent having some college education, and 22.6 percent possessing at least a college degree.
In 2022, 36.2 percent of Haitian immigrants and their young children (under 18) lived in or near poverty (<200 percent of the poverty threshold), compared to 25.5 percent of U.S.-born Americans.
52.7 percent of households headed by Haitian immigrants utilize at least one major welfare program, contrasting with 28.4 percent of those headed by native-born Americans.
In 2022, 48 percent of Haitian immigrant households were in owner-occupied housing, compared to 67 percent of households headed by native-born individuals.
These statistics provide a comprehensive overview of the Haitian immigrant population in the United States, shedding light on their socio-demographic characteristics and contributions to American society.