The U.S. Industries That Rely Most on Illegal Immigration

The New Diplomat
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Mass deportation could remove one in eight workers from the construction and agriculture industries in the United States. In the hospitality sector, about one in 14 workers could face deportation due to their undocumented status.

President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to begin mass deportations within 24 hours of taking office on January 20.

This graphic highlights the top industries employing undocumented immigrant workers, along with their share of each industry’s workforce. The data comes from the American Immigration Council, as of 2022.

Over Six Million Undocumented Workers

The U.S. is estimated to have over six million undocumented workers across various industries.

Construction has the highest concentration of undocumented workers, who make up 13.7% of its workforce.

Industry Illegal Immigrant Workers Share of Workforce
1. Construction 1,544,600 13.7%
2. Agriculture 244,700 12.7%
3. Hospitality 1,002,200 7.1%
4. General Services 500,800 6.5%
5. Wholesale Trade 193,400 5.5%
6. Transportation and Warehousing 460,500 5.5%
7. Manufacturing 870,400 5.4%
8. Professional Services 970,800 4.7%
9. Retail Trade 708,500 3.9%
10. Mining and Extraction 22,100 3.6%

Agriculture relies heavily on undocumented labor, with these workers constituting 12.7% of its labor force.

Hospitality employs over one million undocumented immigrants, representing 7.1% of its workforce.

Undocumented Immigrants’ Contributions

California, Texas, and Florida are home to 47% of the nation’s undocumented immigrants.

In 2022 alone, undocumented immigrant households contributed significantly to the U.S. economy:

  • Federal taxes: $46.8 billion
  • State and local taxes: $29.3 billion
  • Social Security contributions: $22.6 billion
  • Medicare contributions: $5.7 billion

Additionally, about 5.1 million U.S. citizen children live with an undocumented family member.

Credit: Visual Capitalist

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