Desi talk

www.desitalkchicago.com – that’s all you need to know I ndian immigrants began arriving in the United States in notable num- bers in the early 19th century, when workers from the Punjab region settled primarily in California to work in agriculture, lumber, and railroad construction. Although their numbers remained relatively modest compared to European arrivals, Indian and other non- European immigrants faced growing political opposition through the late 19th and early 20th centuries, culminating in restrictions such as the Immigration Act of 1917, which effectively banned im- migration frommost of the Asia-Pacific region. The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 reversed course, abolish- ing national-origin quotas and opening pathways through family reunification and employment-based visas for skilled professionals. In the wake of passage of this law, the Indian immigrant popula- tion grew rapidly, roughly doubling each decade between 1960 and 1990. Today, approximately 3.2 million Indian immigrants reside in the United States, comprising 6 percent of the total foreign-born population of 50.2 million people. Immigrants from India rank as the second largest immigrant group in the country, after Mexicans. Indian immigrants tend to have considerably higher levels of education than both the overall immigrant popula- tion and the U.S. born, particularly at the advanced degree level. Their promi- nence in high-skilled sectors is reflected in visa data: In fiscal year (FY) 2024, Indian nationals received 71 percent of all H-1B visas for highly skilled work- ers. And in the 2024-25 academic year, India was the leading source of inter- national students in the United States, most of whom were enrolled in a science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) program. Partly because of their prominence in STEM programs, Indian nationals have been particularly affected by the Trump administration’s tightened immigration policies, including impo- sition of a $100,000 fee for new H-1B petitions, enhanced vetting for H-1B and H-4 dependent visa applicants and for international students, and significantly longer wait times for in-person visa interviews. This Spotlight provides an overview of various demographic characteristics of Indian immigrants in the United States, including their U.S. destinations, top job sectors, educational attainment, age, and English language proficiency. SIZE OF IMMIGRANT POPULATION OVER TIME Most immigration of Indians to the United States has occurred over the past 25 years. The Indian immigrant popu- lation increased fivefold from 1980 to 2000 and then tripled from 2000 to 2024 (see Figure 1). The rate of growth for this population has been significantly higher than that of the overall foreign-born population in the United States, increas- ing 78 percent from 2010 to 2024, triple the 26 percent for all immigrants. DESTINATION BY STATE AND KEY CITIES One in five Indian immigrants resided in California as of the 2020-24 period, fol- lowed by Texas (12 percent), New Jersey (10 percent), Illinois (6 percent), and New York (5 percent). Together, these states were home to 53 percent of all Indian im- migrants. Santa Clara County, California; Alameda County, California; Middlesex County, New Jersey; and King County, Washington were the top four counties of residence, together accounting for 15 percent of all Indian immigrants in the United States. The top cities for Indian immigrants were the greater NewYork, Dallas, San Francisco, Chicago, and San Jose met- ropolitan areas. About 35 percent of all Indian immigrants lived in one of these five cities as of 2020-24 (see Figure 2). Indian immigrants made up more than 7 percent of San Jose metro area resi- dents and more than 3 percent of the San Francisco area population. ENGLISH PROFICIENCY Indian immigrants are much more likely to be proficient in English than the overall foreign-born population. In 2024, 21 percent of Indian immigrants ages 5 and over reported speaking English less than “very well,” compared to 47 percent of all immigrants. At the same time, just 12 percent of Indian immigrants spoke only English at home, versus 16 percent of all immi- grants. Reflecting the linguistic diver- sity of India, these immigrants spoke a variety of languages at home, including Hindi (26 percent), Telugu (15 percent), Gujarati (10 percent), Tamil (9 percent), and Punjabi (8 percent). AGE, EDUCATION, AND EMPLOYMENT Indian immigrants tend to be younger than the overall foreign-born population but older than the U.S. born. Their median age was 42 in 2024, compared to 47 for all immigrants and 37 for the native-born population. This is due to the high number of working- age adults: 81 percent of Indian immi- grants were ages 18 to 64, as compared to 76 percent of the overall foreign- born population and 58 percent of the U.S. born (see Figure 3). Indian immigrant adults have much higher rates of educational attain- ment than both the native- and overall foreign-born populations. In 2024, 82 percent of Indian immigrants ages 25 and older reported having at least a bachelor’s degree, compared to 36 percent of all foreign-born and 37 percent of U.S.-born adults. Indians are also much more likely to hold graduate or professional degrees: 50 percent of Indian immigrants held an advanced degree, versus 16 percent of the total foreign-born and 14 percent of the U.S.-born populations. More than 363,000 international students from India were enrolled in U.S. higher education institutions during the 2024-25 school year, according to the In- stitute of International Education, more than any other country. Indians repre- sented 31 percent of the nearly 1.2 mil- lion international students enrolled that school year. The next largest countries of origin were China, at 265,900 students, and South Korea, at 42,300. Additionally, Indian nationals were by far the main recipients of approved H-1B petitions in FY 2024, with 71 percent (283,400) of all 399,400 approvals that year. The next largest groups were nationals of China (46,700, or 12 percent) and the Philip- Indian Immigrants In The United States By Kyung Ju Lee and Jeanne Batalova Migration Policy Institute The U.S. Census Bureau defines the “foreign born” as individuals without U.S. citizenship at birth. The foreign-born population includes naturalized citizens, lawful permanent residents, refugees and asylees, legal nonimmigrants (including those on student, work, or other temporary visas), and persons residing in the country without authorization. The terms “foreign born” and “immigrant” are used interchangeably and refer to those who were born in another country and later migrated to the United States. DEFINITIONS - Continued On Page 15 CHARTS: COURTESY MIGRATIONPOLICY.ORG 14 COVER STORY : AMERICA’S 250TH July 3, 2026