Citizenship Statistics

As our office continues to handle an increasing number of citizenship application, we thought it would be interesting to share some naturalization statistics, grouped by decade, for the past four decades.

According to numbers provided by USCIS, the period between 2001 and 2010 noted a slowdown in the number foreign nationals becoming U.S. citizens.  The number of naturalized Americans between 2001 and 2010 was 5.6 million, roughly the same as between 1991 and 2000.  By comparison, 1991 to 2000 doubled in comparison to 1981 to 1990.   Much of the slowdown during 2001 to 2010 period is attributed to increased scrutiny as a result of the September 11, 2001 attacks.  As the U.S. immigration authorities adjust their policy, we expect the growth to continue, although not so quickly.

The naturalization statistics, broken down by decade, are as follows:

2001-2010: During this decade, the United States welcomed more than 5.6 million new citizens, including more than 744,000 people during fiscal year 2009 and more than 138,000 in the current fiscal year.  Since September 2001, USCIS has assisted more than 55,000 members of the military to become naturalized U.S. citizens.

1991-2000: Approximately 5.6 million individuals became U.S. citizens during this period, doubling the number from the previous decade. The late 1990s also marked another shift in naturalization demographics, with those of Mexican decent yielding the most naturalized citizens, followed by Vietnamese and Filipinos.

1981-1990: Nearly 2.3 million people were naturalized during the 1980s, nearly half of whom came from Asia. Together, Canada and Mexico accounted for more than one quarter of the remaining new citizens.

1971-1980: The United States welcomed approximately 1.5 million new citizens during the 1970s. The Philippines, Cuba, and China were the leading countries of origin. This trend represented a shift from the 1960s, when the largest number of new citizens came from Europe. An estimated 66,000 members of the U.S. military were naturalized during this decade.

1908: The United States naturalized approximately 25,975 individuals.

1907: The United States naturalized approximately 7,941 individuals.

Our office handles many naturalization and citizenship applications every year.  Please contact us if we can provide you with an initial case consultation or if we can help you with your immigration process.