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Top U.S. Industries Relying on Illegal Immigration
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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.
Learn More on the Voronoi App
To learn more about this topic, check out this graphic that shows the estimated costs of deporting 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States.