Nearly Half of Immigrant Households Take Government Welfare
A new analysis of Census Bureau data indicates that a large share of immigrant households in the United States rely on government assistance programs.
The study, conducted by the Center for Immigration Studies using information from the Current Population Survey’s Annual Social and Economic Supplement, found that 47 percent of households headed by immigrants use at least one traditional welfare program. The data includes both legal and illegal immigrants.
When refundable tax credits such as the Earned Income Tax Credit and the Additional Child Tax Credit are counted as part of government assistance, the share rises to 54 percent.
In comparison, the report found that 28 percent of households headed by U.S.-born residents receive welfare benefits. When those same tax credits are included, the figure increases slightly to 31 percent.
The programs examined in the analysis include several major means-tested benefits. Among them are Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Supplemental Security Income, SNAP food assistance, WIC nutrition benefits, Medicaid, public housing, subsidized school meals, and refundable tax credits available to lower-income workers.
According to the researchers, limits placed on non-citizens’ eligibility for welfare programs have had only a modest impact. The report explains that many non-citizens receive benefits indirectly through their U.S.-born children, who qualify for assistance. In addition, some legal immigrants become eligible for benefits after living in the country for a number of years, while certain states extend aid to migrants who would otherwise not qualify under federal rules.
The use of welfare programs differs significantly depending on immigrants’ country or region of origin. The study found the highest participation rates among households from Central America at 74 percent, followed by the Caribbean at 65 percent, South America at 53 percent, and the Middle East at 51 percent. Lower rates were reported for immigrants from Europe, at 34 percent, and South Asia, at 19 percent.
Looking at individual countries, the report lists Afghanistan with the highest rate of welfare use at 87 percent. Other high rates include the Dominican Republic at 78 percent, Guatemala at 77 percent, Honduras at 75 percent, and Mexico at 67 percent.
Some countries showed much lower levels. Households from India had a welfare participation rate of 16 percent, while those from Canada were at 21 percent. The United Kingdom registered 25 percent, and South Korea about 30 percent. Separate reporting has also indicated that in Minnesota roughly 81 percent of Somali households receive some type of public assistance.
📊 NEW DATA: Welfare use among non-citizens in the U.S. varies significantly depending on their country of birth and region of origin.
Non-citizens from Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Middle East have the highest rates of welfare use.https://t.co/i1Nrhq4l0W
— Center for Immigration Studies (@CIS_org) March 18, 2026
The analysis notes that welfare participation among immigrant households is not mainly the result of unemployment. Instead, the presence of children is a major factor. Many immigrant households are working, but lower average education levels often lead to lower wages, making them or their U.S.-born children eligible for various forms of assistance or tax credits.
Among immigrant households where someone is employed, 46 percent still receive welfare benefits. When refundable tax credits are included, that figure climbs to 53 percent. For working households headed by U.S.-born residents, the rates are lower, at 27 percent without tax credits and 31 percent when the credits are counted.
Education also appears to play a major role in the likelihood of receiving assistance. The study found that each additional year of average schooling in immigrants’ countries of origin corresponds with nearly a seven-percentage-point decrease in welfare use or eligibility.
Each year, the United States grants about one million green cards and also admits roughly one million temporary foreign workers. The Trump administration has pledged to reduce those numbers. At the same time, estimates of the number of illegal immigrants currently living in the country range from about 20 million to 30 million.
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