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Dreamers
By the Numbers

March 1st, 2021

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The bipartisan Dream Act of 2021 (S.264), introduced by Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC), would establish a pathway to citizenship for certain Dreamers, undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. at a young age and have grown up here. This legislation is critical to ensuring that Dreamers, including hundreds of thousands filling critical roles as essential workers in the COVID-19 recovery, can continue living in and contributing to the country they call home. A path to citizenship for Dreamers is long overdue.

Here are some important numbers about Dreamers, based on FWD.us estimates and as defined by the 2021 Dream Act, showing why every U.S. Senator should cosponsor this critical legislation.

1 | POPULATION - Nearly 1.9 million immigrants would have a pathway to U.S. citizenship from the 2021 Dream Act.

The Dream Act of 2021 (S.264) defines Dreamers as individuals who entered the U.S. before age 18 in 2017 or earlier, and have continually lived in the United States since that time. They are inadmissible/deportable under current immigration law, or protected by Temporary Protected Status (TPS). Dreamers in the 2021 Dream Act also must have finished high school or its equivalent, or be enrolled in school.

Nearly 1.9 million immigrants eligible under the 2021 Dream Act live in the U.S., making up roughly one-fifth of the total population of undocumented immigrants in the U.S.

More than 1 million, or more than half of the immigrant population under the 2021 Dream Act, are eligible for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). This program started in 2012 and was recently reopened to eligible individuals who entered the U.S. in 2007 or earlier, at 15 years old or younger, and were under the age of 31 as of June 15, 2012. DACA applicants must also have obtained a high school diploma or its equivalent, be currently enrolled in school, or be an honorably discharged veteran of the Coast Guard or Armed Forces of the United States. About 640,000 undocumented immigrants had active DACA status as of September 30, 2020, and under the Dream Act of 2021 would be eligible for immediate conditional permanent residence.

A small number of Dreamers under the 2021 Dream Act—an estimated 80,000, or 4%—are holders of, or are eligible for, TPS, a renewable protection for certain immigrants in the U.S. where the U.S. government has deemed it unsafe for them to return to their country of origin. The U.S. Senate recently reintroduced the Safe Environment from Countries Under Repression and Emergency (SECURE) Act (S.879), which would grant legal status to the TPS population of 400,000 people. Most are from El Salvador, Honduras, or Haiti.

Table: Dreamer population and eligibility for other protections

By state

Note: Estimates rounded to the nearest 10,000. Estimates of <10,000 are between 1,000 and 9,999. TPS is Temporary Protected Status. N/A refers to states with no characteristics available due to small number of Dreamers. Dreamers, as defined by the 2021 Dream Act, are undocumented immigrants who entered the U.S. before 18 years old, in 2017 or earlier, and are in school or have the equivalent of a high school diploma or higher education.

By metro area

Note: Estimates rounded to the nearest 10,000. MSAs with 10,000 or more Dreamers are listed. TPS is Temporary Protected Status. N/A refers to states with no characteristics available due to small number of Dreamers. Dreamers, as defined by the 2021 Dream Act, are undocumented immigrants who entered the U.S. before 18 years old, in 2017 or earlier, and are in school or have the equivalent of a high school diploma or higher education.

2 | AGE - Most immigrants under the 2021 Dream Act are younger than 30 years old.

All told, 1.2 million of immigrants under the 2021 Dream Act, or about two-thirds, are less than 30 years old. The median age is 24.

Nearly 400,000 are minors who are less than 18 years old, while nearly 1.5 million are adults aged 18 years or older.

Table: Dreamer age breakdown

By state

Note: N/A refers to states with no characteristics available due to small number of Dreamers. Age is for the year 2021. Row percentages may not total to 100% due to rounding. Dreamers, as defined by the 2021 Dream Act, are undocumented immigrants who entered the U.S. before 18 years old, in 2017 or earlier, and are in school or have the equivalent of a high school diploma or higher education.

By metro area

Note: MSAs with 10,000 or more Dreamers are listed. Age is for the year 2021. Row percentages may not total to 100% due to rounding. Dreamers, as defined by the 2021 Dream Act, are undocumented immigrants who entered the U.S. before 18 years old, in 2017 or earlier, and are in school or have the equivalent of a high school diploma or higher education.

3 | ARRIVAL IN U.S. - Most immigrants covered by the 2021 Dream Act have lived in the U.S. for ten years or longer, and the majority entered the U.S. before age 13.

More than 1.4 million immigrants under the 2021 Dream Act, or roughly three-fourths (76%), entered the U.S. in 2011 or earlier—a decade ago or longer. Not all Dreamers entered the U.S. as undocumented immigrants; many entered the U.S. with authorization and overstayed their visas.

Meanwhile, most immigrants under the 2021 Dream Act—more than 1.3 million, or 71%—entered the U.S. before the age of 13.

Table: Dreamer years in U.S. and age at arrival

By state

Note: N/A refers to states with no characteristics available due to small number of Dreamers. 10 years or longer is U.S. entry in 2011 or earlier. Dreamers, as defined by the 2021 Dream Act, are undocumented immigrants who entered the U.S. before 18 years old , in 2017 or earlier, and are in school or have the equivalent of a high school diploma or higher education.

By metro area

Note: MSAs with 10,000 or more Dreamers are listed. 10 years or longer is U.S. entry in 2011 or earlier. Dreamers, as defined by the 2021 Dream Act, are undocumented immigrants who entered the U.S. before 18 years old, in 2017 or earlier, and are in school or have the equivalent of a high school diploma or higher education.

4 | ORIGINS - Immigrants covered under the 2021 Dream Act are from all over the world.

About half of immigrants under the 2021 Dream Act, or nearly 1 million people, were born in Mexico.

An additional 250,000 are from Asian countries such as India, China, and the Philippines. Another 250,000 were born in Central American countries, including El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.

A further 100,000 are from Caribbean countries like Haiti, Dominican Republic, and Jamaica, and another 100,000 from South American countries such as Colombia, Venezuela, and Brazil. An estimated 100,000 were born in European countries or Canada, and nearly another 100,000 were born in either Africa or the Middle East.

Table: Dreamer region of birth

By state

Note: N/A refers to states with no characteristics available due to small number of Dreamers. Row percentages may not total to 100% due to rounding. Dreamers, as defined by the 2021 Dream Act, are undocumented immigrants who entered the U.S. before 18 years old 2017 or earlier and are in school or have the equivalent of a high school diploma or higher education.

By metro area

Note: MSAs with 10,000 or more Dreamers are listed. Row percentages may not total to 100% due to rounding. Dreamers, as defined by the 2021 Dream Act, are undocumented immigrants who entered the U.S. before 18 years old 2017 or earlier and are in school or have the equivalent of a high school diploma or higher education.

5 | EDUCATION - Nearly 800,000 immigrants covered by the 2021 Dream Act are currently enrolled in school, whether as K–12 or higher education students.

Among the immigrants included in the 2021 Dream Act are an estimated 550,000 K–12 students and 250,000 college or university students, or 800,000 students total. Of this group of students, an estimated 200,000 are currently DACA recipients.

More than 1.3 million of Dreamers, or nearly three-fourths (72%), have already completed high school or its equivalent, a requirement for 2021 Dream Act eligibility if not enrolled in school; of these, 240,000, or more than 1 in 10 (13%), have also completed a college degree or diploma.

As a population that has lived most of their lives in the U.S., the overwhelming majority (90%) say they either speak only English, or speak English well or very well.

Table: Dreamer educational enrollment and attainment

By state

Note: N/A refers to states with no characteristics available due to small number of Dreamers. Enrollment estimates for K–12 students are based on those in school who were less than 19 years old in 2019. Enrollment estimates for college program students are based on those in school who were 19 years and older in 2019. Dreamers, as defined by the 2021 Dream Act, are undocumented immigrants who entered the U.S. before 18 years old, in 2017 or earlier, and are in school or have the equivalent of a high school diploma or higher education. Essential workers are based on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s August 2020 memorandum on America’s essential workforce. Estimates are limited to those in the labor force.

By metro area

Note: MSAs with 10,000 or more Dreamers are listed. Enrollment estimates for K–12 students are based on those in school who were less than 19 years old in 2019. Enrollment estimates for college program students are based on those in school who were 19 years and older in 2019. Dreamers, as defined by the 2021 Dream Act, are undocumented immigrants who entered the U.S. before 18 years old, in 2017 or earlier, and are in school or have the equivalent of a high school diploma or higher education. Essential workers are based on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s August 2020 memorandum on America’s essential workforce. Estimates are limited to those in the labor force.

6 | WORKFORCE - Essential workers make up nearly half of immigrants covered by the 2021 Dream Act.

Nearly 900,000 of immigrants under the 2021 Dream Act, or about half, are essential workers, working in essential industries that have been important in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, and which will remain integral to economic recovery after the pandemic. This is a high number of essential workers, despite the fact that many Dreamers are enrolled in school.

More specifically, an estimated 260,000 immigrants under the 2021 Dream Act provide essential work in housing-related industries such as facilities and construction. About the same number work in food services and production, and an additional 110,000 work in health industries.

In all, 6 in 10 immigrants under the 2021 Dream Act, or more than 1.1 million, are in the workforce, counting both essential workers and those working in other sectors.

Meanwhile, about two-thirds (65%) of national likely voters support a pathway to citizenship in upcoming COVID-19 legislation for Dreamers who are frontline workers.

Table: Dreamer essential and other workers

By state

Note: N/A refers to states with no characteristics available due to small number of Dreamers. Dreamers, as defined by the 2021 Dream Act, are undocumented immigrants who entered the U.S. before 18 years old, in 2017 or earlier, and are in school or have the equivalent of a high school diploma or higher education. Essential workers are based on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s August 2020 memorandum on America’s essential workforce. Estimates are limited to those in the labor force.

By metro area

Note: MSAs with 10,000 or more Dreamers are listed. Dreamers, as defined by the 2021 Dream Act, are undocumented immigrants who entered the U.S. before 18 years old, in 2017 or earlier, and are in school or have the equivalent of a high school diploma or higher education. Essential workers are based on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s August 2020 memorandum on America’s essential workforce. Estimates are limited to those in the labor force.

7 | FAMILIES - Substantial shares of immigrants under the 2021 Dream Act are parents of a U.S. citizen child, and many are married to U.S. citizens.

More than 400,000 immigrants under the 2021 Dream Act, or roughly one-quarter, are parents of at least one U.S. citizen child. This amounts to about 750,000 U.S. citizen minor children with at least one Dreamer parent.

At the same time, more than 200,000 Dreamers covered by the 2021 Dream Act, or about 1 in 10, are married to U.S. citizens. This means that about half of married Dreamers are married to a U.S. citizen. Some Dreamers are ineligible to be sponsored by family members who are U.S. citizens because they entered without a visa and without inspection.

Table: Dreamer parents and spouses of U.S. citizens

By state

Note: N/A refers to states with no characteristics available due to small number of Dreamers. Dreamers, as defined by the 2021 Dream Act, are undocumented immigrants who entered the U.S. before 18 years old, in 2017 or earlier, and are in school or have the equivalent of a high school diploma or higher education.

By metro area

Note: MSAs with 10,000 or more Dreamers are listed. Dreamers, as defined by the 2021 Dream Act, are undocumented immigrants who entered the U.S. before 18 years old, in 2017 or earlier, and are in school or have the equivalent of a high school diploma or higher education.

Methodology

For more information on how we calculated Dreamer estimates, see our broader methodology for immigrant essential workers by immigration status.