Stock Data
Stock data is used to estimate the number of individuals of a certain population of interest at a specific point in time.
For example: The number of naturalized Colombian immigrants residing in the U.S as of July 2013.
Sources of Stock data
American Community Survey
Annual survey conducted by the census bureau. Replaced the Decennial Census long form in 2000. Since 2007 you can find the ACS with multiyear sampling estimates. More information.
Coverage/Frequency: 2000-Present; every year
Access:
Social Explorer: Interactive visualization tool that utilizes the decennial censuses and American Community Survey data, includes download.
IPUMS (microdata): More than fifty high-precision microdata samples of the American population drawn from fifteen federal censuses and from the American Community Surveys.
Decennial Census
Composed of short form (basic) and long form (socio-economic). Long form replaced by ACS in 2010.
Coverage/Frequency: 1790-2010; every 10 years
Access: Social Explorer, IPUMS (microdata)
Special access: IPUMS Microdata prepared by Professor Marrow
Estimates of the Unauthorized Immigrant Population Resident in the United States: January 2011- Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
Report providing estimates of the size of the unauthorized immigrant population residing in the U.S
Coverage/Frequency: 2000-2011
Flow Data
Flow data is an estimate of change (addition/subtraction) of a population of interest at a specified period of time.
For example: The estimate of the number of persons arriving to the U.S from Vietnam for the years of 1965-1975.
Sources of Flow Data
Yearbook of Immigration Statistics- Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
Admissions on permanent basis, temporary basis, asylum or refugee status, naturalizations. Replaced the functions of the INS in 2001
Coverage/Frequency: 2002-Present; Every fiscal year
Statistical Yearbook of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS)
Admissions on permanent basis, temporary basis, asylum or refugee status, naturalizations. Pre-DHS.
Coverage/Frequency: 1996-2001; Every fiscal year
Older coverage: HathiTrust Digital Library (1978,1980-1984,1987, 1995, 1997, 1998)
More Helpful Data Sources, Organizations and Policy Reports
- Migration Policy Institute (MPI) DatahubPrivate, nonprofit and nonpartisan think tank in Washington D.C. Great resource for immigration statistics, maps and other reports. The "Who's Where in the United States" and "U.S. Historical Immigration Trends" are especially helpful. Summarizes recent American Community Survey data along with reports on immigration policy.
Migration Information Source (MIS), a service of the Migration Policy Institute. Provides authoritative data and concise overviews from numerous global organizations and governments, as well as global analysis of international migration and refugee trends.
Includes a lot of good articles on migration flows by sending and receiving country. - Social ExplorerA great mapping tool that allows access to the US decennial census from 1790-2010, The American Community survey from 2005-2011. Very good tool if you want to include geographic visualizations in your essay.
- Policy MapMapping tool much like Social Explorer but integrates other data sources from the Department of Homeland security, Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S Census, and more.
- Hispanics/Latinos - Pew Research CenterAccess to statistical portraits, reports and public opinion poll data by and about Hispanic/Latino/x/e people in the United States.
- The Urban InstituteThe Institute gathers and analyzes data, conducts policy research, evaluates programs and services, and educates Americans on critical issues related to the built environment, immigration, employment, and more.
- Brookings Institute - Immigrants & ImmigrationThis site provides reports on immigrants and immigration written by Brookings Institute fellows. The Brookings Institute is a prominent, nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization.
- International Organization for Migration (IOM)Access to reports and data related to international migration and refugee/asylum flows worldwide, refugee and asylum issues, and migration and economic development.
- Interdisciplinary Migration Initiative at University of California, BerkeleyThis initiative hosted by UC Berkley provides policy briefs and data visualizations related to immigration.
- New Immigrant SurveyThe New Immigrant Survey (NIS) is a multi-cohort prospective-retrospective panel study of new legal immigrants to the United States. The first full cohort (NIS-2003-1) sampled immigrants in the period May-November 2003. The baseline survey was conducted from June 2003 to June 2004. A survey pilot project (NIS-P) was carried out in 1996 to inform the fielding and design of the full NIS. The follow-up interview (NIS-2003-2) was conducted from June 2007 to December 2009.
