Wisconsin’s immigrant population near 320,000; 2023 count around 308k

(WISCONSIN) Wisconsin’s foreign-born community has grown steadily and is now estimated at 308,000 residents, or 5.2% of the state’s total population, based on the most recent comprehensive data available for 2023. That means about one in 20 people living in the state is foreign-born. While the Wisconsin immigrant population remains below the national average of 14.3%, it has expanded from about 275,000 a decade ago, reflecting long-term growth even as the state’s overall demographics shift with aging and low natural increase.

Recent migration flows have pushed population gains to levels not seen in decades. For the 12 months ending June 30, 2024, Wisconsin had a net gain of 22,146 residents through international migration and another 6,332 through domestic moves, for 28,478 total net migration. Each of the last three years posted at least 25,000 in net gains—more than double prior annual records in the past two decades. Since July 2021, the state has added 81,605 residents through net migration alone—a figure that exceeds the total net migration from 2004 to 2021 combined.

Where immigrants live and how settlement patterns vary

The geographic picture is uneven. Immigrant settlement is concentrated in larger metro areas and along key job corridors.

• The Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro—which touches southern Wisconsin—has a foreign-born share of 17.7%.
• Smaller areas such as the Duluth, MN-WI region measure just 1.9%.

Those patterns shape local schools, housing markets, and workforce pipelines, with some communities seeing rapid change and others remaining steady.

Origins, citizenship, and language

Origins are diverse, though Mexico remains the top source country, accounting for 28% of immigrants in Wisconsin. Other significant source countries include:

• India — 8%
• China — 5%
• Laos — 4%
• Philippines — 3%

Citizenship and language skills:
– Nearly half of foreign-born residents—about 142,489 people (48%)—have become U.S. citizens.
– Another 55,443 were eligible to naturalize as of 2017, suggesting continued pathways to citizenship.
– About 80% of immigrant residents report speaking English “well” or “very well,” a marker often associated with higher wages and better access to services.

Education and workforce roles

Education levels among immigrants span the full range:

• 32% of adult immigrants hold a college degree or higher, compared with 30% among U.S.-born residents.
• 28% of immigrants have less than a high school diploma, compared with 7% among the native-born.

This mix helps explain why immigrants fill both high-skill and physically demanding roles:

• High-skill sectors: tech, health care, engineering
• Labor-intensive sectors: agriculture, food processing, manufacturing

Fiscal contributions

Tax data show clear fiscal contributions from immigrant residents (2018 data):

According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, these numbers align with national patterns where immigrants’ spending power and tax payments support local services—from schools to rural hospitals.

Immigrants in specific occupations

Immigrants are strongly represented in several fields:

• 15% of Wisconsin’s farmers, fishers, and foresters
• 13% of workers in computer and math occupations

A 2024 University of Wisconsin School for Workers report found that about 10,000 undocumented workers perform 70% of on-farm dairy labor statewide—a workforce stability that can mean the difference between maintaining production or scaling back for many family farms.

Key takeaway: Immigrants supply labor across a wide skill spectrum and are integral to multiple parts of Wisconsin’s economy.

Migration surge and the role of migration in recent growth

Although the Wisconsin immigrant population remains a modest share of the total, migration has become the main driver of growth.

• In the latest 12-month period, births exceeded deaths by only about 2,000, so migration accounted for about 93.2% of overall population gains.
• This heavy reliance on movers—both international and domestic—reflects lower birth rates and aging Baby Boomers.

Local officials say planning now hinges on whether recent trends can continue, especially in regions facing workforce shortages.

Families arriving from Mexico, India, China, Laos, and the Philippines often follow existing community ties:

• School districts in gateway communities are adding bilingual staff.
• Employers expand training for both high-skill recruits and entry-level hires.
• Smaller towns attracting newcomers—often through jobs in food processing, warehousing, or manufacturing—partner with nonprofits to offer English classes and housing assistance.

Those small steps can make a big difference in helping newcomers find their footing.

Policy shifts and on-the-ground impacts

Federal policy changed rapidly after President Trump’s return to office in January 2025. Key actions included:

• Executive actions that suspended the U.S. refugee resettlement program indefinitely.
• The State Department cancelled scheduled refugee flights, affecting more than 10,000 people nationwide who had plans to travel and reunite with family.
• Whitewater, Wisconsin, was mentioned in federal statements about small towns seeing new arrivals.

Local leaders pushed back against claims that migrants were driving crime or sharp housing cost increases, saying those assertions did not match local data.

Enforcement rules also shifted:

• The Department of Homeland Security rescinded Biden-era limits that had kept immigration officers away from “protected areas” such as schools, hospitals, and churches.
• The Dodge County Detention Facility in Juneau is the state’s sole facility that holds people for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
• Attorneys and advocates describe Wisconsin as a “desert” for low-cost immigration legal help, leaving many detained people struggling to find representation.
• The ICE office in Milwaukee recently moved and expanded on the city’s northwest side, raising concerns about stepped-up enforcement visits and broader community impacts.

These policy shifts affect resettlement agencies, employers, and families:

• Resettlement agencies face immediate gaps from the refugee pause; cancelled travel increases family separation.
• Employers anticipate slower processing times and more Requests for Evidence on work visa cases, even for routine extensions.
• The resulting uncertainty can cause missed start dates, unfilled roles, and higher recruitment costs.

Business responses and practical steps for employers

Companies with international workers are preparing for tighter review of petitions, potential fee increases, and more frequent audits. Employment verification remains a core liability area.

Employers are advised to:

1. Train HR teams and refresh onboarding checklists.
2. Audit Form I-9 files and other documentation (official instructions and the form are available at Form I-9).
3. Update E-Verify procedures and document retention practices.

Practical steps many Wisconsin employers are taking now include:

• Building longer timelines into hiring when a work visa or employment authorization is required
• Budgeting for possible fee hikes and legal costs
• Auditing wage levels and job descriptions to ensure they match filings
• Offering paid time and transportation so workers can attend biometrics or interviews
• Coordinating with local nonprofits that provide English classes or citizenship prep

Human impacts and broader consequences

For families, the stakes are deeply personal:

• A father waiting to reunite with his spouse and children may face open-ended delays because flights were cancelled.
• A dairy worker who drives his kids to school worries that a routine traffic stop could lead to detention, with limited access to a lawyer.
• A software engineer who earned a master’s degree in Madison anxiously waits for an H-1B decision as a project start date approaches.

These are not edge cases; they are daily realities in a state where migration now powers growth.

Officials across the political spectrum note a common bottom line: without continued inflows, Wisconsin’s workforce will shrink. Hospitals, nursing homes, farms, foundries, and labs already report hiring gaps. The key questions are:

• How will policy shape who arrives and how long they can stay?
• How quickly can newcomers begin work?
• Will federal actions slow international inflows and cause the state’s population growth to taper?

If inflows slow, employers will face a smaller talent pool and stiffer competition for workers.

Final summary

For now, the numbers tell a clear story:

• The Wisconsin immigrant population—about 308,000 residents (5.2%)—contributes across tax bases and industries.
• Immigrants show strong English skills and rising naturalization.
• International migration delivered the vast share of the state’s recent growth, and communities large and small are adjusting in real time.

Whether that trajectory holds will depend on how federal rules evolve, how quickly agencies process cases, and whether local institutions can keep offering the basics: lawful pathways where available, fair workplaces, and the everyday support newcomers need to put down roots.