European immigrants make up around 10% of the 46.2 million immigrants in the United States, but the number of arrivals from Europe has been declining in recent years, particularly from western and southern European countries. Most Europeans prefer to migrate within their own continent rather than moving to the US. The European expat community in America has slightly decreased since the 1980s, with the majority of arrivals coming from eastern Europe after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Western and southern Europeans have seen a steady decline in migration to the US since the early 2000s.
Forty-one percent of European migrants in the US are immediate relatives of US citizens, while 30% were granted green cards through employment-based preferences. The majority of European immigrants are concentrated in the states of New York and California, making up 15% and 14% of the European immigrant population, respectively. Eastern Europeans represent 46% of all European immigrants in the US, with the largest nationalities being British, German, Ukrainian, Russian, Polish, and Italian. The conflict in Ukraine has led to a significant increase in Ukrainian migrants in the US, with an estimated 186,000 arrivals through the Mexico border or humanitarian schemes.
European immigrants in the US tend to be older than their foreign counterparts, with an average age of 54 compared to 47 for all immigrants. The overall European migrant population globally stands at 63.3 million, with 70% of them residing in other European countries. The preference for migration within Europe rather than to the US has resulted in a decline in European arrivals in America, particularly from western and southern European nations. Despite this trend, eastern European migrants make up a significant portion of the European immigrant population in the US, with British, German, Ukrainian, Russian, Polish, and Italian nationals being the most prominent groups.
The falling number of European migrants in the US can be attributed to a variety of factors, including preferences for migrating within Europe, increased opportunities within the European Union, and tighter immigration policies in the United States. The demographics of European immigrants in the US skew towards older individuals, with a larger percentage of immediate relatives of US citizens compared to other immigrant groups. The concentration of European immigrants in states like New York and California reflects historical settlement patterns and economic opportunities in those regions. The recent conflict in Ukraine has led to a noticeable increase in Ukrainian migrants in the US, highlighting the impact of global events on migration patterns.
