US green cards by year, 1900 to 2024

What the data shows

• New lawful permanent residents: 448,570 in 1900, 1,364,090 in 2024 (3.0× higher). It peaked at 1,826,600 in 1991.

About this chart

The record for new lawful permanent residents is 1,826,600 in fiscal 1991, a total inflated by legalizations under the 1986 amnesty law. Before that the high was 1,285,350 in 1907, and the count first passed 1 million in 1905. Numbers collapsed during the First World War, to 326,700 in 1915, and bottomed out at 23,070 in 1933 during the Depression. FY2020 fell to 707,360 during COVID-19, then recovered to 1,018,350 in FY2022, 1,172,910 in FY2023 and 1,364,090 in FY2024, the highest since FY1991.

The series counts people who obtained lawful permanent resident status, whether newly arriving or adjusting status from inside the country, so it is not a count of border arrivals or of the total foreign-born population. Years are fiscal years, and FY1976 covers 15 months because the fiscal year changed. Values are rounded to the nearest 10 by DHS. The chart begins in 1900, and FY2025 has not yet been published.

The data

Source: DHS Office of Homeland Security Statistics, Yearbook of Immigration Statistics 2024, Table 1: Persons Obtaining Lawful Permanent Resident Status, FY 1820 to 2024 (values rounded to nearest 10 by OHSS). Retrieved November 4, 2026. Fiscal years (year ending June 30 until 1976, September 30 after). FY1976 covers 15 months (July 1975 to Sept 1976) because the fiscal year changed. Counts are people granted lawful permanent residence (new arrivals plus adjustments of status), not total border arrivals; early-century counts are of immigrants admitted. Series starts 1900 for the chart (DHS has data from 1820). FY2025 not yet published.