Welfare Use Among Immigrant Households

A recent report from the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) reveals that close to half of households led by immigrants benefit from traditional welfare programs, including food stamps, Medicaid, and subsidized housing.

The CIS analysis examined data from the Current Population Survey Annual Socioeconomic Supplement spanning from 2021 to 2025. It discovered that 47 percent of immigrant households in the U.S. rely on at least one form of welfare.

In contrast, only 28% of American households utilize similar welfare programs, which highlights a significant 19% gap in welfare dependence between immigrant and American households.

CIS researchers Stephen Camarota and Karen Zeigler noted that in almost every state, non-citizen households are noticeably more likely to participate in one or more means-tested assistance programs than those born in the U.S.

States with larger immigrant populations show particularly high rates of welfare usage among these households. For instance, in New York, 61 percent of immigrant households access at least one form of welfare, while only 33 percent of American-headed households do the same.

Additionally, Massachusetts has 55% of immigrant households receiving welfare, California records 54%, Arizona sits at 53%, and Maryland shows 50%.

While current legal and undocumented immigrants are generally restricted from means-tested programs, this report indicates that these limitations haven’t stopped most non-citizen-headed households from tapping into welfare systems nationwide, according to CIS’s Camarota and Zeigler.

Even in states with smaller immigrant populations, the contrast in welfare dependence between immigrants and American citizens is marked. In Idaho, for example, 50% of immigrant-headed households are on welfare, similar to the rate for American-headed households. In Nebraska, the numbers reveal 54% of immigrant households use welfare, compared to only 21% for American households.