There are an estimated 1.7 to 2.1 million undocumented immigrants living in Texas, depending on which recent estimate and year you use.

Quick Scoop

The headline numbers

  • A Texas-focused analysis in early 2025 put the figure at about 1.7 million undocumented people in the state, roughly “one in 20” Texans.
  • A later breakdown of national data reported that Texas has about 2.1 million unauthorized immigrants, making it one of the top two states (along with California) for this population.
  • These estimates are for the early‑ to mid‑2020s and reflect that Texas remains a major destination for new arrivals.

Why the numbers differ

  • Different organizations (like Pew Research Center, Migration Policy Institute, and news outlets summarizing them) use slightly different methods and timeframes, so totals don’t match exactly.
  • Some sources talk about “unauthorized” or “undocumented” immigrants specifically, while others discuss all foreign‑born residents, which also include naturalized citizens and people with visas.

Recent trend and context

  • Nationally, the unauthorized immigrant population rose to around 14 million by 2023, and Texas captured a substantial share of that growth.
  • Texas is consistently one of a small group of states (with California, Florida, New York, New Jersey, and Illinois) that together host the majority of the country’s unauthorized immigrants.

At-a-glance table (Texas figures)

[10][5] [1] [1] [7]
Measure Estimate Source / Timeframe
Undocumented / unauthorized immigrants in Texas About 1.7 million State-focused reporting on undocumented Texans, early 2025.
Undocumented / unauthorized immigrants in Texas About 2.1 million Pew-based estimate for mid‑2023, summarized in Axios.
Share of population (unauthorized) Roughly 6–7% Texas share cited as 6.7% of population in one analysis.
Total immigrants in Texas (all statuses) About 5.8 million USAFacts 2024 estimate, includes citizens, legal and undocumented immigrants.

How this is usually framed in news / forum discussions

  • Discussions often highlight Texas as a key border and economic state where undocumented workers contribute heavily to industries like construction, hospitality, and agriculture.
  • Commenters and analysts also link recent increases in the unauthorized population to national political debates about border policy, deportations, and shifts in Latino voting patterns in South Texas.

In short: if you see different figures in the news or forums, they’re usually talking about the same reality with slightly different data cuts—Texas has on the order of two million undocumented residents in the mid‑2020s.

Note: Information gathered from public data and reporting available on the internet and portrayed here.