Legal and unauthorized immigrants make up a significant share of workers in some occupations % of workers in occupations who are immigrants, 2017
Among occupations, which refer to the kind of work people do on the job, immigrants have the largest presence in farming, where unauthorized (22%) and legal immigrants (21%) accounted for more than four-in-ten workers as of 2017. In construction jobs, unauthorized immigrants were 15% of all workers, more than three times their share among all U.S. workers. By contrast, legal immigrants accounted for 13% of workers in construction, similar to their share among workers overall.
Compared with their share of the overall U.S. workforce, unauthorized immigrants had a larger presence in production (8%), service (8%) and transportation and material moving (6%). Meanwhile, the share of legal immigrants in these occupations was similar to their share among the U.S. workforce overall.
Legal and unauthorized immigrants make up a  | significant share of workers in some occupations  | % of workers in occupations who are immigrants, 2017  | Legal  | Unauthorized  | immigrants  | immigrants  | NET  | Farming  | 21  | 22  | 43  | Construction  | 13  | 15  | 28  | Production  | 14  | 22  | 8  | Service  | 15  | 8  | 22  | Transportation  | 14  | 6  | 20  | Note: Percentages calculated from unrounded numbers. Rankings based on unrounded  | percentages. Occupation groups correspond to Census Bureau classifications for major  | occupation groups. See methodology for full Census Bureau classifications. See How we  | did this for more.  | Source: Pew Research Center estimates from augmented 2017 American Community  | Survey (IPUMS).  | PEW RESEARCH CENTER 