What did the Pew Research Center estimate for undocumented immigrants in the US in 2022 and 2024?

1. Why the numbers look different — a methodological reset that changed baselines

Pew’s earlier public-facing figure often cited for 2022 was about 11.0–11.8 million unauthorized immigrants, but Pew later revised its methodology and updated its series, which changed the historical baseline and produced a higher 2023 total of approximately 14 million. The organization explicitly states that its updated 2023 estimates supersede prior published figures, meaning direct comparisons using older 2022 point numbers can be misleading unless the revision is applied to both years. The revision process and recalibration of inputs are the reason observers see both an “11 million” 2022 number and a revised series that implies much larger totals ^{[1] [2] [3]}.

2. What Pew reported for 2022 in public materials before and after revision

In pre-revision outputs, Pew’s 2022 estimate appears as 11.0 million (or 11.8 million in some summaries), representing roughly 3.3% of the total U.S. population and about 23% of the foreign-born population, depending on which Pew release is cited. After Pew updated its methods and extended its series through 2023, it cautioned that the updated 2023-based series supersedes previous 2022 values, so quoting an “11 million in 2022” figure without noting the revision risks presenting an outdated baseline. Pew’s materials therefore show two storylines: a historical estimate near 11–12 million under the older series and a revised series that places 2023 at a record 14 million ^{[1] [4]}.

3. What Pew explicitly said about 2023 and the trajectory into 2024

Pew’s recent releases state that the U.S. unauthorized immigrant population reached a record 14 million in 2023, and Pew characterized trends as strong growth through 2023 with continued increase into early 2024 before slowing later. Pew framed these 2024 observations as preliminary trend statements rather than presenting a single finalized 2024 point estimate in the materials summarized here. That leaves a clear, evidence-backed headline — 14 million in 2023 as Pew’s revised high-water mark — while 2024 is described in directional terms (growth continued then decelerated) rather than as a discrete finalized count in the cited summaries ^{[5] [3]}.

4. How other analysts and institutes fit into the picture and why sources differ

Independent organizations produced differing totals for adjacent years—for example, the Migration Policy Institute and the Center for Migration Studies reported varying unauthorized-population counts for 2023—highlighting that methodological choices drive divergent totals. Pew’s revision demonstrates how re-benchmarking data inputs (Census sources, administrative records, modeling assumptions) can materially change historical estimates. The net effect is that multiple credible estimates coexist: older Pew numbers (~11–12 million for 2022), Pew’s revised series peaking at ~14 million in 2023, and other organizations’ alternative 2023 estimates that underscore uncertainty and methodological sensitivity ^{[4] [3]}.

5. Bottom line for someone asking “what did Pew estimate for 2022 and 2024?”

The accurate short answer based on Pew’s provided materials is: Pew’s earlier public estimate commonly cited for 2022 is about 11.0–11.8 million, but Pew revised its series and reported a record ~14 million in 2023; Pew describes growth into early 2024 but does not present a single definitive 2024 point estimate in the materials summarized here. Quoting a standalone 2024 number attributed to Pew from these documents would overstate what Pew published: the organization offered a revised historical baseline and a 2023 point estimate, plus directional commentary on early-2024 trends ^{[1] [2] [3]}.