Imagine the lives of 578,490 Americans-in-every-sense-of-the-word who wake up each day on borrowed time, a reality of uncertainty that stands in stark contrast to their average 20.5 years living in, contributing to, and calling the United States their only home.
Key Takeaways
- As of September 30, 2023, there were 578,490 active DACA recipients in the United States
- Approximately 82% of DACA recipients are from Mexico, making it the largest country of origin
- The average age of DACA recipients is 29 years old as of 2023 data
- From 2012-2023, cumulative DACA approvals reached 1.1 million
- In FY2023 Q4, USCIS approved 135,000 DACA renewals
- Active DACA status declined by 32% from 2017 peak of 800,000 to 578,490 in 2023
- DACA recipients contribute $32.8 billion annually to US GDP as of 2022 estimates
- DACA workers pay $7.1 billion in federal taxes yearly
- Total lifetime economic contribution of DACA cohort projected at $460 billion
- 65% of DACA recipients are enrolled in college or have college experience
- DACA approval increases college enrollment by 15-20% per studies
- 36% of DACA recipients have some college education as of 2022
- Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in 2020 to block Trump rescission for procedural reasons
- DACA challenged in Texas v. US since 2015, halting new apps in 2021
- Biden admin extended renewals indefinitely in 2022 after court losses
DACA recipients are young, long-term residents who contribute significantly to America's economy.
Approvals and Renewals
- From 2012-2023, cumulative DACA approvals reached 1.1 million
- In FY2023 Q4, USCIS approved 135,000 DACA renewals
- Active DACA status declined by 32% from 2017 peak of 800,000 to 578,490 in 2023
- 578,000 initial DACA requests approved since 2012 inception
- Renewal approval rate averaged 91% from 2017-2022
- In 2023, 170,000 new initial applications pending due to legal holds
- From March 2021 to Sep 2023, 450,000 renewals processed successfully
- Denial rate for renewals under 1% in FY2022
- 2.5 million total DACA applications received by USCIS since 2012
- Post-2017 rescission, renewals dropped 50% before Biden revival
- FY2023 saw 500,000+ renewal requests filed
- 85% of approved DACA cases are renewals, not initials
- Terminations averaged 20,000 annually due to expirations or status changes
- 2021 policy shift led to 1 million+ pending renewals cleared by 2023
- Initial approvals halted since 2021 court ruling, affecting 100,000+
- Renewal processing time averages 120 days in 2023
- 91.5% approval rate for FY2023 renewals specifically
- Cumulative terminations reached 600,000 by 2023 due to non-renewals
- 150,000 DACA expirations prevented deportations annually pre-2021
- Pending initial applications: 155,000 as of Sep 2023
- Renewals approved in first year post-rescission: 700,000 in 2018 wind-down
Approvals and Renewals Interpretation
While legal limbo has shrunk the active Dreamer pool by a third since 2017, the program's stubbornly high renewal approval rate—a consistent 91% lifeline—demonstrates that for over half a million people, DACA remains a vital, if perpetually precarious, home.
Economic Impact
- DACA recipients contribute $32.8 billion annually to US GDP as of 2022 estimates
- DACA workers pay $7.1 billion in federal taxes yearly
- Total lifetime economic contribution of DACA cohort projected at $460 billion
- 91% of DACA recipients are employed, higher than native-born rate of 84%
- DACA led to $41.5 billion increase in personal income for recipients since 2012
- Recipients file 15% higher tax returns post-DACA approval
- DACA households spend $29 billion annually on goods/services, boosting economy
- Average annual wage for DACA workers: $42,000, up 45% post-approval
- DACA prevents $25 billion annual loss in Social Security/Medicare taxes
- 70% of DACA recipients started new businesses or advanced careers post-approval
- Economic multiplier effect of DACA spending: $2.50 per $1 earned
- DACA recipients fill 5% of US construction jobs
- Post-DACA, recipients' unemployment rate dropped to 4.1% from 12%
- Annual state/local tax contributions: $4.6 billion from DACA workers
- DACA boosts GDP by 0.2% annually through labor force participation
- Recipients in healthcare sector: 8%, contributing $2 billion yearly
- Homeownership among DACA recipients rose to 3% post-work authorization
- DACA saves employers $1.7 billion in turnover costs annually
- Consumer spending by DACA families: $18 billion in retail/food services
- Wage premium from DACA: 15% increase over undocumented peers
- DACA recipients comprise 2% of US workforce in education sector
Economic Impact Interpretation
While they’ve been stuck in political limbo, DACA recipients have quietly been building, teaching, healing, and paying billions into an economy that often debates their worth more than it calculates their contribution.
Education and Work Authorization
- 65% of DACA recipients are enrolled in college or have college experience
- DACA approval increases college enrollment by 15-20% per studies
- 36% of DACA recipients have some college education as of 2022
- Over 400,000 work authorizations issued to DACA holders since 2012
- High school completion rate among DACA: 90%, above national average
- DACA recipients eligible for in-state tuition in 20+ states
- 22% of DACA recipients hold bachelor's degrees or higher
- Work permits renewed 2.6 million times by 2023
- Post-DACA, full-time employment rose from 49% to 73%
- 45% of DACA recipients pursuing STEM fields in higher ed
- DACA enables access to professional licenses in 25 states
- GED attainment among DACA: 12%
- 80% of DACA recipients use work authorization for formal jobs
- College graduation rates doubled post-DACA for recipients
- DACA holders drive 25% increase in vocational training enrollment
- SSN issuance to DACA: 800,000+, enabling banking/credit
- 58% of DACA in workforce have employer-sponsored health insurance
- English proficiency enables 95% college readiness among DACA
- DACA work auth supports 1 million+ hours of community service yearly
- 30% of DACA recipients are first-gen college students
Education and Work Authorization Interpretation
DACA recipients, with their college enrollment soaring, work permits multiplying, and professional doors swinging open, are statistically not just chasing the American Dream but acing its prerequisite courses with impressive extra credit.
Policy and Legal Status
- Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in 2020 to block Trump rescission for procedural reasons
- DACA challenged in Texas v. US since 2015, halting new apps in 2021
- Biden admin extended renewals indefinitely in 2022 after court losses
- 2017 DHS memo rescinded DACA, reversed by courts multiple times
- Over 100 lawsuits filed on DACA constitutionality since 2012
- 5th Circuit upheld injunction on new DACA grants in 2022
- Parole in Place proposed for DACA in 2024 Biden policy shift
- DACA not statutory, executive action per Obama 2012 memo
- 26 states sued over DACA in 2014, leading to injunctions
- USCIS accepts renewals despite 2021 nationwide block on initials
- SCOTUS 2020 Dept. of Homeland Security v. Regents decision
- DAPA expansion blocked permanently in 2016, affecting DACA indirectly
- 2023 5th Circuit ruled DACA unlawful, appealed to SCOTUS
- Congress failed 10+ bills to codify DACA into law since 2013
- EAD validity extended to 2 years for DACA in 2022 rule
- 1.1 million mixed-status families impacted by DACA uncertainty
- Obama created DACA via prosecutorial discretion on June 15, 2012
- Trump admin terminated 800,000 protections in 2017 memo
- Biden's 2021 memo restored renewals, processed 500k+
- Farmworker/essential worker protections tied to DACA policy
Policy and Legal Status Interpretation
DACA is less a program than it is a legal game of ping-pong where the ball is the lives of over a million people, played with frantic executive memos, relentless court injunctions, and a conspicuously absent referee named Congress.
Recipient Demographics
- As of September 30, 2023, there were 578,490 active DACA recipients in the United States
- Approximately 82% of DACA recipients are from Mexico, making it the largest country of origin
- The average age of DACA recipients is 29 years old as of 2023 data
- About 46% of DACA recipients are female and 54% are male according to 2022 analysis
- Over 90% of DACA recipients arrived in the US before age 14, fulfilling core eligibility
- DACA recipients primarily reside in California (26%), Texas (16%), and Illinois (6%)
- Around 25% of DACA recipients have US citizen children, totaling over 200,000 children
- The median age at DACA approval is 22 years, based on historical data
- Hispanic/Latino individuals comprise 93% of all DACA recipients
- In 2022, about 1.3 million people were potentially eligible for DACA if program expanded
- DACA recipients have lived in the US for an average of 20.5 years as of 2021
- Approximately 5% of DACA recipients are from Central American countries like El Salvador and Guatemala
- Over 70% of DACA recipients were under 15 when they entered the US
- DACA recipients are concentrated in urban areas, with 40% in top 10 metro areas
- About 15% of DACA recipients have disabilities or special needs
- The largest age cohort is 20-29 years old, comprising 60% of recipients
- DACA recipients from Asia make up less than 2% of total population
- Over 50% of DACA recipients live in households with US-born children
- Average household size for DACA families is 4.2 persons
- 91% of DACA recipients consider the US their only home country
- DACA recipients aged 30+ now make up 12% due to aging population
- Female DACA recipients have higher college enrollment rates at 22%
- Top states by DACA population: CA 150,000+, TX 110,000+
- 4% of DACA recipients are married to US citizens
- DACA recipients under 18 now less than 1% due to program age limits
- 78% of DACA recipients speak English proficiently
Recipient Demographics Interpretation
This is not a faceless policy debate about 578,490 people, but about hundreds of thousands of our neighbors—now averaging 29 years old, having lived here for over two decades and calling this country home—whose futures are being negotiated while their American-born children play in the next room.
Sources & References
- Reference 1USCISuscis.govVisit source
- Reference 2MIGRATIONPOLICYmigrationpolicy.orgVisit source
- Reference 3PEWRESEARCHpewresearch.orgVisit source
- Reference 4AMERICANIMMIGRATIONCOUNCILamericanimmigrationcouncil.orgVisit source
- Reference 5NILCnilc.orgVisit source
- Reference 6CBPPcbpp.orgVisit source
- Reference 7NEWAMERICANECONOMYnewamericaneconomy.orgVisit source
- Reference 8BROOKINGSbrookings.eduVisit source
- Reference 9UNITEDWEDREAMunitedwedream.orgVisit source
- Reference 10NBERnber.orgVisit source
- Reference 11SUPREMECOURTsupremecourt.govVisit source
- Reference 12CA5ca5.uscourts.govVisit source
- Reference 13FEDERALREGISTERfederalregister.govVisit source
- Reference 14DHSdhs.govVisit source
- Reference 15JUSTICEjustice.govVisit source
- Reference 16SCOTUSBLOGscotusblog.comVisit source
- Reference 17CONGRESScongress.govVisit source
- Reference 18WHITEHOUSEwhitehouse.govVisit source