Woodrow-Lafield, Karen A. 2005. “Answering the Question: How Many Unauthorized Migrants?” Presented in the Department of Justice, Law, and Society, School of Public Affairs, Washington, D.C. (July 6, 2005), the College of Natural and Behavioral Sciences, California State University Dominguez Hills (November 16, 2005), and the Department of Sociology, California State University, San Bernardino (March 5, 2007). Manuscript in progress.


Estimates for the number of unauthorized residents are mainly based on demographic studies with population accounting. Occasional, focused surveys have utilized detailed questions about immigration status and provided data that portrayed socioeconomic and other characteristics for unauthorized residents of Los Angeles County. This discussion contrasts survey and demographic analysis approaches for studying this population of considerable interest in social science and public policy.