Measuring Migration Across Borders: a comparison and evaluation of migration data and data sources in Canada and the United States

Joseph M. Costanzo, U.S. Census Bureau
Doug Norris, Statistics Canada

International migration has been studied extensively by experts of the statistical and demographic arenas. However, only recently have the governments of North America’s three largest countries—Canada, Mexico, and the United States—worked collaboratively to take an inventory of their statistics on the stocks (and flows) of migrants across their common borders through the establishment of the North American Migration Working Group (NAMWG). This paper will 1) summarize the primary migration data sources available in both Canada and the United States; 2) assess the utility of each of the primary sources available; and 3) compare the estimates of the foreign born across these sources and countries, including possible explanations for discrepancies.