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The Annual Survey of Refugees (ASR) is the nation’s unique source of data on the experiences of refugees who recently resettled in the United States. The ASR offers a window into refugees’ progress during their initial five years after arrival. As Congressionally-mandated by the Refugee Act of 1980, the ASR has been collected annually.
The purpose of the ASR is to better understand refugees’ integration during their early years of resettlement. The ASR collects household information, as well as individual information.
Survey content areas include, but are not limited to, the following topics:
| Demographics |
| Experiences before arrival |
| Human capital (education/language) |
| Economic self-sufficiency |
| Health |
| Social connection |
| Well-being and receiving community experience |
| Children and schools |
Data Collection
Are you a refugee who has been contacted for an interview? Please know this is a legitimate request and not a scam. You will never be asked for money and all information you share will be kept private. Still unsure? |
Survey data collection begins in mid-January to mid-April, typically lasting 12 weeks of each calendar year.
Approximately 1,500 households, who resettled in the U.S. during the preceding five fiscal years, are randomly selected and interviewed. Besides the primary household members who are interviewed, information is also gathered on approximately 3,500 eligible family members.
The ASR is conducted by computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) to ensure timely and accurate data collection. The survey is designed to be linguistically and culturally relevant and sensitive to refugee populations. Interviewers are trained and matched to respondents by language, gender, and country of origin, when possible. Each year, the ASR is conducted in approximately 20 languages, which represents about 75% of all adult refugee arrivals during the survey time period.
Data Snapshot
Below is a snapshot of some of the measures collected in the ASR. Estimates refer to individuals aged 18 or older unless otherwise noted. Public-use data files (available since 2016), containing the full data set, are available to researchers: 2016 , 2017 , 2018 , 2019 , 2020 , 2021 , and 2022 .
***View available summary briefs beginning with 2021 data. Each brief includes key findings and insights by year. 2021 ASR Snapshot Brief (PDF), 2022 Snapshot Brief (PDF).
| ASR Findings | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Household receipt of public cash assistance | 26.7% | 29.4% | 23.0% | 21.6% | 28.2% | 38.2% | 28.4% |
| Employed in labor force (working-age individuals 16-64) | 88.4% | 88.8% | 88.4% | 88.2% | 83.9% | 88.2% | 89.6% |
| Full-time employment | 74.5% | 75.1% | 77.5% | 77.0% | 74.9% | 75.6% | 80.9% |
| Current mean hourly wage | $11.80 | $12.27 | $13.16 | $13.42 | $13.67 | $16.14 | $16.03 |
| Household homeownership | 12.8% | 14.6% | 15.7% | 20.2% | 21.3% | 20.0% | 19.3% |
| Pursuing a degree or certification | 15.7% | 16.7% | 15.5% | 17.6% | 28.9% | 28.8% | 24.9% |
| Possessed continuous medical coverage throughout previous 12 months | 57.1% | 60.8% | 57.7% | 54.1% | 72.8% | 85.0% | 83.4% |
| Medical coverage obtained solely through respondent’s or family member’s employer | 11.6% | 12.3% | 12.8% | 12.8% | 22.8% | 17.4% | 17.0% |
| English proficiency rated “well” or “very “well” at time of survey | 50.7% | 51.8% | 49.9% | 49.1% | 37.5% | 41.3% | 42.0% |
| Applied for Lawful Permanent Resident status | 69.4% | 80.8% | 84.1% | 83.5% | 91.8% | 94.7% | 95.9% |
Contact Information:
asr@acf.hhs.gov