structural:expansion
Demographics

According to the 2020 Census, the population of the CNMI was 47,329, down from 69,221 in 2000. The decrease was reportedly due to a combination of factors including the demise of the garment industry (the vast majority of whose employees were females from China), economic crises, and a decline in tourism, one of the CNMI's primary sources of revenue.

As of the 2020 Census, except for the U.S. Minor Outlying Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands are the second least populous sub-federal jurisdiction in the United States, next to American Samoa. However, the islands population has fluctuated over time hitting 80 thousand in 2000, then declining to around 50 thousand in the 2010s. In 1986, when the people of the CNMI became U.S. citizens, it had a population of about 36 thousand. In 1950, the population was about 7 thousand. In comparison, in 1776 the smallest American state by population was Delaware with a population of about 60 thousand.

As of 2020, about 60% of the population are U.S. Citizens or Lawful Permanent Residents, and the other 40% are Foreign workers. The United States has a program that monitors the ratio of workers to citizens and the number of lawful residents of different types.

A modest amount of Marianans have migrated to the continental US, with moves to the west coast being slightly more popular. One of the largest communities is in Washington State, with a community of almost 5,000 people from the islands.