The INS estimates that 7.0 million unauthorized immigrants resided in the United States in January 2000. The total population estimate is somewhat higher than INS previous estimate. In its last set of estimates, INS estimated the population to be 5.0 million in October 1996; the new estimates produced a total of about 5.8 million for the same date. Estimated annual population growth was variable in the 1990s; on average, however, the population grew by about 350,000 per year from 1990 to 1999, about 75,000 higher than INS previous annual estimate of 275,000 for the 1990s.