Foreign-Born Population Soars to Highest Level Since 1910

The foreign-born population of the U.S. has soared to its highest level since 1910, with more newcomers being likely to come from Asia than ever before.

The foreign-born population in the U.S. reached 13.7 percent in 2017, an uptick from 13.5 percent in 2016, according to Census Bureau figures reviewed by The New York Times.

While newcomers have mostly hailed from Latin America for years, the latest numbers indicate a higher proportion than ever is coming from Asia. Forty-one percent of the people who have arrived since 2010 came from Asia, compared to 39 percent from Latin America, according to a Brookings Institution analysis.

The incoming population is also more college educated than ever, with 45 percent reporting a college degree — a 15 percent rise from those with college degrees who came between 2000 and 2009, the Times reported.

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“People from Asia have overtaken people from Latin America,” Frey added.

Since 2010, the number of people immigrating from Mexico has declined while the number of those from China and India have swelled. Almost 3 million people have arrived in the U.S. from Asia since 2010 while 1.2 million have come from Latin America, according to the report.

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Immigrants are also spreading out more across the country, with more than ever making homes in states with previously small immigrant populations, such as Tennessee, South Carolina and Kentucky.

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North Dakota had the largest increase in foreign-born immigrants with an 87 percent rise since 2010.