New Census Data on Foreign-Born
The U.S. Bureau of the Census yesterday released the 2008 American Community Survey. It shows a dip in the number of foreign-born in the United States, to under 38 million after it reached an all-time high in 2007. At nearly 38 million, immigrants made up 12.5 percent of the population in 2008; an estimated 11.9 million are undocumented. In Miami, San Jose, Calif., and Los Angeles, more than one-third of all residents are foreign-born. Roughly half the states showed declines in the number of immigrants from 2007 to 2008. Major metro areas also posted decreases, including Los Angeles, Phoenix, Detroit, and Tampa, Fla. An influx of workers from India, who came looking for specialized jobs in telecommunications, manufacturing, computers and software, partially offset the national immigration decrease.
About 1 in 5 U.S. residents spoke a language other than English at home, clustered in California, New Mexico, and Texas. The number of foreign-born and minority residents often tracked with the levels of uninsured. The highest percentages of uninsured residents were in agricultural communities with large Hispanic populations in California’s San Joaquin Valley, South Texas and South Florida. Regions in New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona, Alaska, Oklahoma and Georgia also fared poorly.
For the AP and L.A. Times analysis of the ACS data, click here and here. The best explanation for the slight decline in the foreign born population is the sluggish U.S. economy. Migration long has generally been labor market driven and the labor market is not now attracting migrants as it did at its peak.