Census 2000 measured a population 

of 281.4 million, 

31.1 million (or 

11.1 percent) of whom

were foreign born.1

Individuals from Latin

America represented

52 percent, Asia 

26 percent, Europe 

16 percent, and other

areas of the world 

6.0 percent of the 

foreign-born population. This report, part

of a series that presents population and

housing data collected

by Census 2000,

describes the distribution of the foreignborn population in the

United States, regions,

states, counties, and

places with populations of 100,000 or

more.2

The concept and

measurement of

the foreign-born

population and its

characteristics

have evolved

across several censuses.

Nativity is determined by U.S. citizenship

status and place of birth (see Figure 1).

The Census Bureau considers anyone

who is not born a U.S. citizen to be foreign born. Conversely, natives are those

born in the United States, Puerto Rico, or

a U.S. Island Area, or born abroad of a

U.S. citizen parent.3 Because a person

may be born outside the United States

and be a U.S. citizen at birth (i.e., they

were born abroad to a U.S. citizen parent), information on place of birth cannot

U S C E N S U S B U R E A U

Helping You Make Informed Decisions

U.S.Department of Commerce

Economics and Statistics Administration

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU

Issued December 2003

C2KBR-34

The Foreign-Born Population: 2000

Census 2000 Brief

By 

Nolan Malone

Kaari F. Baluja

Joseph M. Costanzo

Cynthia J. Davis

1 The estimates in this report are based on

responses from a sample of the population. As with

all surveys, estimates may vary from the actual values because of sampling variation or other factors.

All statements made in this report have undergone

statistical testing and are significant at the 90-percent confidence level unless otherwise noted. 2 The text of this report discusses data for the

United States, including the 50 states and the District

of Columbia. Data for the Commonwealth of Puerto

Rico are shown in Tables 1 and 4, and Figure 4.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 questionnaire.

Figure 1.

Reproduction of the Questions on Place of 

Birth, Citizenship Status, and Year of Entry 

From Census 2000

Year

12 Where was this person born?

In the United States — Print name of state.

Outside the United States — Print name of foreign

country, or Puerto Rico, Guam, etc.

13 Is this person a CITIZEN of the United States?

Yes, born in the United States Skip to 15a

Yes, born in Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands,

or Northern Marianas

Yes, born abroad of American parent or parents

Yes, a U.S. citizen by naturalization

No, not a citizen of the United States

When did this person come to live in the

United States? Print numbers in boxes.

14

3 The U.S. Island Areas include U.S. Virgin Islands,

Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of

the Northern Mariana Islands.
2 U.S. Census Bureau

be used alone to determine

whether an individual is native or

foreign born and must be used in

conjunction with information on

citizenship status.

Information on nativity and the foreign-born population is used by

researchers, federal agencies, and

policy makers for many purposes,

including determination of eligibility for certain government programs, examination of trends in

net international migration, and

analysis of the changing composition of the U.S. population. 

In the 1820 and 1830 decennial

censuses, enumerators were asked

to “note” individuals who were

aliens (foreigners not naturalized),

although no specific questions on

citizenship status were asked. In

1890, explicit measures of citizenship status were added to the census and have remained with some

variations except in 1960. 

Questions concerning an individual’s place of birth have appeared

in the decennial censuses since

1850.4 From 1870 to 1970,

parental nativity (place of birth of

the individual’s father and mother)

was also asked. Census 2000

asked, “Where was this person

born?,” asking for the name of the

state for those born within the

United States or the country name

for those born elsewhere.5

In many decennial censuses, an

additional question asked the year

in which a person born outside the

United States (whether native or

foreign born) came to live in the

United States.6

Census 2000 asked, “Is this person

a citizen of the United States?”

Answers to this question categorized respondents into various citizenship groups based on the manner in which U.S. citizenship was

obtained (for example, born in the

U.S., Puerto Rico, or a U.S. Island

Area; or born abroad to a U.S. citizen parent), or into a residual noncitizen group.7

The foreign-born

population in the United

States increased by more

than half between 1990

and 2000.

Between 1990 and 2000, the foreign-born population increased by

57 percent, from 19.8 million to

31.1 million, compared with an

increase of 9.3 percent for the

native population and 13 percent

for the total U.S. population (see

Table 1). The foreign born who

were naturalized citizens of the

United States increased by 56 percent (from 8.0 million to 12.5 million), compared with an increase of

58 percent for those who were not

U.S. citizens (from 11.8 million to

18.6 million).

In 2000, 40.3 percent of the foreign born were naturalized U.S. 

citizens, down slightly from 

40.5 percent in 1990. The percentage naturalized varied by period of entry: while 82 percent of

the foreign born who entered the

United States prior to 1970 were

naturalized U.S. citizens in 2000,

only 13 percent of those who

entered in 1990 or later were 

(see Figure 2).8

Over half of the foreignborn population were from

Latin America.

In 2000, over 16 million foreign

born were from Latin America, 

representing 52 percent of the

total foreign-born population (see

Figure 3).9 Of the foreign born

from Latin America, 11.2 million

people (36 percent of all foreign

born) were from Central America

(including Mexico), 3.0 million 

people (10 percent) from the

Caribbean, and 1.9 million people

(6.2 percent) from South America. 

The foreign born from Asia and

Europe accounted for 26 percent

(8.2 million) and 16 percent 

(4.9 million) of the total foreignborn population, respectively. The

foreign born from Africa, Northern

America, and Oceania each composed 3 percent or less of the 

total foreign-born population.10

Foreign born from Mexico 

accounted for 9.2 million people,

or 30 percent of the total U.S. foreign-born population (see Table 2),

making Mexico the leading country

of birth. China (1.5 million) and

the Philippines (1.4 million) were

the next largest sources, providing 

4.9 percent and 4.4 percent of the

total foreign born, respectively.11

7 No information about dual citizenship,

citizenship other than U.S., or legal (migrant)

status is collected in the decennial census. 8 The naturalization process requires that

the foreign-born applicant reside continuously in the United States for 5 years (or less for

special categories of migrants) following

admission as a lawful permanent resident.

Therefore, most of the foreign born who

arrived between 1995 and 2000 are not yet

eligible to become U.S. citizens, resulting in

a lower overall percentage naturalized of 

the foreign born who arrived in the last 

10 years.

9 Latin America encompasses Central

America (including Mexico), the Caribbean,

and South America.

10 The Northern America region includes

the foreign countries of Canada, Bermuda,

Greenland, and St. Pierre and Miquelon. The

Oceania region includes Australia, New

Zealand, and island countries in Melanesia,

Micronesia, and Polynesia. 11 China includes those who responded

China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the Paracel

Islands.

4 For further discussion of the evolution

of place of birth, year of entry, and citizenship questions in the decennial census, see

Gauthier, Jason G., 2002, Measuring America:

The Decennial Censuses From 1790 to 2000,

POL/02-MA, U.S. Census Bureau, Washington,

DC.5 Although a foreign-born respondent

may indicate a place of birth that is more

precise than a foreign country of birth (e.g.,

Bavaria), this information is categorized

under the country name and is neither tabulated nor shown in such detail in U.S. Census

Bureau data products. 6 Questions on period of entry appeared

from 1890 to 1930 and from 1970 to 2000

in various forms.
U.S. Census Bureau 3

Table 1.

Foreign-Born Population by Citizenship Status for the United States, Regions, States, and

for Puerto Rico: 1990 and 2000

(Data based on sample. For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and definitions, see

www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf)

Area

1990 2000

Percent

change in

the foreignborn population: 1990-

2000

Total

population

Foreign born

Total

population

Foreign born

Total Naturalized

citizens as

a percent of

the foreignborn population

Total Naturalized

citizens as

a percent of

the foreignborn popuNumber lationPercent of

total population Number

Percent of

total population

United States....... 248,709,873 19,767,316 7.9 40.5 281,421,906 31,107,889 11.1 40.3 57.4

Region

Northeast ............. 50,809,229 5,231,024 10.3 47.6 53,594,378 7,229,068 13.5 46.4 38.2

Midwest .............. 59,668,632 2,131,293 3.6 49.7 64,392,776 3,509,937 5.5 40.7 64.7

South ................ 85,445,930 4,582,293 5.4 39.6 100,236,820 8,608,441 8.6 37.4 87.9

West. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52,786,082 7,822,706 14.8 33.6 63,197,932 11,760,443 18.6 38.6 50.3

State

Alabama .............. 4,040,587 43,533 1.1 49.1 4,447,100 87,772 2.0 36.7 101.6

Alaska ............... 550,043 24,814 4.5 53.9 626,932 37,170 5.9 53.8 49.8

Arizona ............... 3,665,228 278,205 7.6 39.1 5,130,632 656,183 12.8 29.6 135.9

Arkansas.............. 2,350,725 24,867 1.1 48.7 2,673,400 73,690 2.8 29.9 196.3

California ............. 29,760,021 6,458,825 21.7 31.2 33,871,648 8,864,255 26.2 39.2 37.2

Colorado.............. 3,294,394 142,434 4.3 47.2 4,301,261 369,903 8.6 31.6 159.7

Connecticut............ 3,287,116 279,383 8.5 52.0 3,405,565 369,967 10.9 48.7 32.4

Delaware ............. 666,168 22,275 3.3 55.8 783,600 44,898 5.7 42.4 101.6

Dist. of Columbia ........ 606,900 58,887 9.7 29.3 572,059 73,561 12.9 30.0 24.9

Florida ............... 12,937,926 1,662,601 12.9 42.9 15,982,378 2,670,828 16.7 45.2 60.6

Georgia............... 6,478,216 173,126 2.7 38.9 8,186,453 577,273 7.1 29.3 233.4

Hawaii ............... 1,108,229 162,704 14.7 55.3 1,211,537 212,229 17.5 60.1 30.4

Idaho ................ 1,006,749 28,905 2.9 41.0 1,293,953 64,080 5.0 33.1 121.7

Illinois ................ 11,430,602 952,272 8.3 44.5 12,419,293 1,529,058 12.3 39.5 60.6

Indiana ............... 5,544,159 94,263 1.7 52.9 6,080,485 186,534 3.1 38.1 97.9

Iowa ................. 2,776,755 43,316 1.6 46.2 2,926,324 91,085 3.1 32.9 110.3

Kansas ............... 2,477,574 62,840 2.5 43.3 2,688,418 134,735 5.0 33.2 114.4

Kentucky.............. 3,685,296 34,119 0.9 46.6 4,041,769 80,271 2.0 34.3 135.3

Louisiana ............. 4,219,973 87,407 2.1 43.6 4,468,976 115,885 2.6 48.4 32.6

Maine ................ 1,227,928 36,296 3.0 58.6 1,274,923 36,691 2.9 55.2 NS

Maryland.............. 4,781,468 313,494 6.6 40.5 5,296,486 518,315 9.8 45.3 65.3

Massachusetts ......... 6,016,425 573,733 9.5 45.7 6,349,097 772,983 12.2 43.7 34.7

Michigan .............. 9,295,297 355,393 3.8 55.7 9,938,444 523,589 5.3 45.8 47.3

Minnesota ............. 4,375,099 113,039 2.6 44.9 4,919,479 260,463 5.3 37.4 130.4

Mississippi ............ 2,573,216 20,383 0.8 46.7 2,844,658 39,908 1.4 40.3 95.8

Missouri . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,117,073 83,633 1.6 54.6 5,595,211 151,196 2.7 40.9 80.8

Montana .............. 799,065 13,779 1.7 62.6 902,195 16,396 1.8 57.8 19.0

Nebraska ............. 1,578,385 28,198 1.8 54.3 1,711,263 74,638 4.4 32.0 164.7

Nevada............... 1,201,833 104,828 8.7 41.4 1,998,257 316,593 15.8 36.9 202.0

New Hampshire......... 1,109,252 41,193 3.7 55.5 1,235,786 54,154 4.4 47.6 31.5

New Jersey ............ 7,730,188 966,610 12.5 48.7 8,414,350 1,476,327 17.5 46.2 52.7

New Mexico ........... 1,515,069 80,514 5.3 39.6 1,819,046 149,606 8.2 34.8 85.8

New York . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17,990,455 2,851,861 15.9 45.5 18,976,457 3,868,133 20.4 46.1 35.6

North Carolina .......... 6,628,637 115,077 1.7 43.1 8,049,313 430,000 5.3 26.2 273.7

North Dakota........... 638,800 9,388 1.5 60.2 642,200 12,114 1.9 42.6 29.0

Ohio ................. 10,847,115 259,673 2.4 59.8 11,353,140 339,279 3.0 49.9 30.7

Oklahoma ............. 3,145,585 65,489 2.1 44.1 3,450,654 131,747 3.8 34.7 101.2

Oregon ............... 2,842,321 139,307 4.9 42.5 3,421,399 289,702 8.5 33.6 108.0

Pennsylvania........... 11,881,643 369,316 3.1 59.1 12,281,054 508,291 4.1 50.6 37.6

Rhode Island........... 1,003,464 95,088 9.5 44.9 1,048,319 119,277 11.4 47.1 25.4

South Carolina ......... 3,486,703 49,964 1.4 50.9 4,012,012 115,978 2.9 37.1 132.1

South Dakota .......... 696,004 7,731 1.1 61.0 754,844 13,495 1.8 40.4 74.6

Tennessee ............ 4,877,185 59,114 1.2 45.0 5,689,283 159,004 2.8 33.4 169.0

Texas ................ 16,986,510 1,524,436 9.0 33.8 20,851,820 2,899,642 13.9 31.5 90.2

Utah ................. 1,722,850 58,600 3.4 44.1 2,233,169 158,664 7.1 30.4 170.8

Vermont .............. 562,758 17,544 3.1 60.7 608,827 23,245 3.8 53.6 32.5

Virginia ............... 6,187,358 311,809 5.0 40.3 7,078,515 570,279 8.1 40.8 82.9

Washington ............ 4,866,692 322,144 6.6 46.3 5,894,121 614,457 10.4 41.9 90.7

West Virginia........... 1,793,477 15,712 0.9 59.0 1,808,344 19,390 1.1 53.9 23.4

Wisconsin ............. 4,891,769 121,547 2.5 52.3 5,363,675 193,751 3.6 39.3 59.4

Wyoming.............. 453,588 7,647 1.7 51.9 493,782 11,205 2.3 45.7 46.5

Puerto Rico ........... 3,522,037 79,804 2.3 45.5 3,808,610 109,581 2.9 42.2 37.3

NS: Not significantly different from zero at the 90-percent confidence level.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 Summary File 1 and Summary File 3; 1990 Census of Population, General Population Characteristics (CP-2-1).
THE GEOGRAPHIC

DISTRIBUTION OF THE

FOREIGN BORN

The foreign-born

population in the South

experienced the most 

rapid growth rate.12

The number of foreign born

increased by 88 percent in the

South between 1990 and 2000,

followed by 65 percent in the

Midwest, 50 percent in the West,

and 38 percent in the Northeast.

The West had the largest foreignborn population in 2000 

(11.8 million), followed by the

South (8.6 million), the Northeast 

(7.2 million), and the Midwest 

(3.5 million).

More than one-third of the

foreign born lived in the

West.

In 2000, 38 percent of the foreignborn population lived in the West,

28 percent in the South, and 

23 percent in the Northeast. Only

11 percent lived in the Midwest.

In comparison, the distribution of

the total population was 22 percent in the West, 36 percent in the

South, 19 percent in the Northeast,

and 23 percent in the Midwest.

Foreign-born residents accounted

for 19 percent of the population 

in the West and 14 percent of 

the population in the Northeast,

exceeding the national level of

11.1 percent. The proportion was

below the national level in the

South (8.6 percent) and the

Midwest (5.5 percent). 

The patterns of distribution by

world region of birth show where

various groups resided in 2000

(see Table 3). In 2000, 45 percent of the foreign born from Asia, 

34 percent from Northern America,

and 66 percent from Oceania lived

in the West, home to the largest

concentrations of these populations in the United States. Individuals from Europe were most likely

to live in the Northeast (38 percent), while the foreign born from

Africa were primarily in the South

(35 percent) and the Northeast 

(31 percent). 

The proportion of foreign born

who were from Latin America

ranged from 63 percent in the

South to 36 percent in the Midwest

(see Table 4). The proportion of

foreign born from Asia ranged

from 32 percent in the West to 

19 percent in the South, and those

from Europe ranged from 26 percent in the Midwest and Northeast

to 10 percent in the West.

More than one-half of the

foreign-born population

lived in three states:

California, New York, 

and Texas.

In 2000, 15.6 million foreign-born

residents (50 percent of the total

4 U.S. Census Bureau

Figure 2.

Citizenship Status of the Foreign-Born Population 

by Period of Entry: 2000

(Data based on sample. For information on confidentiality 

protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and definitions, 

see www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf)

Naturalized U.S. citizen

Not a U.S. citizen

1990-2000

1980-1989

1970-1979

Before 1970

Total 12.5

3.8

18.6

0.9

4.7

1.6 

31.1

4.8

8.5

3.9

3.1

1.8 11.4 13.2 

Number (in millions) 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000, special tabulations.

1990-2000

1980-1989

1970-1979

Before 1970

Total 40.3

81.6

44.6

13.4 

Percent naturalized 

66.3

4.7 

12 The South region includes the states 

of Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida,

Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland,

Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, 

South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia,

West Virginia, and the District of Columbia, a

state equivalent. The West region includes

the states of Alaska, Arizona, California,

Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada,

New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and

Wyoming. The Northeast region includes the

states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts,

New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York,

Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

The Midwest region includes the states of

Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan,

Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North

Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.
U.S. Census Bureau 5

foreign born) lived in these three

states, and 21.3 million foreignborn residents (68 percent) lived in

the six states with foreign-born

populations of 1.0 million or more:

California, Florida, Illinois, New

Jersey, New York, and Texas. In

contrast, these six states were

home to 39 percent of all U.S. residents in 2000. The foreign born in

California accounted for 8.9 million

(29 percent of the total), followed

by New York with 3.9 million 

(12 percent), and Texas with 

2.9 million (9.3 percent). The 

foreign-born population ranged

from 500,000 up to 1 million in 

8 states and from 100,000 up to

500,000 in 19 states. The foreign born numbered fewer than

100,000 in the 17 remaining states

and the District of Columbia.

The foreign born in North

Carolina, Georgia, and

Nevada grew by 200

percent or more.

From 1990 to 2000, the foreign

born increased by 200 percent 

or more in three states: North

Carolina, 274 percent; Georgia,

233 percent; and Nevada, 202 percent.13 In 16 states, this group

grew by 100 percent to 199 percent; in 12 states by 57 percent

(the national average) to 100 percent, and by less than 57 percent

in the remaining 19 states and the

District of Columbia. The only

growth rate below 10 percent

occurred in Maine (1.1 percent).

The foreign born

accounted for over onequarter of the population

in California.

The foreign born represented 

26 percent of the population in

California in 2000, the highest proportion in any state. The percentage also surpassed the national

average (11.1 percent) in nine

Figure 3.

Percent Distribution of the Foreign-Born Population 

by World Region of Birth: 2000

Note: Adds to 99.9 percent due to rounding. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000, Summary File 3.

Central 

America 

36.0

Caribbean 

9.5

AFRICA 2.8

ASIA 26.4

South America 

6.2

(Data based on sample. For information on confidentiality protection, 

sampling error, nonsampling error, and definitions, see 

www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf)

OCEANIA 0.5

EUROPE 15.8

NORTHERN 

AMERICA 2.7

LATIN 

AMERICA 51.7

Table 2.

Top Ten Countries of Birth of the Foreign-Born

Population: 2000

(Data based on sample. For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error,

nonsampling error, and definitions, see www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf)

Country of birth

Number

Percent of

foreign-born

population

90-percent confidence

interval on number

Total foreign born . . . . . 31,107,889 100.0 31,080,801 - 31,134,977

Top ten countries . . . . . . . . . 18,157,587 58.4 18,143,429 - 18,171,745

Mexico . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9,177,487 29.5 9,164,388 - 9,190,586

China1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,518,652 4.9 1,512,463 - 1,524,841

Philippines. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,369,070 4.4 1,363,179 - 1,374,961

India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,022,552 3.3 1,017,431 - 1,027,673

Vietnam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 988,174 3.2 983,137 - 993,211

Cuba2

..................... 872,716 2.8 867,973 - 877,459

Korea3 .................... 864,125 2.8 859,405 - 868,845

Canada4 .................. 820,771 2.6 816,168 - 825,374

El Salvador ................ 817,336 2.6 812,742 - 821,930

Germany .................. 706,704 2.3 702,424 - 710,984

All other countries . . . . . . . . 12,950,302 41.6 12,936,144 - 12,964,460

1 Includes those who responded China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the Paracel Islands. 2 The estimated foreign-born population from Cuba does not statistically differ from that of Korea. 3 Includes those who responded Korea, North Korea, and South Korea. 4 The estimated foreign-born population from Canada does not statistically differ from that of

El Salvador.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000, Summary File 3.

13 Although the point estimate for the

increase in the foreign-born population in

Arkansas (196 percent) appears to be less

than 200 percent, no statistical difference

exists between the two percentages.
other states and the District of

Columbia: New York (20 percent),

New Jersey and Hawaii (18 percent

each), Florida (17 percent), Nevada

(16 percent), Texas (14 percent),

the District of Columbia and

Arizona (13 percent each), and

Illinois and Massachusetts 

(12 percent each).

In 2000, 36 percent of the foreign

born from Asia, 31 percent from

Latin America, 17 percent from

Northern America, and 40 percent

from Oceania resided in California,

accounting for the highest proportions of people from each of these

regions of birth. Eighteen percent

of the foreign born from Europe

and 13 percent from Africa lived 

in New York.

The foreign born from Latin

America, Asia, and Europe were

concentrated in different states.

The foreign born from Latin

America constituted over 70 percent of the foreign-born populations in four states: Arizona 

(72 percent), Florida (73 percent),

New Mexico (77 percent), and

Texas (75 percent). Those from

Asia accounted for 40 percent 

or more of the foreign-born 

population in six states: Alaska 

(51 percent), Hawaii (83 percent),

Michigan (40 percent), Minnesota

(40 percent), Virginia (41 percent),

and West Virginia (43 percent).

Those from Europe composed 

over 35 percent in five states:

Connecticut (38 percent), Montana

(40 percent), Ohio (39 percent),

Pennsylvania (36 percent), and

Vermont (39 percent).

The foreign born who were naturalized U.S. citizens (40 percent

nationally) outnumbered those

who were not U.S. citizens in only

seven states: Alaska, Hawaii,

Maine, Montana, Pennsylvania,

Vermont, and West Virginia. The

proportion naturalized ranged from

60 percent in Hawaii to 26 percent

in North Carolina.

High concentrations of 

the foreign born lived in

counties in traditional

“gateway” areas of the

United States. 

In 2000, the percentage foreignborn was at or above the national

average (11.1 percent) in only 199

of the 3,141 counties (and county

equivalents) in the United States.

Many of these counties are in 

traditional receiving areas for

immigrants: southwestern border

states (California to Texas) and the

New York City and Miami metropolitan areas. Additional areas with

high concentrations of the foreignborn population included the

Pacific Northwest and the

Washington, DC metropolitan area.

The foreign born were the majority

of the population in only one U.S.

county: Miami-Dade County,

Florida, which was home to 

1.1 million foreign born 

(51 percent of the county’s 

population). 

The foreign born represented 

20 percent or more in 60 additional counties, some of which are far

from the “gateway” areas noted

earlier: Clark County, Idaho;

Seward County, Finney County 

and Ford County, Kansas; Franklin

County and Adams County,

Washington; and Aleutians 

West Census Area, Alaska. 

The proportion foreign-born

ranged from 11.1 percent (the

national average) to 19.9 percent

of the population in 138 counties,

from 7.5 percent to 11.0 percent in

141 counties, and from 3.0 percent

6 U.S. Census Bureau

Table 3.

Foreign-Born Population by World Region of Birth for the United States and Regions: 2000

(Data based on sample. For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and definitions, see

www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf)

Area

Total

foreignborn population1 Europe Asia Africa Oceania

Northern

America2

Latin America

Total Mexico

Other Latin

America

NUMBER

United States . . . 31,107,573 4,915,557 8,226,254 881,300 168,046 829,442 16,086,974 9,177,487 6,909,487

Northeast. . . . . . . . . . . . 7,229,001 1,882,083 1,825,904 275,292 17,276 188,152 3,040,294 278,640 2,761,654

Midwest . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,509,895 915,328 1,053,950 132,542 13,041 132,648 1,262,386 1,000,394 261,992

South . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8,608,363 991,351 1,634,826 307,324 26,937 223,174 5,424,751 2,717,612 2,707,139

West. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11,760,314 1,126,795 3,711,574 166,142 110,792 285,468 6,359,543 5,180,841 1,178,702

PERCENT

United States . . . 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Northeast. . . . . . . . . . . . 23.2 38.3 22.2 31.2 10.3 22.7 18.9 3.0 40.0

Midwest . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.3 18.6 12.8 15.0 7.8 16.0 7.8 10.9 3.8

South . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27.7 20.2 19.9 34.9 16.0 26.9 33.7 29.6 39.2

West. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37.8 22.9 45.1 18.9 65.9 34.4 39.5 56.5 17.1

1 Does not include the foreign-born population ‘‘born at sea’’. 2 The region Northern America includes the foreign countries of Canada, Bermuda, Greenland, and St. Pierre and Miquelon.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000, Summary File 3.
U.S. Census Bureau 7

Table 4.

Percent Distribution of the Foreign-Born Population by World Region of Birth for the

United States, Regions, States, and Puerto Rico: 2000

(Data based on sample. For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and definitions, see

www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf)

Area

Total foreignborn population1

Percent distribution

Europe Asia Africa Oceania

Northern

America2

Latin America

Total Mexico

Other Latin

America

United States....... 31,107,573 15.8 26.4 2.8 0.5 2.7 51.7 29.5 22.2

Region

Northeast ............. 7,229,001 26.0 25.3 3.8 0.2 2.6 42.1 3.9 38.2

Midwest .............. 3,509,895 26.1 30.0 3.8 0.4 3.8 36.0 28.5 7.5

South ................ 8,608,363 11.5 19.0 3.6 0.3 2.6 63.0 31.6 31.4

West. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11,760,314 9.6 31.6 1.4 0.9 2.4 54.1 44.1 10.0

State

Alabama .............. 87,767 21.0 29.9 4.2 0.6 3.8 40.5 26.6 14.0

Alaska ............... 37,170 20.0 50.6 1.0 2.7 7.8 17.9 7.4 10.5

Arizona ............... 656,183 10.9 11.8 1.3 0.5 4.0 71.5 66.4 5.0

Arkansas.............. 73,690 13.6 21.5 2.0 1.6 2.5 58.8 45.7 13.0

California ............. 8,864,188 7.9 32.9 1.3 0.8 1.6 55.6 44.3 11.3

Colorado.............. 369,894 17.6 19.6 2.6 0.8 3.7 55.6 49.1 6.5

Connecticut............ 369,961 38.2 19.0 2.6 0.4 5.2 34.7 3.6 31.1

Delaware ............. 44,898 22.1 30.1 5.0 0.2 3.6 39.0 17.5 21.5

Dist. of Columbia ........ 73,555 17.6 17.0 12.5 0.8 1.7 50.4 2.7 47.7

Florida ............... 2,670,794 13.3 8.7 1.3 0.2 3.8 72.8 7.1 65.7

Georgia............... 577,273 12.9 25.2 7.0 0.4 2.5 52.0 33.0 19.0

Hawaii ............... 212,229 4.9 83.3 0.5 6.3 1.8 3.2 1.3 1.9

Idaho ................ 64,080 18.8 12.6 0.9 0.8 7.1 59.8 55.3 4.6

Illinois ................ 1,529,058 25.5 23.5 1.7 0.2 1.3 47.8 40.4 7.4

Indiana ............... 186,529 23.2 26.6 3.9 0.5 4.2 41.5 33.3 8.2

Iowa ................. 91,083 22.3 33.1 4.4 0.6 3.6 36.0 27.7 8.3

Kansas ............... 134,733 11.2 28.2 2.7 0.5 2.7 54.7 47.0 7.7

Kentucky.............. 80,265 25.6 33.4 4.0 0.6 4.4 31.9 19.3 12.6

Louisiana ............. 115,880 15.6 37.5 3.5 0.5 2.8 40.2 8.0 32.1

Maine ................ 36,689 30.0 18.9 2.9 0.7 41.5 6.0 0.9 5.1

Maryland.............. 518,315 16.8 35.0 12.1 0.4 1.8 34.0 3.7 30.2

Massachusetts ......... 772,972 32.2 26.1 6.2 0.3 5.3 30.0 1.0 29.0

Michigan .............. 523,585 30.0 40.0 3.2 0.4 9.5 16.9 11.2 5.8

Minnesota ............. 260,454 16.8 40.4 13.2 0.5 5.1 24.0 16.0 8.0

Mississippi ............ 39,904 19.2 36.2 3.2 0.6 4.3 36.5 23.8 12.8

Missouri .............. 151,195 28.5 34.9 5.6 1.0 4.2 25.8 16.7 9.2

Montana .............. 16,396 39.8 20.2 1.1 1.6 27.8 9.5 5.4 4.2

Nebraska ............. 74,638 14.5 25.7 3.5 0.5 2.2 53.6 40.8 12.8

Nevada............... 316,593 10.2 22.9 1.6 0.7 3.4 61.4 48.6 12.7

New Hampshire......... 54,154 33.7 24.9 3.4 0.6 23.0 14.3 2.6 11.7

New Jersey ............ 1,476,327 23.9 27.8 4.1 0.2 1.1 43.0 4.6 38.4

New Mexico ........... 149,606 10.2 9.6 0.7 0.4 2.2 76.8 71.7 5.1

New York . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,868,094 22.7 23.7 3.0 0.2 1.4 48.9 4.2 44.7

North Carolina .......... 430,000 14.0 21.7 4.7 0.4 3.4 55.8 40.0 15.8

North Dakota........... 12,114 33.1 23.1 6.5 1.0 25.0 11.3 4.8 6.5

Ohio ................. 339,267 38.8 35.4 6.5 0.5 4.9 13.9 6.1 7.8

Oklahoma ............. 131,739 12.2 30.2 3.5 0.6 2.8 50.6 42.5 8.1

Oregon ............... 289,699 18.8 27.3 1.7 1.6 5.9 44.6 39.0 5.6

Pennsylvania........... 508,282 35.9 36.0 5.0 0.4 3.1 19.6 4.8 14.8

Rhode Island........... 119,277 32.9 16.4 10.1 0.3 3.5 36.8 2.1 34.7

South Carolina ......... 115,978 23.4 25.4 2.8 0.7 4.9 42.8 27.3 15.4

South Dakota .......... 13,495 31.5 30.1 11.6 0.7 7.6 18.5 10.4 8.2

Tennessee ............ 159,004 17.7 31.8 5.5 0.6 4.5 39.9 28.1 11.8

Texas ................ 2,899,640 5.3 16.1 2.2 0.2 1.3 74.9 64.8 10.1

Utah ................. 158,657 16.2 17.9 1.5 4.2 4.9 55.4 41.9 13.5

Vermont .............. 23,245 38.6 19.2 2.2 0.7 34.1 5.2 0.6 4.6

Virginia ............... 570,271 15.2 41.3 7.5 0.5 2.3 33.3 5.7 27.6

Washington ............ 614,414 20.6 39.0 3.1 1.3 7.8 28.3 24.1 4.2

West Virginia........... 19,390 34.5 43.2 3.4 0.8 5.6 12.4 5.3 7.1

Wisconsin ............. 193,744 26.9 32.4 2.5 0.5 3.7 33.9 27.7 6.2

Wyoming.............. 11,205 26.2 19.4 2.3 1.7 10.1 40.3 34.9 5.4

Puerto Rico ........... 109,581 6.0 2.8 0.1 0.1 0.2 90.7 2.5 88.3

1 Does not include the foreign-born population ‘‘born at sea.’’ 2 The region Northern America includes the foreign countries of Canada, Bermuda, Greenland, and St. Pierre and Miquelon.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000, Summary File 3.
8 U.S. Census Bureau 

The Foreign-Born Population: 2000Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 Summary File 3. American Factfinder at factfinder.census.gov provides census data and mapping tools. 

U.S. pe

U.S. pe

(Data based on sample. For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and definitions, see www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf) Figure 4. 0 100 Miles 0 100 Miles 

0 100 Miles 
to 7.4 percent in 680 counties.

The remaining 2,121 counties,

where the foreign born accounted

for less than 3.0 percent of the

population, were concentrated in

the Midwest and in several states

in the South (Kentucky, Tennessee,

Alabama, and Mississippi).

More than 3 million foreign

born lived in Los Angeles

County, California.

In 2000, four counties encompassed 22 percent of the total 

U.S. foreign-born population: Los

Angeles County, California (3.4 million); Miami-Dade County, Florida

(1.1 million); Cook County, Illinois

(1.1 million); and Queens County,

New York (1.0 million).14

The foreign-born population numbered from 100,000 to 1.0 million

in 56 counties, from 10,000 to

99,999 in 224 counties, from

1,000 to 9,999 in 789 counties,

and from 100 to 999 in 1,409

counties. It was below 100 in 

659 counties.

The foreign born

composed over one-half 

of the population in six

large places. 

In 2000, 163,000 foreign born

lived in Hialeah, Florida, constituting 72 percent of the population

(see Table 5). The foreign born

were the majority in five additional

places with 100,000 or more population (Miami, Florida; Glendale,

California; Santa Ana, California;

Daly City, California; and, El Monte,

California) and constituted 41 percent to 50 percent in the four

other places in the top ten (East

Los Angeles, California; Elizabeth,

New Jersey; Garden Grove,

California; and Los Angeles,

California).15

The largest foreign-born

populations in 2000 were

found in the four largest

cities in the United States.

The largest foreign-born populations were in New York, New York

(2.9 million); Los Angeles,

California (1.5 million); Chicago,

Illinois (629,000); and Houston,

Texas (516,000) (see Table 6). The

5.5 million foreign born in these

four cities represented 18 percent

of the total, yet these four cities

were home to only 5.9 percent of

all U.S. residents in 2000. Three

cities whose total populations were

not among the top ten had foreignborn populations in the top ten:

San Jose, California (330,000); San

Francisco, California (286,000);

and Miami, Florida (216,000).

ADDITIONAL FINDINGS 

ON THE FOREIGN BORN

How did the racial 

and Hispanic-origin

compositions of the

foreign born contrast 

with those of natives?

Census 2000 asked respondents 

to choose one or more races. With

the exception of the Two or more

races group, all race groups discussed in this report refer to people who indicated only one racial

identity among the six major categories: White, Black or African

American, American Indian and

Alaska Native, Asian, Native

Hawaiian and Other Pacific

U.S. Census Bureau 9

15 Census 2000 showed 245 places in the

United States with 100,000 or more population. They included 238 incorporated places

(including 4 city-county consolidations) and

7 census designated places (CDPs) that were

not legally incorporated. For a list of these

places by state, see www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/phc-t6.html.

Table 5.

Ten Places of 100,000 or More Population With the

Highest Percentage Foreign Born: 20001

(Data based on sample. For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error,

nonsampling error, and definitions, see www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf)

Place and state

Total population

Foreign born

Number

Percent of

total population

90-percent

confidence

interval on

percent

United States . . . . . . . . . . . . 281,421,906 31,107,889 11.1 11.09 - 11.11

Hialeah, Florida ............... 226,419 163,256 72.1 71.5 - 72.7

Miami, Florida. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 362,470 215,739 59.5 59.0 - 60.0

Glendale, California............ 194,973 106,119 54.4 53.7 - 55.1

Santa Ana, California .......... 337,977 179,933 53.2 52.8 - 53.8

Daly City, California. ........... 103,621 54,213 52.3 51.4 - 53.2

El Monte, California. . . . . . . . . . . . 115,965 59,589 51.4 50.5 - 52.3

East Los Angeles, California2 . . . 124,283 60,605 48.8 48.0 - 49.6

Elizabeth, New Jersey ......... 120,568 52,975 43.9 43.0 - 44.8

Garden Grove, California....... 165,196 71,351 43.2 42.5 - 43.9

Los Angeles, California. . . . . . . . . 3,694,820 1,512,720 40.9 40.7 - 41.1

1 Although the point estimates shown appear to differ, no statistical difference exists between the

percentages foreign born in Glendale and Santa Ana, Santa Ana and Daly City, Daly City and El Monte,

and Elizabeth and Garden Grove. 2 East Los Angeles, California is a census designated place and is not legally incorporated.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000, Summary File 1 and Summary File 3.

14 These four counties were home to 

6.8 percent of all U.S. residents in 2000.
Islander, and Some other race.16

The use of the single-race population in this report does not imply

that it is the preferred method of

presenting or analyzing data. The

Census Bureau uses a variety of

approaches.17

In 2000, the foreign born were 

less likely than natives to report

that they were non-Hispanic Whites

(43 percent compared with 79 percent), but more likely than natives

to report being Asian (23 percent

compared with 1.3 percent).

Almost half of the foreign-born

population was Hispanic (46 percent), compared with 8.4 percent

of natives.

Within separate race and Hispanicorigin categories, the foreign born

represented the majority in only

one group: 69 percent of those

who responded Asian were foreignborn (see Figure 5). The foreign

born accounted for 24 percent of

Two or more races respondents, 

20 percent of Pacific Islander

respondents, 6.1 percent of Black

respondents, and 3.5 percent of

non-Hispanic White respondents.

Among Hispanics, 40 percent were

foreign born.

Did the age structure of

the foreign born differ

from that of the native

population in 2000?

Figure 6 shows that the percentage

of foreign born under 25 was less

than that of natives (22 percent

and 37 percent, respectively). The

foreign-born population was concentrated in prime working ages,

25 to 54 years: 59 percent compared with 42 percent of natives.18

The proportion 55 and older

among the foreign born was only

10 U.S. Census Bureau

Table 6.

Ten Places of 100,000 or More Population With the Largest Total Population and

Foreign-Born Population: 20001

(Data based on sample. For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and definitions, see

www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf)

Place and state

Total population

Foreign born

Number

Percent of

total population90-percent confidence

interval on number

United States. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281,421,906 31,107,889 11.1 31,080,801 - 31,134,977

New York, New York . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8,008,278 2,871,032 35.9 2,860,937 - 2,881,127

Los Angeles, California . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,694,820 1,512,720 40.9 1,505,660 - 1,519,780

Chicago, Illinois . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,896,016 628,903 21.7 623,994 - 633,812

Houston, Texas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,953,631 516,105 26.4 511,650 - 520,560

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,517,550 137,205 9.0 135,030 - 139,380

Phoenix, Arizona . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,321,045 257,325 19.5 254,166 - 260,484

San Diego, California . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,223,400 314,227 25.7 310,945 - 317,509

Dallas, Texas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,188,580 290,436 24.4 287,082 - 293,790

San Antonio, Texas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,144,646 133,675 11.7 131,394 - 135,956

Detroit, Michigan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 951,270 45,541 4.8 44,286 - 46,796

San Jose, California ............................... 894,943 329,757 36.8 326,395 - 333,119

San Francisco, California ........................... 776,733 285,541 36.8 282,411 - 288,671

Miami, Florida . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 362,470 215,739 59.5 212,845 - 218,633

1 Although the point estimates shown appear to differ, no statistical difference exists between the foreign-born totals in Dallas and San Francisco, and

in Philadelphia and San Antonio.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000, Summary File 1 and Summary File 3.

17 This report draws heavily on Summary

File 3, a Census 2000 product that can be

accessed through American FactFinder, available from the Census Bureau’s Web site,

www.census.gov. Information on people

who reported more than one race, such as

“White and American Indian and Alaska

Native” or “Asian and Black or African

American,” is available in Summary File 4,

which is available through American

FactFinder. About 2.6 percent of people

reported more than one race.

18 The 25 to 54 age group is important

for labor force analysis because most are

full-time workers, most have completed

schooling, and most are not eligible to retire.

16 For further information on each of the

six major race groups and the Two or more

races population, see reports from the

Census 2000 Brief series (C2KBR/01), available on the Census 2000 Web site at

http://www.census.gov/population/www

/cen2000/briefs.html. 

Hereafter, this report uses the term Black to

refer to people who are Black or African

American, the term Pacific Islander to refer

to people who are Native Hawaiian and

Other Pacific Islander, and the term Hispanic

to refer to people who are Hispanic or

Latino. Because Hispanics may be of any

race, data in this report for Hispanics overlap with data for racial groups. Based on

Census 2000 sample data, the proportion

Hispanic was 8.0 percent for Whites, 1.9 percent for Blacks, 14.6 percent for American

Indians and Alaska Natives, 1.0 percent for

Asians, 9.5 percent for Pacific Islanders, 97.1

percent for those reporting Some other race,

and 31.1 percent for those reporting Two or

more races.
slightly smaller than that of natives

(20 percent and 21 percent,

respectively). 

ABOUT CENSUS 2000

Why did Census 2000 

ask about place of birth,

citizenship status, and 

year of entry?

The questions on place of birth,

citizenship status, and year of

entry provide essential data for

setting and evaluating U.S. immigration policies and laws and for

monitoring civil rights compliance.

For example, under the Refugee

Education Assistance Act, these

data are used to allocate funds to

public and private nonprofit organizations that provide employment

resources aimed at making foreignborn residents economically selfsufficient. Knowing the characteristics of migrants, particularly their

citizenship status, length of residence, and employment status,

helps legislators and others understand how different migrant

groups are integrated into society. 

ACCURACY OF 

THE ESTIMATES

The data contained in this report

are based on the sample of households who responded to the

Census 2000 long form.

Nationally, approximately one 

out of every six housing units 

was included in this sample. As a

result, the sample estimates may

differ somewhat from the 100-percent figures that would have been

obtained if all housing units, people within those housing units, and

people living in group quarters had

been enumerated using the same

questionnaires, instructions, enumerators, and so forth. The sample estimates also differ from the

values that would have been

obtained from different samples of

housing units, and hence of people

living in those housing units, and

people living in group quarters.

The deviation of a sample estimate

from the average of all possible

samples is called the sampling

error. 

In addition to the variability that

arises from the sampling procedures, both sample data and 

100-percent data are subject to

nonsampling error. Nonsampling

error may be introduced during

any of the various complex operations used to collect and process

data. Such errors may include:

not enumerating every household

or every person in the population,

failing to obtain all required information from the respondents,

obtaining incorrect or inconsistent

information, and recording information incorrectly. In addition,

errors can occur during the field

review of the enumerators’ work,

during clerical handling of the census questionnaires, or during the

electronic processing of the questionnaires.

While it is impossible to completely

eliminate error from an operation

as large and complex as the decennial census, the Census Bureau

attempts to control the sources of

such error during the data collection and processing operations.

The primary sources of error and

the programs instituted to control

error in Census 2000 are described

in detail in Summary File 3

Technical Documentation under

Chapter 8, “Accuracy of the Data,”

located at www.census.gov/prod

/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf. 

Nonsampling error may affect 

the data in two ways: (1) errors

that are introduced randomly will

increase the variability of the 

data and, therefore, should be

reflected in the standard errors;

and (2) errors that tend to be consistent in one direction will bias

both sample and 100-percent data

in that direction. For example, if

respondents consistently tend 

to underreport their incomes, 

then the resulting estimates 

of households or families by

income category will tend to be

U.S. Census Bureau 11

Figure 5.

Percent Foreign Born for the Population by Race 

and Hispanic Origin: 2000 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000, special tabulations.

(Data based on sample. For information on confidentiality 

protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and definitions, see 

www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf)

White alone, not

Hispanic or Latino

Hispanic or Latino

(of any race)

Two or more races

Some other race alone

Native Hawaiian and

Other Pacific Islander alone

Asian alone

American Indian and

Alaska Native alone

Black or African

American alone

White alone

Total Population

40.2

11.1

6.3

6.1

5.4

68.9

19.9

43.4

23.5

3.5
understated for the higher income

categories and overstated for the

lower income categories. Such

biases are not reflected in the 

standard errors.

All statements in this Census 2000

Brief have undergone statistical

testing and all comparisons are

significant at the 90-percent confidence level, unless otherwise

noted. The estimates in tables,

maps, and other figures may vary

from actual values due to sampling

and nonsampling errors. As a

result, estimates in one category

used to summarize statistics in 

the maps and figures may not be

significantly different from estimates assigned to a different category. Further information on the

accuracy of the data is located at

www.census.gov/prod/cen2000

/doc/sf3.pdf. For further information on the computation and use 

of standard errors, contact the

Decennial Statistical Studies

Division at 301-763-4242.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

The Census 2000 Summary File 3

data are available from the

American Factfinder on the Internet

(factfinder.census.gov). They were

released on a state-by-state basis

during 2002. For information 

on confidentiality protection, 

nonsampling error, sampling 

error, and definitions, also see 

www.census.gov/prod/cen2000

/doc/sf3.pdf or contact the

Customer Services Center at 

301-763-INFO (4636).

Information on population and

housing topics is presented in the

Census 2000 Brief series, located

on the Census Bureau’s Web site at

www.census.gov/population/www

/cen2000/briefs.html. This series

presents information on race,

Hispanic origin, age, sex, household type, housing tenure, and

social, economic, and housing

characteristics, such as ancestry,

income, and housing costs.

0-4

5-9

10-14

15-19

20-24

25-29

30-34

35-39

40-44

45-49

50-54

55-59

60-64

65-69

70-74

75-79

80-84

85+

Age

0-4

5-9

10-14

15-19

20-24

25-29

30-34

35-39

40-44

45-49

50-54

55-59

60-64

65-69

70-74

75-79

80-84

85+

Male Age Female Male Female

1 Each bar represents the percent of the population (foreign-born or native) who were in the specified age-sex group.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000, special tabulations. 

(In percent)1

Foreign Born Native

0.4

0.5

0.9

1.1

1.4

1.8

2.2

3.2

4.0

5.1

5.8

6.0

5.8

4.8

3.0

1.9

1.2

0.6 0.6

1.2

1.8

2.5

3.9

5.2

5.5

5.6

5.0

4.1

3.4

2.6

2.3

1.9

1.7

1.3

0.7

0.9 0.4

0.7

1.1

1.4

1.6

1.8

2.3

3.0

3.5

3.9

3.9

3.3

3.2

3.3

3.7

4.0

4.1

3.8

1.1

1.2

1.6

1.8

1.8

2.0

2.4

3.1

3.6

4.0

3.9

3.4

3.2

3.2

3.5

3.8

3.9

3.6

Figure 6.

Age and Sex by Nativity: 2000

(Data based on sample. For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, 

and definitions, see www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf)