The percentage of U.S. residents who were foreign-born last year grew to its highest level in more than a century, according to figures released Thursday from the most comprehensive survey of American life.
The share of people born outside the United States increased in 2023 to 14.3 percent from 13.9 percent in 2022, according to estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau’s annual American Community Survey, which tracks commuting times, internet access, family life, income, education levels, disabilities, military service, and employment — among other topics.
International migrants have become a primary driver of population growth this decade. The rate of the foreign-born population in the United States hasn’t been this high since 1910, when it was 14.7 percent, driven by waves of people emigrating in search of a better life.
In 2023, international migrants accounted for more than two-thirds of the population growth in the United States, and so far this decade they have made up almost three-quarters of U.S. growth.
The growth appears to have been driven by people coming from Latin America, whose share of the foreign-born population increased year-over-year to 51.2 percent from 50.3 percent, according to the estimates.
Among the states with the largest year-over-year bumps in the foreign-born population was Delaware, going to 11.2 percent from 9.9 percent; Georgia, to 11.6 percent from 10.7 percent; and New Mexico, to 10.2 percent from 9.3 percent.
The Census Bureau figures don’t distinguish whether people are in the United States legally or illegally. Illegal immigration has become a top issue in the 2024 presidential race.
The rate of U.S. residents who identify as Hispanic, no matter what race, jumped last year to 19.4 percent from 19.1 percent in the previous year, according to the survey. At the same time, those who identify as non-Hispanic white alone dropped from 57.7 percent to 57.1 percent. The share of U.S. residents who identify as black alone dropped slightly, from 12.2 percent to 12.1 percent, and it increased slightly for those who identify as Asian alone from 5.9 percent to 6 percent.
The survey also showed that the median cost of renting, plus utilities and related expenses, grew faster than median home values in 2023 for the first time in a decade. The 3.8 percent jump in rental costs was the largest annual increase since at least 2011.
The Western Journal has reviewed this Associated Press story and may have altered it prior to publication to ensure that it meets our editorial standards.
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