ABSTRACT
As noted in preceding chapters, data from the Current Population Survey show that the proportion of foreign-born U.S. residents reached 8.8 percent in March 1995, up from 7.9 percent in 1990, and nearly double the 1970 figure of 4.8 percent (Hansen 1996; U.S. Bureau of the Census 1995). Persons born outside the United States now comprise the largest fraction of the U.S. population since World War II. Of the 23 million foreign-born U.S. residents, nearly one-quarter have arrived here since 1990. Roughly one-third live in California, but other states having large numbers of immigrants include New York (with 3 million), Texas (2.1 million), Florida (2 million), and New Jersey (1.1 million).
