From Ireland to Germany to Italy to Mexico: How America’s Source of Immigrants Has Changed in the States, 1850 – 2013

Top country of origin by state and year

1850                      1900                                  1950                                   2000      2013






Top five foreign-born populations by country of origin in 1850 (in millions)




Total U.S. population 23.2 million
Total foreign born 2.2 million
Percent foreign born 9.7%


Note: California Territory became a state in September 1850. Alaska did not become a U.S. territory until its purchase in 1867. Hawaii became an organized territory in 1898.

Source: Estimates for the countries of origin come from Pew Research Center tabulations of the 1850 decennial census. Total population and foreign-born population estimates come from the U.S. Census Bureau, “Historical Census Statistics on the Foreign-Born Population of the United States: 1850-2000.” Map source: Minnesota Population Center.

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