European Immigrants in the United States

Author: 
Jie Zong & Jeanne Batalova
Date of Publication: 
December, 2015
Source Organization: 
Migration Policy Institute

European immigrants were once the backbone of U.S. immigration; however, after the Immigration Act of 1965 abolished national-origin quotas that gave preference to Europeans, their migration share has fallen from 75 percent in 1960 to 11 percent in 2014.

In a statistical snapshot of today's European immigrants, the Migration Policy Institute finds that most come from the United Kingdom (14 percent), Germany (12 percent), Poland (nine percent), Russia  and Italy (both at eight percent), and close to 40 percent of all European immigrants have settled in New York (16 percent), California (14 percent), and Illinois (eight percent). Germany has the largest European diaspora with 15 percent of all U.S. residents claiming German ancestry or birth. On average, European immigrants are significantly older, more educated, more likely to have health insurance coverage, and have higher household incomes than both the overall foreign- and native-born populations. Remittances sent to Europe have grown significantly since 2000 and matter especially to Eastern European countries. European immigrants are also more likely than the total foreign-born population to be proficient in English, to speak English at home, and to be naturalized citizens with petitioning as immediate relatives of U.S. citizens their primary pathway to citizenship. (Karly Foland for The ILC Public Education Institute)

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Citation: 

Zong, J. & Batalova, J. (2015). European Immigrants in the United States. Migration Policy Institute. Washington: DC. Available at: http://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/european-immigrants-united-states

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