Random Samplings

Historical Census Statistics on the Foreign-Born Population

On January 1, 1892, the federal government opened the immigration station on Ellis Island in New York Harbor. Between 1892 and 1954, over 12 million immigrants were processed into the country there. Annie Moore, a 15 year-old Irish girl, was the first immigrant to enter the United States at Ellis Island.

The U.S. Census Bureau has collected data on place of birth since the 1850 Census. Here are some facts about immigrants in the United States:

• The foreign-born population accounted for 10 percent of the total U.S. population in 1850, and 15 percent in 1890. Today, the foreign-born comprise 12 percent of the population.

• In 1910 most foreign-born residents spoke English, German, Italian, Yiddish, or Polish. By 1960, Spanish had replaced Yiddish as one of the most-often spoken languages. In 2007, 62 percent of individuals who spoke a non-English language at home spoke Spanish. American Community Survey estimates from 2010 show the county with the highest percentage of the population 5 and over that spoke Spanish at home was Starr, Texas, at 95.9 percent.

• Between 1960 and 2000, the percentage of foreign-born U.S. residents [PDF 1.7 MB] of European descent decreased from 75 to 16 percent. At the same time, the percentage of foreign-born U.S. residents born in Latin America increased from 6 to 51 percent.

• According to the Current Population Survey, 23 percent of the nation’s population are either first or second generation residents: 12 percent of the population were born in another country and 11 percent were born in the United States and have at least one foreign-born parent.

  

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October is Family History Month

Did you know October is Family History Month? Several cities and states have designated this month as Family History Month, and the U.S. Senate has adopted similar resolutions in the past. It is estimated that there are over 80 million people researching their family histories.

Census records are an invaluable resource for genealogists and family historians. The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration makes census records available to the public 72 years after the census is conducted. Can you figure out what year's census records are due to be released on April 2, 2012?

The U.S. Census Bureau not only collects information that is useful to family historians, it also collects data on a variety of subjects, including American families:

• In 1950, there were 39 million families in the United States. By 2009, the number of families had more than doubled to 79 million. The average family size is three people.

• In 1890, the median age at first marriage was 26 for men and 22 for women. In 2009, the median ages were 28 and 26 for men and women, respectively.

• In 1960, 88 percent of the 63.7 million children under age 18, living in the United States, lived with both parents and 9 percent lived with one parent. In 2009, 70 percent of all children lived with two parents and 26 percent lived with one parent.

• The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 directed the Census Bureau to ask questions about grandparents as caregivers during the 2000 census. Census 2000 found that grandparents living with their grandchildren made up about 4 percent of the U.S. population. Within that group, 42 percent were the primary caregivers for their grandchildren and about two-fifths of them had been the primary caregivers for 5 or more years.

Interested in your family's genealogy? Check out our tips for genealogists and view other Genealogical Sources. Happy hunting!

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