U.S. Census Bureau
Table 9. Race and Hispanic Origin of the Foreign-Born Population: 1850 to 1990
  Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census
Internet Release date: March 9, 1999

(See text for sources, definitions, and explanations)
Year and nativity Total Race Hispanic
origin
(of any
race) 4/		 White, not
of Hispanic
origin 4/
White Races other than White
Total Black American
Indian,
Eskimo,
and Aleut 1/		 Asian and
Pacific
Islander 2/		 Other
race 3/
FOREIGN-BORN
  POPULATION		                  
1990* 19,767,316 10,022,812 9,744,504 1,455,294 46,919 4,558,744 3,683,547 7,841,650 6,167,343
1980* 14,079,906 9,323,946 4,755,960 815,720 38,190 2,182,639 1,719,411 4,172,851 6,954,062
1970* 9,619,302 8,733,770 885,532 253,458 14,488 544,437 73,149 1,802,332 7,056,104
1960* 5/ 9,738,143 9,294,033 444,110 125,322 (NA) 283,749 (NA) (NA) (NA)
1960* 5/ 9,661,016 9,279,307 381,709 (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA)
1950* 10,347,395 10,095,415 251,980 (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA)
1940 11,594,896 11,419,138 175,758 83,941 4,491 87,326 (X) 428,360 10,990,778
1930 14,204,149 13,983,405 220,744 98,620 3,552 118,572 (X) (NA) (NA)
1920 13,920,692 13,712,754 207,938 73,803 6,299 127,836 (X) (NA) (NA)
1910 13,515,886 13,345,545 170,341 40,339 2,753 127,249 (X) (NA) (NA)
1900 10,341,276 10,213,817 127,459 20,336 2,213 104,910 (X) (NA) (NA)
1890 9,249,547 9,121,867 127,680 19,979 1,235 106,466 (X) (NA) (NA)
1880 6,679,943 6,559,679 120,264 14,017 1,820 104,427 (X) (NA) (NA)
1870 5,567,229 5,493,712 73,517 9,645 1,136 62,736 (X) (NA) (NA)
1860 6/ 4,138,697 4,096,753 41,944 7,011 (NA) (NA) (X) (NA) (NA)
1850 6/ 2,244,602 2,240,535 4,067 4,067 (X) (X) (X) (NA) (NA)
PERCENT
   DISTRIBUTION		                  
1990* 100.0 50.7 49.3 7.4 0.2 23.1 18.6 39.7 31.2
1980* 100.0 66.2 33.8 5.8 0.3 15.5 12.2 29.6  
1970* 100.0 90.8 9.2 2.6 0.2 5.7 0.8 18.7 73.4
1960* 5/ 100.0 95.4 4.6 1.3 (NA) 2.9 (NA) (NA) (NA)
1960* 5/ 100.0 96.0 4.0 (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA)
1950* 100.0 97.6 2.4 (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA)
1940 100.0 98.5 1.5 0.7 - 0.8 (X) 3.7 94.8
1930 100.0 98.4 1.6 0.7 - 0.8 (X) (NA) (NA)
1920 100.0 98.5 1.5 0.5 - 0.9 (X) (NA) (NA)
1910 100.0 98.7 1.3 0.3 - 0.9 (X) (NA) (NA)
1900 100.0 98.8 1.2 0.2 - 1.0 (X) (NA) (NA)
1890 100.0 98.6 1.4 0.2 - 1.2 (X) (NA) (NA)
1880 100.0 98.2 1.8 0.2 - 1.6 (X) (NA) (NA)
1870 100.0 98.7 1.3 0.2 - 1.1 (X) (NA) (NA)
1860 6/ 100.0 99.0 1.0 0.2 (NA) (NA) (X) (NA) (NA)
1850 6/ 100.0 99.8 0.2 0.2 (X) (X) (X) (NA) (NA)

* Indicates sample data.
- Represents zero.
(X) Not applicable.
(NA) Not available.
1/ For 1970, Eskimo and Aleut included with "Other race."
2/ For 1960, Hawaiian included with "Other race."
3/ The 1950 census was the first census in which the race question included a separate category for "Other race." See text for Table 8.
4/ Estimates for 1940 of the Hispanic origin population and of the White, not of Hispanic origin population are based on data on the White population with mother tongue of Spanish. See text for Table 8.
5/ The 1960 foreign-born population of Alaska and Hawaii (77,127) is included in the first line of data for 1960 and is excluded in the second line of data for 1960.
6/ Data by nativity for the total population in 1850 and 1860 assume, as was done in 1870 census reports, that the entire slave population in 1850 and 1860 was native, that the entire American Indian population in 1860 was native, and that the entire Asian population in 1860 was foreign born.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division
Authors: Campbell Gibson and Emily Lennon
Questions? / 1-866-758-1060
Last Revised: July 09, 2008 at 02:52:21 PM
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