U.S. Immigration statistics and information

With one out of every 5 Americans (more than 455 million people) a first- or second- generation immigrant, multi-lingual families are becoming an increasingly important demographic. Teaching preschoolers a second language (which is already a common practice in European countries) is a growing trend in the United States.

Some interesting statistics regarding the US population -

• 1 out of every 5 Americans, more than 455 million people, is a first- or second- generation immigrant.
  click for source - US Census 2000 results
  
• Almost 1 in 4 births in the United States is to an immigrant mother.
  click for source - Center for Immigration Studies
• 2.2 Million The number of people who speak Chinese at home in the United States.
  click for source - US Census Bureau
• Next to Spanish, Chinese is the most widely spoken non-English language in the United States.
  click for source - US Census Bureau
• 34.5 million - the number of U.S. residents who claim Irish ancestry. This number is almost nine times the population of Ireland itself (4.1 million). Irish is the nation’s second most frequently reported ancestry, trailing only those of German ancestry.
  click here for source - US Census Bureau
• 9.3 million - The number of Hispanic families who reside in the United States. Of these families, 63 percent include their own children under 18 years old.
  click for source - US Census Bureau
• 11% - Percentage of Hispanic population under age 5, as of July 1, 2004. Hispanics had a higher concentration of preschoolers among their population than any other race or ethnic group.
  click for source - US Census Bureau
• 14 million - The estimated number of U.S. residents in July 2004 who said they were Asian or Asian in combination with one or more other races. This group comprised 5 percent of the total population.
  click for source - US Census Bureau
  (SOURCE: Center for Immigration Studies – www.CIS.org)