The Recent Distribution of Immigrants.
The census taken April 15, 1910, enumerated in the United States 13,345,545 white persons of foreign birth, of whom[{70}] almost exactly 5,000,000 were new arrivals who had reached this country between January 1, 1901, and the taking of the census. A statement just issued by Director Durand, of the bureau of the census department of commerce and labor, and based on a tabulation prepared by Mr. William C. Hunt, chief statistician for population, gives the distribution among the States of these recent additions to the population of the United States. The figures are preliminary and subject to revision. They represent results of the inquiry made of all foreign-born residents concerning the year of their immigration to this country. For some 10 per cent of all foreign-born whites the enumerators failed to ascertain the year of immigration, but in the figures here given these unknown cases are distributed in the same proportions as were ascertained where the facts were available.
Of these recent arrivals coming after January 1, 1901, there were 2,155,772, or 43.1 per cent, in the middle Atlantic States (New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey); 1,012,417, or 20.2 per cent in the east north central division (Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin); and 684,473, or 13.7 per cent, in the New England States. These three divisions, comprising the States lying north of the Ohio and east of the Mississippi, contained 3,852,662, or 77.1 per cent of the immigrants who had come to this country since the year 1900. There were only 1,147,436, or 22.9 per cent located in the sections of the country south of the Ohio and west of the Mississippi.
The older immigrants who came to this country prior to 1901 are more widely dispersed. Of these earlier immigrants the middle Atlantic division contained in 1910 2,670,407, or 32 per cent, as compared with 43.1 per cent of the recent arrivals. The east north central division had 2,054,803, or 24.6 per cent of the earlier immigrants, but only 20.2 per cent of the more recent ones. New England with 1,129,913, or 13.5 per cent of the older immigrants, has about the same share in the older as in the newer immigration. The whole region north of the Ohio and east of the Mississippi, which contained 5,855,123 persons who came to this country before 1901, or 70.2 per cent of the entire number, has, as previously stated, 77.1 per cent of the newcomers.
The new arrivals formed 37.5 per cent of the whole number of the foreign-born whites. In the middle Atlantic division the newcomers represent 44.7 per cent of the total foreign-born white population, in the South Atlantic division 40.9 per cent, and in the mountain division 40.3 per cent. On the other hand, in the west north central division the newcomers are only 24.9 per cent of all the foreign-born white, and in the east south central division the proportion is 24.3 per cent.
Among the middle Atlantic States the proportion of the newcomers is greatest in Pennsylvania (48 per cent), but in each of the other States of this division their proportion is greater than in the country at large. In West Virginia the newcomers represent 68.2 per cent of the foreign-born white, the largest proportion found in any State, but this is the only State in the South Atlantic division with a noticeably large proportion of recent immigrants. Without West Virginia the division as a whole would show a smaller proportion of newcomers than the country generally. States in which the recent arrivals form more[{71}] than the foreign-born white are, besides West Virginia, Arizona with 54.9 per cent, and Wyoming with 51.7 per cent. States where the proportion does not reach 50 per cent, but exceeds 40 per cent, are New Mexico 49.2, Pennsylvania 48, Florida 44.1, New York 43.5, New Jersey 42.4, Montana 42.1, Nevada 41.8, Connecticut 41.5, and Ohio 40.4. On the other hand, there are a number of States where the foreign-born have received comparatively few accessions by the immigration of recent years, and where the older immigrants represent at least three-fourths of all the foreign-born. These are: Arkansas, Kansas, Kentucky, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.
The proportion of newcomers among the foreign whites in 1910 (37.5 per cent) is much larger than was the case ten years before. The census of 1900 enumerated 10,341,276 foreign-born persons, of whom 2,609,173, or 25.2 per cent, had arrived in the United States after 1890. The reason for this larger proportion of newcomers in 1910 lies in the greater immigration of the decade which preceded the last census enumeration.
During the period from January 1, 1910 to April 1, 1911, the bureau of immigration recorded the arrival in the United States of 8,248,890 immigrants. Of these, 5,000,098, or 60.6 per cent, were accounted for as present in the United States at the census enumeration of April 15, 1910. In the period preceding the census of 1900 from January 1, 1891, to June 1, 1900, the number of immigrants reported was 3,421,184, of whom 2,609,173, or 76.3 per cent, were counted by the census enumeration of June 1, 1900. The comparisons of the two periods indicates that the immigration to the United States contains a larger proportion than formerly of persons who go back instead of remaining here permanently.