| 1890 | 52,003 |
| 1891 | 76,055 |
| 1892 | 61,631 |
| 1893 | 72,145 |
| 1894 | 42,977 |
| 1895 | 35,427 |
| 1896 | 68,060 |
| 1897 | 59,431 |
| 1898 | 58,613 |
| 1899 | 77,419 |
| 1900 | 100,135 |
| 1901 | 135,996 |
| 1902 | 178,375 |
| 1903 | 230,622 |
| 1904 | 193,296 |
| 1905 | 221,479 |
Remarkable Increase
This shows how steady and remarkable the immigration has been since 1900. In five years 959,768 Italians have come to this country. Surely it is worth our while to know more particularly the character of this million and their promise as an element in our civilization. Thousands of them are "birds of passage"—that is, they come and go, earning money here and going back home to spend it and then returning to earn more; but tens of thousands come to stay, and will play their part in shaping our future.
Distribution of Italians
The distribution of the Italians is shown partially in the accompanying diagram.[52] This, however, is based upon the Census of 1900, and does not account for the million arrivals since 1900. The destination clause in the immigrant's manifesto gives light upon the matter of distribution, although the incomer does not always get to the point named in his papers. From the official report for 1905 these results are drawn:
| North | South | ||
| Locality | Italian | Italian | Total |
| New York | 9,733 | 81,572 | 91,305 |
| New Jersey | 1,272 | 11,494 | 12,766 |
| Pennsylvania | 7,554 | 43,078 | 50,632 |
| Connecticut | 1,626 | 5,835 | 7,461 |
| Massachusetts | 2,011 | 11,747 | 13,758 |
| Rhode Island | 196 | 2,422 | 2,618 |
| Illinois | 3,663 | 6,685 | 10,348 |
| Ohio | 861 | 6,230 | 7,091 |
| Michigan | 1,330 | 1,649 | 2,979 |
| West Virginia | 421 | 2,987 | 3,408 |
| Louisiana | 177 | 2,631 | 2,808 |
| Missouri | 769 | 1,477 | 2,246 |
| Mississippi | 674 | 213 | 887 |
| Eight Southern States | 467 | 1,036 | 1,503 |
| California | 4,513 | 1,081 | 5,594 |
| Colorado | 824 | 881 | 1,705 |
Largely in Cities
It is interesting to note that at least one Italian immigrant was destined to every state and territory. Of the total Italian population in this country in 1900, 62.4 per cent. was in the 160 principal cities, and nearly one half in New York alone. The percentage of Italians attracted to the cities is about the same as that of the Irish.