| From 1831 to 1840 | 528,721 |
| 1841 to 1850 | 1,604,805 |
| 1851 to 1860 | 2,648,912 |
| 1861 to 1870 | 2,369,878 |
| 1871 to 1880 | 2,812,191 |
| 1881 to 1890 | 5,246,613 |
| 1891 to 1900 | 3,687,564 |
| 1901 to 1910 | 8,795,386 |
| 1911 to 1920 | 6,747,381 |
A study made by the United States Immigration Commission some years ago showed that of 68,942 foreign born males employed in various mining and manufacturing industries, and who had been in the United States for five years or more, only 33.3 per cent had obtained naturalization papers. Of 246,673 of this same class representing non-English speaking races, only 53.2 per cent had learned the language of this country to any extent. A report made by the Commissioner General of Immigration showed that of 719,906 immigrants over fourteen years of age and admitted from 1899 to 1909, 26.6 per cent could neither read nor write and 29.8 per cent had no occupation. The following table shows the percentage of foreign born in the population of the United States from time to time as stated in official reports:—
| 1850 | 9.7 | per | cent | |
| 1860 | 13.3 | " | " | |
| 1870 | 14.4 | " | " | |
| 1880 | 13.3 | " | " | |
| 1890 | 14.7 | " | " | |
| 1900 | 13.6 | " | " | |
| 1910 | 14.7 | " | " | |
| 1920 | 12.96 | " | " | (white only) |
The foreign born population naturally varies more or less in different parts of the country. In New York state it was twenty-six per cent in 1870, 23.8 in 1880, 26.2 in 1890, 26.1 in 1900, 29.9 in 1910, and 26.8 per cent in 1920. In Massachusetts it was 30.6 per cent in 1895, 30.2 in 1900, 30.3 in 1905, 31.5 in 1910, 31.2 in 1915, and 28 per cent in 1920.
We have little authentic information relative to the institution population prior to 1903. The United States Census Bureau in its report of 1904 on the insane in hospitals shows that in 1903 there were 140,312 patients, of which number 47,078, or 34.3 per cent, were of foreign birth. The percentage of foreign born in state hospitals in various parts of the country at that time were as follows:—
| New York | 46.9 | per | cent |
| Massachusetts | 42.0 | " | " |
| New Jersey | 39.5 | " | " |
| Pennsylvania | 30.9 | " | " |
| District of Columbia | 36.7 | " | " |
| Connecticut | 35.4 | " | " |
| Michigan | 43.5 | " | " |
| Illinois | 41.6 | " | " |
| Wisconsin | 50.9 | " | " |
| Minnesota | 63.5 | " | " |
| North Dakota | 68.4 | " | " |
| South Dakota | 49.9 | " | " |
| Montana | 57.8 | " | " |
| Nevada | 63.1 | " | " |
In 1912 an investigation was made of the foreign born in the New York state hospitals. As a result of the census taken, it was found that of 31,624 patients, 13,728, or 43.4 per cent, were foreign born. Of this number 4,487 had been naturalized and 9,241, or 29.2 per cent of the total hospital population were aliens. At the Manhattan State Hospital in New York City, out of a total of 4,570 patients 2,526 were foreign born and only 708 had been naturalized. The Central Islip State Hospital at the same time had 4,438 patients. Of this number 2,803 were foreign born and only 891 were naturalized citizens. Thus, at the Manhattan State Hospital 39.8 per cent and at the Central Islip State Hospital 43.1 per cent of the patients were aliens. It was shown that the average hospital residence of the insane in the state was 9.85 years. Based on the maintenance expenditures for 1912 it was estimated that the cost to New York for caring for its 9,241 aliens in the state hospitals was $2,579,902.78 per year, and for their entire hospital residence, over twenty-five million dollars.[73] Of the first admissions to the New York hospitals for the eight years beginning October 1, 1904, and ending September 30, 1910, 46.2 per cent were foreign born. The citizenship of the first admissions for this same period is shown by the following table:—
| Year | Aliens | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1905 | 28.4 | per | cent |
| 1906 | 31.4 | " | " |
| 1907 | 32.6 | " | " |
| 1908 | 33.9 | " | " |
| 1909 | 33.4 | " | " |
| 1910 | 33.0 | " | " |
| 1911 | 32.9 | " | " |
| 1912 | 29.3 | " | " |
It was also shown that 14.7 per cent of the aliens admitted in 1905 had been in the United States less than three years, in 1906, 18.7, in 1907, 21.8, in 1908, 20.1, in 1909, 18.1, in 1910, 15.5, in 1911, 14.9 and in 1912, 18.1 per cent. The birthplace and citizenship of first admissions to the New York state hospitals since 1912 is shown in the following table:—
| Year | Foreign born | Aliens | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1913 | 47.0 | per | cent | 22.5 | per | cent |
| 1914 | 46.7 | " | " | 25.2 | " | " |
| 1915 | 47.0 | " | " | 26.4 | " | " |
| 1916 | 48.5 | " | " | 27.8 | " | " |
| 1917 | 47.8 | " | " | 27.1 | " | " |
| 1918 | 46.4 | " | " | 27.5 | " | " |
| 1919 | 46.8 | " | " | 26.4 | " | " |
| 1920 | 45.3 | " | " | 24.8 | " | " |