Recent Trends in the Racial and Ethnic Composition of Immigrant Flows to the United States: 2000-2010

Eric B. Jensen, U.S. Census Bureau
Belkinés Arenas-Germosén, U.S. Census Bureau

The place-of-birth composition of immigrant flows to the United States contributes to the overall racial and ethnic make-up of the total population. Historically, the United States has experienced different periods of immigration, each marked by specific place-of-birth groups. During the most recent period, the largest proportion of immigrants was born in Mexico and other Latin American countries. Recent trends in the racial and ethnic composition of new arrivals show that the share of immigrants that are Hispanic is declining while the share that are non-Hispanic Asian is increasing. We use data from the American Community Survey (ACS), the Vintage 2010 Population Estimates, and simulated Vintage 2010 estimates to show how changes in the place-of-birth composition of recent immigrants are impacting the racial and ethnic composition of immigration flows. We also show how these changes are being incorporated into the race and Hispanic origin distribution of estimates of foreign-born immigration.