A growing share of children of immigrants live in what historically have not been destination areas for immigrants, according to research from Urban Institute. While the number of children with a foreign-born parent grew from 16 million (22%) in 2006 to more than 18 million (25%) in 2017, this growth was more pronounced in nontraditional immigrant destinations of the United States. For instance, the share of children of immigrants increased from 12% to 19% in North Carolina and from 11% to 16% in Nebraska between 2006 and 2017. In contrast, in California—an area where immigrants have traditionally settled and the state with the highest share of children of immigrants—the share fell from 49% in 2006 to 48% in 2017.

Immigration, migration, and childbearing are key demographic drivers to the changing geography of U.S. immigrants and Hispanics. These factors shape the populations of local communities, which have important implications for the programs and policies that serve them. For more data and trends on children of immigrants, check out this data tool from Urban Institute that breaks down who children of immigrants are and how their demographics have changed over the past decade for the 50 states, District of Colombia, and 100 largest metropolitan areas.

Suggested Citation:

National Research Center on Hispanic Children and Families. (2019). A growing share of children of immigrants live in new destinations. (Hispanic Family Facts series). https://doi.org/10.59377/302o5537c