The Contributions of New Americans in Virginia
Date: August 3, 2016
After decades when states such as New York, Florida, and California attracted the large majority of immigrants to the country, Virginia has emerged in recent years as a major destination for New Americans. In 1990, just 5.0 percent of the state’s population was foreign-born. By 2010, that figure had more than doubled, reaching 11.3 percent. Today, Virginia is home to the largest immigrant population in the Southeast. The number of foreign-born residents in the state also continues to grow rapidly. Between 2010 and 2014, the number of immigrants in Virginia rose by 11.9 percent —or more than twice as fast as the foreign-born population grew in the United States more broadly.