America’s immigrant population from South America has jumped the fastest of all Latin American groups, even those from Mexico, according the Census Bureau.
A new analysis of government data shows that the number of South Americans in the United States has surged 500 percent since 1980. That year there were 561,000 in the U.S. In the latest year recorded, 2014, there were 2.9 million here, according to an analysis of Census data by the Migration Policy Institute.
“South American immigrants in the United States, though small in absolute numbers compared to those from Mexico and Central America, experienced the fastest growth since 1960 among all Latin American immigrant groups,” said the report.
“The number of South American immigrants grew from 90,000 in 1960 to around 2.9 million in 2014, representing a 32-fold increase. In 1960, South Americans accounted for just 1 percent of the total foreign-born population in the United States; by 2014, their share increased to 7 percent of the nation’s 42.4 million immigrants,” it added.
Most came from Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, and Brazil, and entered legally and received a worker’s green card.
A majority landed in New York, Miami, Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles.
And, said the Institute, they are better educated and have a higher income than other immigrants.
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected]
