Diversity in the United States
California's foreign-born population grew from 15% to 27% between 1980 and 2018 — but the national story is more nuanced. Four data dimensions across all 50 states reveal how education, language, and immigration status reshape the portrait of American diversity.
"Between 1980 and 2018, the share of foreign-born residents holding a bachelor's degree rose from 16% to 32% — outpacing the native-born growth rate."
Hex Tile Map
Findings
- Immigration is concentrating, not dispersing. Six states account for over 60% of the nation's foreign-born population. California alone holds roughly one-quarter, followed by New York, Texas, and Florida — a pattern that intensified between 1980 and 2018.
- Educational attainment among immigrants outpaced the national average. The share of foreign-born residents with a bachelor's degree doubled from 16% to 32% over the study period, driven by shifts in visa policy and country-of-origin composition.
- Language diversity maps onto economic corridors. States with the highest share of non-English speakers at home — California, Texas, New Jersey — also rank among the top GDP contributors, suggesting linguistic diversity tracks with economic activity rather than replacing it.
About the Data
The visualization examines how the size, characteristics, and contributions of the foreign-born population have changed over time. Data from the Pew Research Center (based on US Census) covers four dimensions: the percentage of foreign-born residents by state, educational attainment levels, languages spoken at home, and immigration status categories.
The hex tile grid provides equal visual weight to each state regardless of geographic size, surfacing patterns that traditional choropleths obscure. Each hex is colored using the Diversity project's signature teal-to-purple gradient palette.