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! State population: 2,100,000 (1998 CB est.) !
! Foreign-born population: 137,000 (1998 CPS) !
! Percent foreign born: 6.5% (1998) !
! Immigrant stock: 289,000 (1997 CB est.) !
! Illegal alien population: 15,000 (1996 INS est.) !
! New legal immigrants: 24,619 (1991 to 1997) !
! 2025 pop. projection: 2,883,000 (1996 CB proj.) !
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1980 AND 1990 CENSUS DATA
The 1980 Census recorded about 50,500 foreign-born residents in Utah. They were largely from
traditional immigrant source countries, like Germany, Canada, and the United
Kingdom. At that time Mexico was in 4th place and the Netherlands
in 5th place. By the 1990 Census, Mexican immigrants had more than doubled and moved to 1st place. With
the exception of immigrants from Canada (+ 6%), traditional immigrant
populations were dropping (Germany -17%, U.K. - 12%, Netherlands -27%). At the same time
newer immigrant communities were growing like the Mexicans (Vietnam +48% and Tonga
+25%)
1980 Census 1990 Census 1 Germany 5,950 Mexico 8,922 2 Canada 5,132 Canada 5,459 3 U.K. 4,489 Germany 4,949 4 Mexico 4,221 U.K. 3,957 5 Neth. 3,009 Vietnam 2,562 6 Vietnam 1,732 Neth. 2,204 7 Tonga 1,551 Tonga 1,943 8 Laos 1,291 Japan 1,801 9 Japan 1,213 China 1,667 10 Korea 1,148 Korea 1,659 All Others 20,715 All Others 23,477 Total 50,451 Total 58,600
More than four out of every five immigrants in the state live in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area. The foreign-born share there is nearly 4%. For the rest of the state, it is about 1.4%.
About 60% of Utah's foreign-born population came to the state since 1980, causing the Hispanic
population in some remote counties to triple and quadruple in 14 years. For example,
the number of Latinos in Cache county increased from 700 in 1980 to 2,800 in 1994 as the E. A.
Miller slaughterhouse located in Hyrum hired Latinos. Over half of the company's 1,400
workers are Latinos.
(Source: Salt Lake City Tribune, December 29, 1996)
In 1990, over half of Utah's foreign-born population were not naturalized citizens.
(Source: Census Bureau)
THE IMMIGRANT STOCK
1998 CURRENT POPULATION SURVEY (CPS) DATA
1997 CURRENT POPULATION SURVEY (CPS) DATA
POPULATION CHANGE 1900-2000
POPULATION PROJECTION
The Census Bureau population projection noted above is the "middle" projection, and it assumes
immigration at a net annual increase of 820,000. There are other projections based on different
assumptions. In the Census Bureau's "high" immigration projection, assuming annual net
immigration of 1,370,000, the population in 2025 is more than six percent higher than in the
middle projection, and it is over 11 percent higher by 2050. For Utah, the high projection
could mean a population in 2050 of 3,900,000 to 5,100,000. If today's mass immigration were
significantly scaled back, the population increase attributable to immigration and the
population spill-over effects from other states could be significantly reduced over time. See Immigration and Population Growth
NET INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION
METROPOLITAN AREA DATA
In 1990, about 3/5 of all of Utah's immigrants were located in Salt Lake City county (over
34,000), and over 13,000 lived within the city. Other cities with significant numbers of
immigrants are Provo (with nearly 5,000) and Logan (with about half that amount).
INS DATA ON IMMIGRANT SETTLEMENT
Since 1990, legal immigrants who identified Utah as their intended residence have averaged over
3,500 per year through FY'97. The data for fiscal year (FY) 1991 were artificially raised by the
inclusion of some of the former illegal aliens who were amnestied in 1986.
Just among the long-term resident amnesty applicants (excluding the amnestied agricultural workers), the number applying from Utah was 2,583.
The data for FY'95
and FY'97 were artificially low because the INS was not able to issue green cards to all the
applicants for adjustment of status who were already in the United States. In those two years,
new immigration could have registered as much as 30 percent higher, if the INS had issued more
visas.
The nationalities may change each year, so the totals in some cases will not reflect all the
immigrants of that nationality who have become legal immigrants in Utah during the seven-year
period. The 24 nationalities (Hong Kong and Taiwan included with mainland Chinese, and Russia
and Ukraine included with Soviet Union) represent nearly three-quarters (76%) of all immigrant
settlement and adjustment in Utah during this period.
SOCIAL AND OTHER ISSUES
State officials say about 6,400 legal immigrants receive food stamps, representing 6% of
the 107,299 Food Stamp recipients in the state (compared to 3.4% of the population).
The Tongan community appears to be one of the fastest growing ethnic groups and is causing
some concerns in the Salt Lake City area -- where they now number about 25,000 and have
become a source of teen gang activity.
ILLEGAL RESIDENT ALIENS AND OTHER INS DATA
There were 2,583 applications for the amnesty from Utah, and most of them were from
Mexicans.
According to police records, illegal aliens were involved in 80% of Utah's arrests for felony-level
narcotics violations in 1995. Assessing Utah's illegal immigrant problem in the November issue
of the Utah Bar Journal, Third District Judge Michael Hutchings said that deported illegal
immigrants return to Salt Lake City because it is a profitable and "thriving open air drug market".
INS records show a total of 17,529 additional immigrants who listed Utah as their state of
intended residence between fiscal year 1991 and fiscal year 1995. That number includes illegal
aliens who were granted legal residence as a result of the 1986 Immigration Reform Control Act.
The apprehension of 19 illegal aliens following a truck accident on October 24, 1999 points up the increasing use of Utah as a corridor for illegal alien smuggling.
According to an INS spokesperson "Most of the people that are transiting through Utah and Colorado are going to the east coast."
LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS
STATE CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION VOTING RECORD
FAIR, 12/99
There were about 289 thousand people in Utah in 1997 who may be considered "immgrant stock."
The immigrant stock is a term that refers to first generation immigrants, the "1.5 generation"
(children of immigrants who are born abroad), and the second generation (the native-born Americans whose parents immigrated).
The Census Bureau's 2,099,758 population estimate for Utah, based on 1988 CPS data, shows a
population increase of about 35,000 over a year earlier (2,065,001). Over the same period the CPS shows the
immigrant population increasing by about 5,600. Thus immigrant settlement accounted for a bit
less than one-eighth of population increase. Since the 1990 Census, the Census Bureau estimates
that the state has increased in population by over 86,000 as a result of net domestic migration
into the state and by about 27,000 as a result of net international migration.
Utah has the seventh fastest growing immigrant population in the country, based on a
comparison of the 1997 CPS data and the 1990 Census.
When considering the role of immigration in Utah's current and future population change, it
is helpful to have a clear perspective of the past population change that the state has
experienced. Over the past 50 years, the population of the state has tripled. Most of
recent population growth has come from natural birth rates, but the arrival of immigrants and
persons moving from other states has also been a significant factor in the recent increase. 
The 1997 Census Bureau population projection has Utah's population growing by 48%
between 1995 and 2025 (to 2,883,000). That is the 7th fastest projected rate of growth in the
country. The rate of increase in the foreign-born population between 1980 and 1990 was
even higher than the projected rate, and it is clear that the projection contemplates continued
high-volume immigrant settlement in the state.
The Census Bureau estimates that Utah's population grew by 41,575 over the last year (ending in
July 1997). Of that amount of increase, 3,846 (9.3%) was attributed to net international
migration (arrivals minus departures). Utah is toward the bottom of a ranking of states in terms
of the impact of immigration on population growth (41st).
PROVO-OREM
(Source: Census Bureau)
Immigrant settlement in Utah has risen since
the adoption of the current immigration system in 1965. The recent rate of new immigrants is more than triple the rate of the late 1960s.
FY LEGAL IMMIGRATION
91 5,737 by nationality
92 2,744 by nationality
93 3,266 by nationality
94 2,951 by nationality
95 2,831 by nationality
96 4,250 by nationality
97 2,840 by nationality
Total 24,619 by nationality (below)
The INS data below are furnished for nationals of the countries with the largest number of
immigrants admitted or adjusted to legal residence each year since 1990. The absence of data
means that the total number of admissions to the United States by nationals of that country were
not enough to merit detailed reporting in that year.Canada 1,403
China + 2,101
Colombia 200
Dominican R. 64
Ecuador * 70
El Salvador 272
Germany * 186
Guatemala 254
India 560
Iran 450
Ireland ** 82
Japan *** 139
Korea 407
Mexico 6,399
Nigeria *** 45
Pakistan 265
Peru 542
Philippines 619
Poland 149
Soviet Union ++ 1,351
United K. 618
Vietnam 2,220
Yugoslavia *** 273
Other 5,892
Total 24,619
+ Includes Hong Kong and Taiwan when available.
++ Includes Russia and Ukraine only in FY'97.
* Includes 5 yrs. of data.
** Includes 3 yrs. of data.
*** Includes 4 yrs. of data.
Formerly migrant workers from Mexico are settling down in Utah as permanent residents and
becoming year-round workers in the meat packing industry. Utah State University economist
Dawn Thilmany believes that many immigrants are filling jobs that otherwise may not have been
filled.
(Source: Salt Lake City Tribune, December 29, 1996)
(Source: National Public Radio, October 11, 1997)
The INS currently estimates the resident illegal alien population of Utah to be about 15,000 as of
October 1996. This is up from the 13,000 the INS estimated the illegal alien population to be
in October 1992. ****************************************
* INS - Investigations - Utah: *
* Salt Lake City (801) 265-0316 *
****************************************
( Salt Lake Tribune, 12/6/96)
The accident occured on highway I-70 west of Green River in Emery County.
The 19, who the INS believe also included the driver, were Mexican illegal immigrants.
The incident was more life threatening than an alien smuggling case a month earlier, when a smuggler abandoned nine illegal immigrants at a rest stop in Thompson, Grand County after getting a flat tire.
(Source: Deseret News, October 26, 1999)
Utahans for Immigration Reform -- Contact Ken Thompson
770 Ridgeview Drive,
Ogden UT 84403,
Tel. and FAX (801) 476-0511.
You can now access the voting record of your representatives in Congress regarding immigration
issues with our scorecard page or go to
numbersusa.com for their
legislative scorcards. Just hit the back button to return to the FAIR Utah Page.
