Immigrant Changes in 100 Largest U. S. Metro Areas

A very important report was released yesterday from Brookings titled “Immigrants in 2010 Metropolitan America: A Decade of Change,” by Jill H. Wilson and Audrey Singer. You can read the full report HERE.

While U. S. immigration during the first decade of the 21st century was slower than that observed in the 1990s, it was still a fast growth rate. Also, this first decade brought new characteristics related to migration patterns and immigrant characteristics. Consider the following findings:

The foreign-born population in the U.S. reached 40 million in 2010, an increase of 8.8 million since 2000.
Immigrants to U.S. settling in newer, smaller metro areas & in suburbs within metro areas at a faster rate.
Immigrant enclaves in U.S. central cities no longer lead the way as the landing places for immigrants.
By 2010, 51% of immigrants in U.S. lived in the suburbs of large metro areas, up from 48% in 2000.
85% of immigrants called the 100 largest metropolitan areas home in 2010 compared to 86% in 2000.
The five U.S. metropolitan areas with the largest foreign-born populations were New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago, and Houston.
In Los Angeles, San Jose, and Miami, 1 out of every 3 people are foreign-born.
21 metropolitan areas gained at least 100,000 immigrants between 2000 and 2010; among those, Baltimore (72%), Orlando (72%), Las Vegas (71%), Atlanta (69%), and Riverside (52%) saw the fastest rates of growth.

This report is filled with a wealth of information that has numerous missiological implications for the Church. Here is another reminder that the nations of the world have moved into our neighborhoods. Many of these people are our brothers and sisters in Christ and a powerful Great Commission force for serving the nations of the world. Do we see them? Will we partner with them in our global calling? Many of these people remain in the harvest field–including many who represent some of the world’s least and unreached peoples. Do we see them? Will we serve them with both actions and words that they may come to know the One who loves them with an everlasting love? Will they return to the harvest fields of the world, reaching farther and faster into areas where most of us could never go?

The international migration of the peoples of the world is one of the most significant issues facing the Church today. Unfortunately, many of us representing the Church in the United States have been asleep as the nations have been moving at a rapid rate. When will we open our eyes and recognize the divine hand behind such movements and adjust our strategies accordingly?

I’ll leave you with three important tables provided in this report. Below you will see the foreign-born populations according to their metro areas and suburbs (100 largest areas, more info is found in these tables in the report). So, here they are….Are you awake?