Pennsylvania
| Summary Demographic State Data (and Source) | |
|---|---|
| Population (2008 CB est.): | 12,488,279 |
| Population (2000 Census): | 12,281,054 |
| Foreign-Born Population (2008 FAIR ) | 683,890 |
| Foreign-Born Population (2000 Census): | 508,291 |
| Share Foreign-Born (2008 FAIR est.): | 5.5% |
| Share Foreign-Born (2000): | 4.1% |
| Immigrant Stock (2000 CB est.): | 1,175,000 |
| Share Immigrant Stock (2000 est.): | 9.6% |
| Naturalized U.S. Citizens (2006 CB est.): | 315,485 |
| Share Naturalized (2006): | 49.6% |
| Legal Immigrant Admission (DHS 1997- 2006): | 186,775 |
| Refugee Admission (DHS 1997-2006): | 19,700 |
| Illegal Alien Population (2008 FAIR est.): | 140,000 |
| Projected 2050 Population - (2006 FAIR): | 14,547,975 |
Census Bureau Data
STATE POPULATION
Using the Current Population Survey, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that in July 2008 Pennsylvania’s population had increased to 12,488,279 residents, i.e., an annual average increase of about 20,150 residents since 2000. That is a rate of increase of about 0.2 percent per year.

Net International Migration (NIM)
Based on the Current Population Survey, the Census Bureau estimated that between the 2000 Census and July 2008 the state’s population increased by about 133,565 residents from net international migration (more foreign-born arriving than leaving). That was an annual average increase of about 16,090 residents, i.e., nearly four-fifths (79.9%) of the total increase (not including the children born to the immigrants after their arrival in the United States).


The 2000 Census found 12,281,054 persons resident in Pennsylvania. This was an increase of 399,411 persons above the 1990 Census. The rate of increase (3.4%) was less than the national average of 9.9 percent.
The 2000 population is about 80,000 more persons than the Census Bureau had expected to find in the state in 2000 when it issued its most recent state population projections in 1996. The significance of this is that the Census Bureau has concluded that much of the shortfall in their population estimates during the 1990s was due to an underestimation of the illegal alien population.
Pennsylvania had the 47th greatest rate of population increase in the country between 1960-2000.
Pennsylvania’s population rose by 0.1 percent between 1980-1990 (from 11,864,720 to 11,881,643).
FOREIGN-BORN POPULATION
Based on the American Community Survey (ACS), the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that the foreign-born population of Pennsylvania was 639,992 persons in 2006. The ACS is a large-scale, continuous sampling process designed to replace the need for a long-form in the 2010 Census. However, because the ACS does not have the same follow-up procedures as the Census to include non-respondents, it may underestimate the foreign-born population.
FAIR estimates that the foreign-born population of Pennsylvania was about 683,890 residents in July 2008. This meant a foreign-born population share of 5.5 percent. The amount of change since the 2000 Census indicates an average annual rate of increase in the foreign-born population of about 21,155 people, which is more than the total (105%) of the state’s annual average population increase. Since 2000, the foreign-born population has increased by 34.5 percent compared to a 0.1 percent decrease in the native-born population.
Immigration also contributes to population growth through the children born to immigrants in this country. Nationally the share of births to the foreign-born is about double their share of the population. An 11 percent share of the state’s current births is large enough to account for about 15,915 births a year. Combining the increase in the foreign-born population and estimated immigrant births suggests that immigration may account for nearly 37,070 persons added to the state’s population annually, i.e., nearly double (184%) the state’s overall population increase.

A comparison of the increase in the immigrant population since 1990 with the change in the overall population during the same period shows that immigrant settlement directly accounted for 34.8 percent of the state's overall population increase over that decade.
The 2000 Census found that 41.1 percent of Pennsylvania's foreign-born population had arrived in the state since 1990. This demonstrates the effects of the current mass immigration, although it is slightly lower than the national average (43.7%).
An indicator of the change in the immigrant population may be seen in data on the share of the population that speaks a language other than English at home. Between 1990 and 2000 the share of non-English speakers at home in Pennsylvania increased slightly, from 7.3 percent to 7.9 percent. About two-fifths (37.9%) of those who said they spoke a language other than English at home in 2000 also said they spoke English less than very well.
| Speakers of Foreign Languages (at home in Pennsylvania in the 2000 Census) | |
| Spanish | 356,740 |
| Italian | 70,435 |
| German | 68,665 |
| French | 46,900 |
| Pennsylvania Dutch | 39,605 |
| Chinese | 35,545 |
| Russian | 32,190 |
| Polish | 31,715 |
| Korean | 25,980 |
| Vietnamese | 25,880 |
| (Source: Census Bureau report: Language Spoken at Home for the Population 5 Years and Over, April 2004) | |
The Census Bureau’s American Community Survey found that in 2006, the foreign born population was 636,567 residents, an increase of 44.7 percent since 2000. In comparison, the foreign-born population changed from 369,316 to 508,291 residents between 1990 and 2000, an increase of 108.0 percent.
The ten countries below constituted approximately 72.2% of the foreign-born population in Pennsylvania in 2006. Of the total foreign-born population, 6.6 percent were born in India, 7.2 percent in China, and 6.4 percent in Mexico.
| Foreign-Born Change: Top Ten Countries 1990-2006 | |||||||||
| Rank | Country | 1990 | Country | 2000 | Country | 2006 | |||
| 1 | Italy | 41,185 | India | 37,541 | India | 55,508 | |||
| 2 | Germany | 29,297 | Soviet Union | 32,254 | China | 41,735 | |||
| 3 | United Kingdom | 25,214 | China | 31,735 | Mexico | 40,898 | |||
| 4 | India | 17,824 | Italy | 30,559 | Korea | 28,551 | |||
| 5 | Soviet Union | 17,613 | Korea | 26,703 | Vietnam | 26,613 | |||
| 6 | Korea | 16,699 | Vietnam | 26,656 | Germany | 24,543 | |||
| 7 | Poland | 14,230 | Germany | 25,685 | Italy | 23,332 | |||
| 8 | Vietnam | 14,182 | Mexico | 24,232 | Canada | 16,262 | |||
| 9 | Canada | 12,952 | United Kingdom | 23,171 | Jamaica | 13,595 | |||
| 10 | China | 8,952 | Canda | 15,200 | Poland | 13,498 | |||
| All Others | 171,166 | All Others | 234,555 | All Others | 352,032 | ||||
| Total | 369,316 | Total | 508, 291 | Total | 284,535 | ||||
THE IMMIGRANT STOCK
The Census Bureau estimated that there were about 1,175,000 people in Pennsylvania in 2000 who were "immigrant stock." That is a term that refers to immigrants and their children born here after their arrival. Based on that estimate, and the population of 12,281,054, the immigrant stock share of the state's population was 9.6 percent.
As the graph below shows, the amount of Pennsylvania’s population change due to the increase in the foreign stock is rising rapidly. Over the past 34 years the new immigrants and children born to them have added about 671,500 people to the population. Over this period, the increase in the foreign stock has accounted for all of the state’s population increase, and then some (110.4%).

NATURALIZATION
Data from the 2006 American Community Survey indicate that 315,485 residents, or 49.6 percent, of the foreign-born population in Pennsylvania were citizens, compared to 257,339 residents, or 50.6 percent, in 2000.
Nationally, 40.3 percent of the foreign-born population was citizens in 2000 and 42.0 percent were citizens in 2006.
Population Projection
Pennsylvania --Projected Population in 2050: Projection Scenarios
| Amnesty+ | High-trend | Low-trend | Zero-net |
| 14,547,975 | 14,262,384 | 13,989,146 | 12,801,702 |

Pennsylvania's projected population in 2050 could range anywhere from under 12.8 million to over 14.5 million residents. The about 1.7 million person difference between these extremes depends on whether policies aimed at immigration stability are adopted or, instead, currently advocated policies that would accommodate today's illegal alien population, allow a new stream of guest workers and increase legal immigration are adopted.
Without any change in immigration policy or enforcement, i.e., with the current trend in large-scale legal and illegal immigration, the state's population is likely to increase from today's about 12.4 million residents to 14 to 14.3 million in 2050 - an increase of 13 to 15 percent.
The largest difference from the current trend comes in comparison with a zero-net immigration scenario (when arriving immigrants balance those who are departing). In that case, the population would still grow, but more modestly by about 3 percent. However, if the currently proposed immigration expansionist and illegal alien accommodationist policies were adopted, the increase in the projected population over the next 45 years would be about 17 percent.
Pennsylvania -- Projected Population in 2050: Cohorts
| 1970 Pop. | Post-'70 Stock | Legal Post-'04 | Illegal Post-'04 | Amnesty+ |
| 11,805,641 | 996,061 | 1,188,764 | 271,918 | 285,591 |

The projection indicates that the population that was already in the country in 1970 - before the effect of the 1965 major change in immigration law - will be stable. Some natural increase among members of this cohort may be balanced by some out migration from the state.
The post-1970 immigrant cohort is projected to be growing - by about 46 percent. This rate of growth is influenced by the larger average family size of the immigrants. At the beginning of the projection, this post-1970 immigrant cohort already accounted for about 680,000 residents. By 2050, this cohort is projected to rise to about one million residents.
Without any change in the immigration laws, current mass immigration will continue. Pennsylvania has had an average of more than 16,000 legal immigrant admissions per year between 1994 and 2003. Nearly half (47%) are Asians. About 14 percent of those admissions have been Mexicans and immigrants from other Spanish-speaking countries. Immigration from countries with predominantly white populations has been about 32 percent, and nearly 8 percent has been from countries with black populations in Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America. We project that under the amnesty/guest worker scenario new legal immigrants and their children will add about 1.2 million people to the state's population over the next 45 years.
We estimate that Pennsylvania's illegal alien population now numbers more than 90,000 persons. The continued addition of illegal immigrants over the next 45 years, if undeterred by tough new measures, is projected to add about 272,000 persons to the population. This will come from new illegal residents and their children born after their arrival.
Finally, we project that proposals for amnesty and other provision that are currently being advocated, if adopted, would add a further 285,000 persons to the state's population over the next 45 years. This would result from the family members of amnesty recipients, increased legal immigration, and increased long-term guest worker residents.
Pennsylvania -- Projected Population in 2050: Demographic Change
| White, not Hispanic | Mexican | Other Hispanic | Black | Asian | Other |
| 10,214,671 | 447,559 | 1,114,617 | 1,623,555 | 1,007,116 | 140,457 |

The rate of population change for the various scenarios depends on the demographic composition of the influx of continuing and additional immigrants because they represent different trends in family size. That is true for the post-70 immigrant cohort as well as for new immigrant populations. Pennsylvania's 1970 population was predominantly white, but also with significant black populations. The non-Hispanic white population is projected to decrease slightly (1%) between 2005 and 2050, influenced by persons moving to other states.
Because a large share of the pre-70 and post-70 immigrant population as well as continuing immigration and potential amnesty beneficiaries is Hispanic, and this population has on average larger than replacement family size, this population segment is projected to rise by more than 1.1 million residents (about a 250% increase).
Asians who are heavily represented in the legal immigrant flow and among illegal immigrants are projected to add more than 700,000 residents, growing by 217 percent. The rate of increase for blacks is projected to be 32 percent.
Extended Data
REFUGEE SETTLEMENT
Pennsylvania has received 19,700 refugees over the most recent ten fiscal years (FY'97-'06), with 1,335 arriving in FY’06.

Under the Office of Refugee Resettlement's (HHS) assistance funding for FY'02 $2,072,545 is available for refugee employment training and other services programs in Pennsylvania based on a three-year refugee settlement program covering 8,258 refugees (an average of $251 per refugee). This allocation does not include a larger share (55%) of funding programs for communities heavily affected by recent Cuban and Haitian entrants, communities with refugees whose cultural differences make assimilation especially difficult, communities impacted by federal welfare reform changes, educational support to schools with significant refugee students, and discretionary grants. ORR grants for FY’05 and FY’06 respectively were $7,369,992 and $8,103,993.
LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENCY STUDENTS
Data are not available nationally on immigrant students (either legally or illegally resident in the United States) who are enrolled in primary and secondary schools (K-12). However, many of these students are enrolled in Limited English Proficiency/English Language Learning (LEP/ELL) instruction programs. Many may be U.S.-born, but the majority of these students may be assumed to be either immigrants or the children of immigrants, with the exception being areas with native Americans who speak a native language other than English.
In Pennsylvania, overall enrollment in 2002 (1,810,390) was 11.6 percent below enrollment in 1995. By contrast, LEP enrollment (31,353 - 1.7% of all enrollment) was 57.6 percent higher than in 1995.
Data on enrollment in LEP/ELL programs are collected by the federal government from school systems that receive Title VII funds for these special instruction programs. The data on LEP/ELL enrollment are understated because data from private schools that do not apply for Title VII assistance are sketchy.
FOREIGN STUDENTS
The 2006/07 annual report of the Institute of International Education (IIE) lists the number of foreign students attending post-secondary school in Pennsylvania as 23,182. Six school in Pennsylvania are listed as having a major concentration of these students:
- Penn State University had enrollment of 3,681 foreign students, 8.6% of total enrollment.
- University Penn.-Philadelphia had enrollment of 4,484 foreign students, 18.9% of total enrollment.
- Carnegie Mellon University had enrollment of 2,767 foreign students, 27.3% of total enrollment.
- Temple University had enrollment of 1,836 foreign students, 5.4% of total enrollment.
- University Pittsburgh had enrollment of 1,657 foreign students, 6.2% of total enrollment.
- Drexel University had enrollment of 1,582 foreign students, 8.0% of total enrollment.
Below, a chart illustrates the sharp increase of foreign students attending school in Pennsylvania from 1960-2000.

LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS
You can view a listing of local immigration reform groups here.
STATE CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION VOTING RECORD
You can view the voting record of your representatives in Congress regarding immigration issues in our voting report section.
Pennsylvania Immigrant Admissions
| Pennsylvania Immigrant Admissions by Fiscal Year | |
| FY'93 | 16,964 |
| FY'94 | 15,971 |
| FY'95 | 15,065 |
| FY'96 | 16,938 |
| FY'97 | 14,553 |
| FY'98 | 11,942 |
| FY'99 | 13,514 |
| FY'00 | 18,148 |
| FY'01 | 21,441 |
| FY'02 | 19,473 |
| Total | 164,099 |
Recent immigrant admissions are more than eighty percent higher than the level of admissions just after adoption of the current immigration system in 1965. During the 1965-'69 period, annual admissions averaged about 9,300 immigrants. During the 1998-'02 period, admissions averaged about 16,905 immigrants.
The charts below show recent immigrant admissions and the cumulative INS immigrant admissions data since 1965. The number of annual admissions has ranged from 6,976 in FY'65 to 21,441 in FY'01. The cumulative total of admissions to Pennsylvania between fiscal years 1965 and 2002 was 475,139 immigrants.

The data for fiscal years 1989-91 were artificially raised by the inclusion of former illegal aliens who were amnestied in 1986. According to INS data (1991) the number of amnesty applicants from Pennsylvania was 9,284 (3,146 pre-1982 residents and 6,138 agricultural workers).
The data for FY'95 and FY'97-'99 were artificially low because the INS did not issue green cards to all the eligible applicants for adjustment of status who were already in the United States. In those three years, new immigration could have registered as much as 30 percent higher, if the INS had kept up with its workload.
Beginning with FY'01, the INS began to increase admissions as a result of reducing the size of the backlog of Section 245(i) adjustment of status cases, i.e., amnesty, for illegal aliens.
INS DATA BY NATIONALITY: FY'93 - FY'02
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 1993. The absence of data means that the total number of admissions to the United States by nationals of that country was not enough to merit detailed reporting in that year.
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 Pennsylvania during this period.
| Immigrant Admissions by Fiscal Year | |||||||||||
| Country | FY'93 | FY'94 | FY'95 | FY'96 | FY'97 | FY'98 | FY'99 | FY'00 | FY'01 | FY'02 | Total |
| Bangladesh | - | - | - | 140 | 158 | 164 | 116 | 178 | - | 159 | 915 |
| Canada | 390 | 422 | 349 | 381 | 320 | 260 | 283 | 499 | 614 | 505 | 4,023 |
| China * | 2,229 | 1,908 | 1,105 | 1,298 | 1,233 | 1,081 | 1,206 | 1,726 | 1,991 | 1,858 | 15,635 |
| Colombia | 171 | 143 | 225 | 188 | 198 | 190 | 158 | 248 | 244 | 333 | 2,098 |
| Cuba | 24 | 42 | 37 | 62 | 154 | 78 | 124 | 124 | 109 | 108 | 862 |
| Dom. Rep. | 195 | 369 | 304 | 296 | 239 | 245 | 223 | 247 | 329 | 395 | 2,842 |
| Ecuador | 64 | - | 53 | 68 | 61 | 72 | 87 | 110 | 107 | 109 | 731 |
| El Salvador | 49 | 30 | 30 | 37 | 41 | 38 | 26 | 42 | 91 | 54 | 444 |
| Germany | 203 | 229 | 203 | - | 166 | 161 | 167 | 252 | 305 | 242 | 1,928 |
| Guatemala | 81 | 67 | 41 | 57 | 76 | 98 | 108 | 155 | 167 | 220 | 1,070 |
| Guyana | 32 | 44 | 66 | 63 | 35 | 23 | 22 | 42 | - | 102 | 429 |
| Haiti | 96 | 139 | 268 | 316 | 186 | 122 | 231 | 269 | 186 | 204 | 2,017 |
| Honduras | 78 | - | - | - | 71 | 35 | 56 | 50 | - | 53 | 343 |
| India | 1,397 | 1,343 | 1,350 | 1,785 | 1,303 | 1,127 | 1,190 | 1,714 | 2,904 | 2,473 | 16,586 |
| Iran | 139 | 148 | 117 | 164 | 145 | 129 | 109 | 124 | 105 | 92 | 1,272 |
| Ireland | 470 | 576 | - | - | 35 | 37 | 30 | 42 | - | 50 | 1,240 |
| Jamaica | 397 | 354 | 437 | 489 | 427 | 349 | 368 | 377 | 355 | 352 | 3,905 |
| Japan | - | 102 | - | - | 101 | 98 | 98 | 139 | 115 | 101 | 754 |
| Korea | 518 | 466 | 546 | 553 | 458 | 493 | 432 | 591 | 668 | 692 | 5,417 |
| Mexico | 220 | 556 | 735 | 692 | 655 | 625 | 758 | 1,081 | 1,031 | 883 | 7,236 |
| Nicaragua | - | - | - | - | 42 | 17 | 40 | 93 | 80 | 41 | 313 |
| Nigeria | - | - | 152 | 196 | 160 | 148 | 160 | 213 | - | 204 | 1,233 |
| Pakistan | 181 | 195 | 202 | 231 | 251 | 233 | 296 | 277 | 313 | 229 | 2,408 |
| Peru | 111 | 77 | 77 | 97 | 107 | 77 | 98 | 106 | 108 | 119 | 977 |
| Philippines | 549 | 460 | 362 | 440 | 463 | 265 | 314 | 464 | 518 | 482 | 4,317 |
| Poland | 542 | 535 | 352 | 352 | 283 | 179 | 183 | 253 | 262 | 235 | 3,176 |
| Sov. Un. * | 2,920 | 2,592 | 2,585 | 1,833 | 1,467 | 1,217 | 1,677 | 2,213 | 1,806 | 2,162 | 20,472 |
| Trin.& Tob. | - | 182 | - | - | 171 | 149 | 100 | 184 | - | 149 | 935 |
| U. Kingdom | 729 | 664 | 424 | 442 | 417 | 318 | 272 | 524 | 572 | 437 | 4,799 |
| Vietnam | 1,637 | 1,040 | 1,028 | 961 | 784 | 586 | 719 | 879 | 1,159 | 957 | 9,750 |
| Yugo. * | - | - | 194 | 258 | 319 | 127 | 412 | 311 | 704 | 1,165 | 3,490 |
| Other | 3,542 | 3,288 | 3,823 | 5,539 | 4,021 | 3,201 | 3,451 | 4,621 | 6,598 | 4,308 | 42,392 |
| Total | 16,964 | 15,971 | 15,065 | 16,938 | 14,553 | 11,942 | 13,514 | 18,148 | 21,441 | 19,473 | 164,009 |
A dash (-) indicates that the data for that year were not published for that country in the INS Statistical Yearbook.
* China data include Hong Kong and Taiwan. Former USSR data continued since break-up (except FY'96-'97 and ’01 include only Russia and Ukraine). Former Yugoslavia data continued since break-up.
The 31 nationalities above represent nearly three-quarters (74.2%) of all immigrant settlement and adjustment in Pennsylvania during this ten-year period. One-eighth of all immigrants were from the former Soviet Union (12.5%). Those immigrants plus ones from China, and India account for nearly one-third (32.1%) of total admissions since 1993.
Illegal Aliens
FAIR Estimate - FAIR estimates the state’s illegal alien population as of 2008 is as many as 140,000 persons. This is part of an overall estimate of the U.S. illegal alien population of about 13 million persons.
INS/DHS Estimate - The INS (now dissolved into the Dept. of Homeland Security) estimated in February 2003 that the resident illegal population in Pennsylvania was 49,000 as of January 2000. This number 12,000 higher than the INS' 1996 estimate.
Other Estimates - The Pew Hispanic Center estimates the illegal alien population of the state at 125,000 to 175,000 as of 2005.
COSTS OF ILLEGAL ALIENS
Incarceration Costs
Pennsylvania has received partial compensation under the federal State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP) that was established in 1994 to compensate the states and local jurisdictions for incarceration of "undocumented," aliens who are serving time for a felony conviction or at least two misdemeanors.
The recent SCAAP amounts that Pennsylvania has received were:
| FY’99 | — | $5,151,511 |
| FY’00 | — | $4,306,272 |
| FY’01 | — | $2,273,565 |
| FY’02 | — | $2,683,207 |
| FY’03 | — | $1,266,741 |
| FY’04 | — | $1,693,912 |
The amount of SCAAP awards has been declining in both total distributions and even more as a share of the state’s expenses. In FY’99 the state received 38.6% of its costs for 539 prisoner years of detention. By FY’02, the state’s reported illegal alien detention rose by 19 percent to 640 prisoner years, while compensation fell by 48 percent and since has decreased sharply.
Medical Costs
Under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, hospitals with emergency rooms are required to treat and stabilize patients with emergency medical needs regardless whether or not they are in the country legally or whether they are able to pay for the treatment. Congress in 2003 enacted an appropriation of $250 million per year (for 4 years) to help offset some of the costs due to use of this service by illegal aliens. This amount has been allocated among the states based upon estimates of the illegal alien population and data on the apprehension of illegal aliens in each state. This amount compensates only a fraction of the medical outlays. For Pennsylvania, the proposed payment in fiscal year 2004 is $1,168,499.
Educational Costs
In our study Breaking the Piggy Bank: How Illegal Immigration is Sending Schools into the Redwe estimated based on 2004 data that educational expenditures for illegal immigration were costing the Pennsylvania taxpayer $228.5million dollars annually. This cost was partially for educating students who were themselves illegally in the country ($95.2 million) and in part for the education of their siblings born in the United States to illegal residents ($133.3 million).
Projected Fiscal Costs
In 2006 we estimated that Pennsylvania taxpayers are currently burdened with annual costs of about $285 million because of illegal aliens residing in the state. That estimate was based on only expenditures for education, emergency medical care and incarceration. We projected that those costs will rise unless we gain control over our borders and our worksites. If a new amnesty and increases in immigrants and guest workers were enacted, as proposed by business and ethnic advocacy groups, we project that the cost to the state’s taxpayers for those same programs would rise to $487 million per year in 2010 and to $812 million per year in 2020
Pennsylvania : Poll Data
A Quinnipiac University Poll conducted of 1,092 Pennsylvania voters from November 26-December 03, 2007 found:
- 72% favor stricter immigration laws and are opposed to amnesty
- 20% would not vote for a candidate if they completely disagree with him or her on immigration, but agree on other issues
A Susquehanna Polling and Research of 700 likely voters on Oct 1-6, 2006 found:
- 78% of Pittsburgh residents support the Hazelton, PA laws that are tough on illegal immigration.
- 78% of Republicans and 57% of Democrats support the tough immigration laws in Hazelton, P.A.
- 63% say they would like similar laws in their community as were established in Hazelton, PA, the “toughest place on illegal immigration in the country”.
Immigration Impact
All numbers are from the U.S. Census Bureau unless otherwise noted. Additional Census Bureau, INS, and other immigration-related data are available for Pennsylvania.
Population Change
Pennsylvania’s population increased by 3.41 percent between 1990 and 2000, and by 1.3 percent between 2000 and 2006, bringing Pennsylvania’s total population to approximately 12.5 million.
Approximately 67.3 percent of the total population increase between 2000 and 2006 in Pennsylvania was directly attributable to immigrants.
FAIR estimates the illegal alien population in 2005 at 77,000, which ranks 24th in the U.S. for the FAIR estimate. This number is 57 percent above the U.S. government estimate of 49,000 in 2000, and 96 percent above the 1990 estimate of 25,000.
According to an estimate of the Pew Hispanic Center, in 2005 there were an estimated 125,000 to 175,000 illegal aliens living in Pennsylvania. This ranks Pennsylvania 16th among illegal alien populations in the United States for the PEW estimate. 2
FAIR estimates in 2004 that the taxpayers of Pennsylvania spent $239.8 million per year on illegal aliens and their children in public schools.3
| FAIR’s projected annual fiscal costs to Pennsylvania taxpayers for emergency medical care, education and incarceration resulting if an amnesty is adopted for illegal residents. | ||
| Current | 2010 | 2020 |
| $285,000,000 | $477,000,000 | $812,000,000 |

Population Profile
Pennsylvania, the sixth largest state, increased by four percent, or almost 400,000 people, between 1990 and 2000.
Pennsylvania’s foreign-born population increased 38 percent during the 1990s. Between 1990 and 2000, Pennsylvania gained 139,000 immigrants.
Foreign-Born Population

Pennsylvania’s foreign-born population increased by 20.4 percent between 2000 and 2006. During that period Pennsylvania gained over 103,000 immigrants, bringing the total number of foreign-born residents in the state to over 611,000.
Environmental and Quality of Life Profile
In Lancaster County, where population increased by 11 percent in the 1990s (with the foreign-born population jumping by 67 percent), 35 percent of residents say that traffic congestion and inadequate roads are the least appealing aspects of the county; 28 percent said overdevelopment is the worst part of life in the county. 31 percent said quality of life in the county has declined in the last five years. 4
Water: Between 2000 and 2006, the foreign-born population in Pennsylvania had a net increase of over one-fourth (25.2%).5This was much greater than a 0.3 percent growth in the native-born population (which also includes births to immigrant parents). When the U.S.-born children of these immigrants are included, immigration accounts for all of the state’s growth during that time period.<6If growth trends continue, by 2050 the state will reach a population of over 13.9 million, an increase of approximately 1.5 million residents.7
Pennsylvania has a per-capita, water usage of 118.9 gallons per day.8This means that by 2050, human demand for water could increase by up to 173.8 million gallons per day. In addition to creating a demand for water that will ultimately be unsustainable, population driven urban sprawl in Pennsylvania has led to increases in water pollution, exacerbating the problem. For example, Philadelphia, which draws its drinking water from the Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers, has seen an alarming number of chemicals in the water supply. Tests have revealed 17 different drugs or byproducts in the drinking system and 32 in the watershed, the highest numbers of any metropolitan area that was tested by the Associated Press.9
Although concentrations are very low, and measured in parts per trillion, these contaminants certainly pose risks to human wellbeing and the environment. Robert Wendelgass, deputy national director of Clean Water Action, testified that even infinitesimal doses of these chemicals could be harmful to public health. “Common sense,” he said “suggests it is not a good idea to drink other people’s medicine.”10
Urban sprawl in Pittsburgh also poses problems for the city’s water supply. The water system is so strained that significant sewage leaks pollute the rivers between 80-90 times per year. It will cost an estimated $8 billion to repair over the next 10 years, which will likely drive up the cost of water.11
Additionally, estrogen mimicking chemicals, entering the rivers through the sewage leaks, have been detected in high levels in the area fish. These chemicals come from pesticides, cosmetics, cleaners, and various pharmaceutical drugs. In addition to the public health risk, these chemicals are clearly harming the environment. It was difficult to identify the gender of 85 percent of the channel catfish caught on the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio rivers near the largest point of sewage leakage. When tested in a lab, the extracted chemicals caused significant growth in breast cancer cells.12
Traffic: As population growth put more traffic on the roads, the average commute for Pennsylvania residents increased from 22 minutes in 1990 to 25.1 minutes in 2005. 13, 14 23% of Pennsylvania's major urban roads are congested. 46% of Pennsylvania's major roads are in poor or mediocre condition, and vehicle travel on Pennsylvania's highways increased 24% from 1990 to 2003. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has a $2.3 billion maintenance backlog for roads and an $8 billion maintenance backlog for bridges. Driving on roads in need of repair costs Pennsylvania motorists $2.8 billion a year in extra vehicle repairs and operating costs --- $333 per motorist. Congestion in the Allentown area costs commuters $241 per person per year in excess fuel and lost time, $716 per person in the Philadelphia metropolitan area, and $210 per person in the Pittsburgh metropolitan. 15
In the Allentown-Bethlehem area travelers experience an annual delay of 17 hours, and an annual delay of 14 hours in Pittsburg. 16 15 percent of commuters in Pennsylvania have a commute that is 45 minutes or more. 17
Daily miles traveled increased 20 percent in Pennsylvania during the 1990s. Freeways in the state were congested 65 percent of the time in 1999, up from 15 percent in 1982. 18
Disappearing open space: Each year, Pennsylvania loses 109,000 acres due to development. 19 This is the fifth highest amount of any state in the U.S.
In an effort to save farmland, Lancaster County implemented a growth management plan in 1993, limiting new development to urban growth boundaries. But many areas have developed far faster than expected, and the 2002 Lancaster County Growth Tracking Report found that 60 percent of the more than 10,000 acres developed since the plan’s implementation have been outside of the boundaries, on farmlands and in woods. 20, 21
Because of habitat loss and pollution, more than 150 animals and plants have been lost from the state, and more than 800 are classified as rare, threatened or endangered, according to the Pennsylvania Biodiversity Partnership. 22
A study of urban sprawl between 1970 and 1990 that calculated the impact of population increase and per capita land use found that 412.4 square miles of additional land were consumed by urban sprawl in the Philadelphia metropolitan area, and 11.2 percent of that sprawl was attributable to population increase. 23 Pennsylvania was ranked 6th in the U.S. for losing prime farmland acreage. 24
Crowded Housing: In 2005 over 55,000 Pennsylvania households were defined as crowded or severely crowded by housing authorities. 25 Studies show that a rise in crowded housing often correlates with an increase in the number of foreign-born.26, 27
Air Pollution: As population increases, pollution usually rises along with it. Of the 20 U.S. cities and counties with the worst ozone air pollution, three are in Pennsylvania: Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Lancaster. 28 Pennsylvania has the third highest number of smog days in the nation. 29 29 of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties received a grade of “F” from the American Lung Association in their “State of the Air 2005” report. Lawrence County received a grade of “D”. 30
Poverty: In 2005 14.7 percent of immigrants living in Pennsylvania had incomes below the poverty level, an increase of 19.1 percent since 2000. Among non-citizens, the poverty rate climbs to 19.0 percent. 31
Schools: Between 2000 and 2006 Pennsylvania’s K-12 student enrollment increased by almost 14,000 students. 32 33 Pennsylvania’s student-teacher ratio of 15 ranks 28th in the U.S. 35
In Pittsburgh’s South Fayette school district, a population increase of more than 40 percent in the last decade has crowded classrooms, forced students into trailers, and required millions of dollars to be spent on new school construction. 35 1 In Upper Bucks County, the Pennridge School District’s seven elementary schools are filled to capacity, and the district is considering leasing an off-site kindergarten classroom to alleviate overcrowding. 36 Two years after building an $34 million, 230,000-square-foot-campus, Hellertown’s Saucon Valley School District is already running out of space again. Class sizes have ballooned and some classes are held in closet-sized rooms. 37 In Lancaster County’s Conestoga Valley School District, overcrowding has forced several hundred students to be reassigned to new schools. 38 Some Pittsburgh elementary schools have more than 30 or more students per class (ideal size is considered 18). 39 And as school districts struggle to find land on which to build new schools, they’re running up against preservationists who want to protect countryside. 40
Solid Waste: Pennsylvania generates 1.03 tons of solid waste per capita. 41/
Endnotes:
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FAIR estimate based on the 2006 Current Population Survey.
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"Estimates of the Unauthorized Migrant Population for States based on the March 2005 CPS", Pew Hispanic Center.
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Martin, Jack. “Breaking the Piggy Bank: How Illegal Immigration is Sending Schools into the Red,” A Report by the Federation for American Immigration Reform.
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Justin Quinn, “Sprawl Still Tops Residents’ Concerns,” Intelligencer Journal, November 15, 2002
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U.S. Census Bureau 2006.
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Jack Martin. “Issue Brief: Estimation of Foreign Born Birthrate.” FAIR. 2008.
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Jack Martin and Stanley Fogel. “Projecting the U.S. Population to 2050.” FAIR. March 2006
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U.S. Geological Survey 2000.
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U.S. Water News Online. “Philadelphia wants local, federal action to curb drugs in water.” April, 2008
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Katelyn Polantz. “Pittsburgh’s rivers, water full of toxins.” The Pitt-News. March 22, 2007.
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Don Hopey. “Fish study raises red flag on water supply.” Pittsburge Post-Gazette. June 21, 2007
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“Table DP-1-4, Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000,” Census 2000, U.S. Census Bureau.
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Selected Economic Characteristics:2005 Data Set - 2005 American Community Survey, American Fact Finder, U.S. Census Bureau.
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Report Card for America's Infrastructure 2005," American Society of Civil Engineers.
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"The 2005 Urban Mobility Report", Texas Transportation Institute.
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“U.S. Population 2007 Data Sheet,” Population Reference Bureau.
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“Highway Hold-ups: How Road Building Creates Congestion and Wastes Tax Dollars,” PennEnvironment, August 2001. http://www.pennenvironment.org/highwayholdups_8_01.html
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“State Rankings by Acreage and Rate of Non-federal Land Developed,” Natural Resources Conservation Service, United States Department of Agriculture.
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Ryan Robinson, “A Limited Success,” Lancaster New Era, December 9, 2002.
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Ryan Robinson, “Growing Grades: Does your Township Pass or Fail?” Lancaster New Era, December 10, 2002.
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Don Hopey, “State Has No Plan to Save Nature,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, December 10, 2002.
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Beck, Roy and Leon Kolankiewicz, “Weighing Sprawl Factors in Large U.S. Cities,” NumbersUSA, March 2001
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American Farmland Trust, “Farming on the Edge”
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Selected Housing Characteristics:2005 Data Set - 2005 American Community Survey, American Fact Finder, U.S. Census Bureau.
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Haya El Nasser, “U.S. Neighborhoods Grow More Crowded,” USA Today, July 7, 2002.
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Randy Capps, “Hardship Among Children of Immigrants: Findings from the 1999 National Survey of America’s Families,” Urban Institute, 2001.
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“Southern Cities Rank High in Ozone Pollution,” Associated Press, April 30, 2001.
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Josef Hebert, “California Smoggiest,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, August 30, 2002.
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“State of the Air 2005: Pennsylvania”, American Lung Association.
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“Pennsylvania State Factsheet,” Migration Information Source, Migration Policy Institute.
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"Overview of Public Elementary and Secondary Schools and Districts: School Year 1999-2000," National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education
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"Public Elementary and Secondary School Student Enrollment, High School Completions, and Staff From the Common Core of Data: School Year 2005-06', National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, June 2007
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Ibid.
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Eric Eisert, “New High School Eases Crowding,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, October 2, 2002.
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Donna Dudick, “Pennridge School District Plans to Lease a Classroom,” Morning Call, December 6, 2001.
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Genevieve Marshall, “Huge Influx of Kids’ Jams Saucon Valley Campus,” Morning Call, November 26, 2001.
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Carrie Caldwell, “Consultant Confirms Overcrowding in CV Schools,” Intelligencer Journal, January 18, 2002.
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Jonathan Barnes, “Parents Bring Overcrowding Complaint to Board,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, June 19, 2002.
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Diane Mastrull, “Schools Eat Up Acreage, Fuel More Sprawl,” Philadelphia Inquirer, March 3, 2002.
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Report Card for America's Infrastructure 2005," American Society of Civil Engineers.
