Net international migration data understate the impact of immigration, because the children born to immigrants after their arrival are recorded as domestic population change -- not part of the immigrant settlement data.

According to the 2006 Census Bureau estimate, Philadelphia County/city's population had decreased since July 2000 because of a population loss from net domestic migration (an annual average of about 21,250 more native-born residents leaving that arriving). This was partially offset by natural change (an annual average of about 5,050 more births than deaths) and net international migration (an annual average of about 5,905 more foreign-born residents arriving than leaving). Therefore, immigration was the second largest component of population change, and it was adding population at the same time that the County/city was losing native-born residents.

The 2000 Census recorded that the county population had decreased by 4.3 percent (about 68,000) since 1990 -- 1,585,577 to 1,517,550 residents. This followed a drop of over 102,000 residents (-6.1%) during the previous decade.

FOREIGN-BORN POPULATION
The 2000 census recorded 137,205 foreign-born residents in Philadelphia County/city. That was a nine percent share of the overall population, which was higher than the share for the state (4.1%). The 2000 data showed an increase of 31.1 percent in the immigrant population since 1990, which compared with a 6.8 percent decrease in the native-born population (which includes children born to immigrants) over the same period.

In 2000, the Census recorded that more than two-fifths (46.7%) of the County's foreign-born population had entered since 1990. This was higher than the rate for the state overall (41.1%). Also more than two-fifths (47.2%) of the foreign-born residents had become naturalized U.S. citizens. This was lower than the rate for the state overall (50.6%).

Another indicator of the impact of the foreign-born population may be seen in data on residents who speak a language other than English at home. In the County/city in 2000, the share of other-than-English speakers at home (age 5 and older) was 17.7 percent. More than two-fifths (45.2%) of those persons admitted to speaking English less than very well.

The County/city's foreign-born population in 1990 was 104,814 residents (down 2.9% from 107,951 in 1980). The 1990 immigrant population was the 14th largest in the country among the nation's cities. The 1990 level constituted a foreign-born population share of 6.8 percent (up from 6.4% in 1980). By comparison, the foreign-born population shares of the country and the state in 1990, respectively, were 7.9 percent and 3.1 percent.

LEGAL IMMIGRATION
A study released by the Center for Immigration Studies in October 2001 indicated that there were 38,295 legal immigrants who indicated that they intended to settle in Philadelphia County between FY'91-'98. This number did not include persons granted legal immigrant status as a result of the 1986 amnesty for illegal aliens. The ten countries that supplied the largest number of these new immigrants are shown below.

FOREIGN STUDENTS
The 2002/03 Institute of International Education annual report furnishes the following information on the number of foreign students (and the enrolment share) in post-secondary institutions in Philadelphia: U. of Pennsylvania-Philadelphia - 3,820 (17.5%), Drexel U. - 1,581 (13.6%), Temple U. - 1,894, Chestnut Hill C. - 14, Holy Family C. - 5, La Salle U. - 124, Lutheran Theol. Sem. - 7, Philadelphia U. -144, St. Joseph's U. - 267, Thomas Jefferson U. - 75, Westminster Theol. Sem. - 95, U. of the Arts - 59, Philadelphia C. of Pharmacy & Science - 74.

POPULATION PROJECTION 2025
The current rate of population change between 2000-2006, if continued, would result in a population in 2025 of 1,261,776 residents.