STATE POPULATION                                                                           The Census Bureau estimated that in July 2007 Oregon’s population had increased by an annual average of about 44,660 residents since 2000 (to 3,747,455 residents). Over that period net immigration was adding about 12,550 persons each year (more immigrants arriving than leaving). During the same period there was a net annual average population gain of about 18,725 residents from net domestic migration (more native-born residents arriving than leaving). Net immigrant settlement accounted for more than one-fourth (28.1%) of the overall net population increase over this period, and that does not take into account the children born to the immigrants after their arrival in the United States.

[Note: children born in the United States to immigrants (part of the immigrant stock) are not included as part of the immigration flow.]

The 2000 population is about 25,000 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.

Oregon had the 13th greatest rate of population increase in the country between 1960-2000.

The state's overall rate of population increase between 1980 and 1990 was 7.9 percent (from 2,633,156 to 2,842,321).

FOREIGN-BORN POPULATION

FAIR estimates that the foreign-born population of Oregon was about 371,005 residents in July 2007. This meant a foreign-born population share of 9.9 percent. The amount of change since the 2000 Census indicates an average annual rate of increase in the foreign-born population of about 11,135 people, which is nearly one-fourth (24.9%) of the state’s annual average population increase. Since 2000, the foreign-born population has increased by 28.1 percent compared to a 7.8 percent increase 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. A 19.8 percent share of the state’s current births is large enough to account for about 9,130 births a year. Combining the increase in the foreign-born population and estimated immigrant births suggests that immigration may account for adding nearly 20,270 persons to the state’s population annually, i.e., nearly half (45.4%) of the state’s overall population increase

The 2000 Census recorded 289,702 foreign-born residents in the state. That was 8.5 percent of the state's overall population and an increase of 108 percent above the 1990 foreign-born population of 139,307 residents. That doubling of the immigrant population was much higher than the 15.9 percent increase in the native-born population. The amount of increase was the 17^th highest in the country. The rate of increase in the foreign-born population was the 16^th highest in the country.

A comparison of the increase in the immigrant population from 1990 with the change in the overall population during the same period shows that immigrant settlement directly accounted for 26 percent of the state's overall population increase over that decade. The share of the population increase due to immigration would be still higher if the children of the immigrants born here after their arrival were included with their immigrant parents in the calculation. The amount of the overall impact of immigration (immigrants plus their children) on population change is likely to be closer to 35 percent, which is based on the increase in the share of those who speak a language other than English at home in Oregon.

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 Oregon increased by more than two-fifths, from 7.3 percent to 10.3 percent. Less than half (48.6%) of those who said they spoke a language other than English at home in 2000 also said they spoke English less than very well.

The Census Bureau’s American Community Survey found that in 2006, the foreign born population was 359,867 residents, an increase of 24.2 percent since 2000. In comparison, the foreign-born population changed from 139,307 to 289,702 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 Oregon in 2006.  Mexico accounted for 42.1 percent alone.

CONNECT TO LEGAL IMMIGRATION ADMISSION DATA

THE IMMIGRANT STOCK
The Census Bureau estimated that there were about 615,000 people in Oregon 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 a population of 3,421,399, the immigrant stock share of the state's population was 18 percent.

As the graph below shows, the amount of Oregon’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 407,700 people to the population. Over this period, the increase in the foreign stock has accounted for 27 percent of the state’s population increase.

NATURALIZATION
Data from the 2006 American Community Survey indicate that 125,035 residents, or 34.7 percent, of the foreign-born population in Oregon were citizens, compared to 97,381 residents, or 33.6 percent, in 2000.

Nationally, 40.3 percent of the foreign-born population was citizens in 2000 and 42.0 percent were citizens in 2006.

REFUGEE SETTLEMENT
Oregon has received 14,124 refugees over the most recent ten fiscal years (FY'97-'06), with 1,073 arriving in FY’06.

 

Under the Office of Refugee Resettlement's (HHS/ORR) assistance funding for FY'02 $1,072,413 is available for refugee employment training and other services programs in Oregon based on a three-year refugee settlement program covering 4,273 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 $6,803,336 and $6,270,779.

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.

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 Oregon as 5,767. Three schools in Oregon are listed as having a major concentration of these students:

• The University of Oregon had enrollment of 1,596 foreign students, 7.8% of total enrollment.
• Portland State University  had enrollment of 1,383 foreign students, 5.4% of total enrollment
• Oregon State University had enrollment of 1,185 foreign students, 6.1% of total enrollment

Below, a chart illustrates the sharp increase of foreign students attending school in Oregon from 1960-2000.

For information on foreign student issues see: Foreign Students in the United States.

ILLEGAL ALIENS

FAIR Estimate - FAIR’s estimate of the state’s illegal alien population as of 2007 is about 170,000 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 Oregon was 90,000 as of January 2000. This number 57,000 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.