Seven California cities, led by Santa Ana, are among the nation's top 10 ranked by percentage of foreign-born residents, the U.S. Census Bureau reported Wednesday.
Based on a 2002 survey, the bureau estimates that 48% of Santa Ana's population is foreign-born, second in the United States to Miami, where an estimated 61% of the residents were born on foreign soil.
Ranking behind Santa Ana were Los Angeles, with 41% of the population foreign-born; Anaheim, 40%, and San Francisco, 37%. Also among the top 10 were San Jose, Long Beach and San Diego.
The data reflect variations from a 2001 survey that showed Santa Ana with a higher percentage of foreign born residents, 56%, and Los Angeles with a slightly lower estimate of 40%. The fluctuations are not considered statistically significant, said Kevin Deardorff, chief of immigration statistics for the Census Bureau.
California ranked first among the states for the proportion of its population -- 27% -- who were foreign-born, followed by New York with 21%, and New Jersey, 19%, according to the report. Nationwide, 12% of the population is foreign-born.
The findings released Wednesday were based on responses from a sample of 740,000 people nationwide.
The report "is a reconfirmation that Santa Ana is a welcoming place for new immigrants," said Santa Ana Councilman Jose Solorio.
"They come to achieve the American dream in Santa Ana, whether they are immigrants from Mexico, Vietnam or Europe. Many immigrants have made the city their home."
Solorio said strong businesses and lower housing costs attract newcomers who work in service jobs in Orange County. Dealing with new immigrants has become routine: The city prints information about its services in English, Spanish and Vietnamese and hires mostly bilingual employees.
Local population statistics showing the number of foreign-born residents can help public agencies fashion services, said Hans Johnson, a demographer at the Public Policy Institute of California in San Francisco. For example, they might influence the types of books purchased by local libraries, he said.
He and others noted, however, that there were no surprises in Wednesday's data. "A substantial share of our population is foreign-born and has been for years," said Johnson. "This set of statistics will not stop people in their tracks."
Census data are helpful when tracked over time, showing trends in immigrant numbers, their home ownership, income and other statistics, said James Allen, a demographer at Cal State Northridge.
