Biggest Sources of Immigrants to Iowa

Canva

Biggest sources of immigrants to Iowa

Over 14% of the United States population is composed of immigrants. But in reality, the vast majority of Americans today are here because of relatives who immigrated from other countries some time in the last several hundred years.

And while the distinctive American culture and spirit is the result of blending many diverse cultures and histories, the United States has for centuries had an up-and-down relationship with immigration.

Each era of immigration has been met with reductive ideas and resistance, whether the backlash was directed toward the Chinese, Irish, Italians, or Mexicans. Immigration laws have targeted specific groups at various times, stoking intolerance and preventing people from truly joining American society. Over time, however, as laws changed to be more equitable and immigrants found their footings, we have reaped the rewards of innovation in business, music, art, literature, dance, food, societal norms, entertainment, and sports—all while realizing a greater understanding of and respect for different cultures, religions, and ideas.

Stacker compiled a list of the biggest sources of immigrants to Iowa using data from the "U.S. Census Bureau. Countries are ranked by the highest number of residents according to 2020 5-year estimates. Keep reading to find out more about the immigrant community in your home state.

You may also like: How drunk driving fatalities in Iowa compare to the rest of the US

#50. Jordan

Iowa
- Number of residents: 394
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.2%
National
- Number of residents: 83,160
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.2%
- #72 most common country of origin

#49. Netherlands

Iowa
- Number of residents: 401
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.2%
National
- Number of residents: 83,275
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.2%
- #71 most common country of origin

#48. Cambodia

Iowa
- Number of residents: 403
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.2%
National
- Number of residents: 149,486
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.3%
- #47 most common country of origin

#47. Croatia

Iowa
- Number of residents: 432
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.3%
National
- Number of residents: 37,645
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.1%
- #99 most common country of origin

#46. Ghana

Iowa
- Number of residents: 442
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.3%
National
- Number of residents: 180,675
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.4%
- #43 most common country of origin

You may also like: Metros where renters are the most overextended in Iowa

#45. Venezuela

Iowa
- Number of residents: 449
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.3%
National
- Number of residents: 394,365
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.9%
- #22 most common country of origin

#44. Bangladesh

Iowa
- Number of residents: 512
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.3%
National
- Number of residents: 240,365
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.5%
- #36 most common country of origin

#43. Peru

Iowa
- Number of residents: 544
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.3%
National
- Number of residents: 451,666
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.0%
- #18 most common country of origin

#42. Eritrea

Iowa
- Number of residents: 557
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.3%
National
- Number of residents: 49,710
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.1%
- #89 most common country of origin

#41. South Africa

Iowa
- Number of residents: 569
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.3%
National
- Number of residents: 108,650
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.2%
- #58 most common country of origin

You may also like: How many people are receiving substance use treatment in Iowa

#40. Egypt

Iowa
- Number of residents: 579
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.3%
National
- Number of residents: 202,049
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.5%
- #40 most common country of origin

#39. Haiti

Iowa
- Number of residents: 596
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.3%
National
- Number of residents: 667,432
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.5%
- #14 most common country of origin

#38. Spain

Iowa
- Number of residents: 601
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.4%
National
- Number of residents: 118,177
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.3%
- #56 most common country of origin

#37. Somalia

Iowa
- Number of residents: 602
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.4%
National
- Number of residents: 96,898
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.2%
- #63 most common country of origin

#36. Micronesia

Iowa
- Number of residents: 622
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.4%
National
- Number of residents: 30,841
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.1%
- #110 most common country of origin

You may also like: Best places to live in Iowa

#35. Taiwan

Iowa
- Number of residents: 632
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.4%
National
- Number of residents: 378,942
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.9%
- #25 most common country of origin

#34. Kenya

Iowa
- Number of residents: 702
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.4%
National
- Number of residents: 145,272
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.3%
- #49 most common country of origin

#33. Ukraine

Iowa
- Number of residents: 738
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.4%
National
- Number of residents: 358,823
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.8%
- #27 most common country of origin

#32. Cuba

Iowa
- Number of residents: 763
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.4%
National
- Number of residents: 1,314,570
- Percent of foreign born residents: 3.0%
- #7 most common country of origin

#31. Lebanon

Iowa
- Number of residents: 765
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.4%
National
- Number of residents: 127,239
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.3%
- #52 most common country of origin

You may also like: How opioid prescriptions to Medicaid patients in Iowa stack up

#30. Saudi Arabia

Iowa
- Number of residents: 797
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.5%
National
- Number of residents: 76,837
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.2%
- #74 most common country of origin

#29. Nigeria

Iowa
- Number of residents: 861
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.5%
National
- Number of residents: 366,534
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.8%
- #26 most common country of origin

#28. Malaysia

Iowa
- Number of residents: 873
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.5%
National
- Number of residents: 78,179
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.2%
- #73 most common country of origin

#27. Japan

Iowa
- Number of residents: 1,029
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.6%
National
- Number of residents: 346,149
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.8%
- #28 most common country of origin

#26. Iraq

Iowa
- Number of residents: 1,107
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.6%
National
- Number of residents: 229,309
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.5%
- #39 most common country of origin

You may also like: Best-performing Iowa stocks last week

#25. Pakistan

Iowa
- Number of residents: 1,156
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.7%
National
- Number of residents: 385,873
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.9%
- #24 most common country of origin

#24. Colombia

Iowa
- Number of residents: 1,159
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.7%
National
- Number of residents: 792,579
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.8%
- #12 most common country of origin

#23. Ethiopia

Iowa
- Number of residents: 1,248
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.7%
National
- Number of residents: 260,577
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.6%
- #33 most common country of origin

#22. Russia

Iowa
- Number of residents: 1,289
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.8%
National
- Number of residents: 397,214
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.9%
- #21 most common country of origin

#21. Republic of the Congo

Iowa
- Number of residents: 1,317
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.8%
National
- Number of residents: 31,671
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.1%
- #109 most common country of origin

You may also like: Counties with the highest rates of strokes in Iowa

#20. Brazil

Iowa
- Number of residents: 1,359
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.8%
National
- Number of residents: 474,723
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.1%
- #17 most common country of origin

#19. Nepal

Iowa
- Number of residents: 1,697
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.0%
National
- Number of residents: 142,749
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.3%
- #50 most common country of origin

#18. Honduras

Iowa
- Number of residents: 2,017
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.2%
National
- Number of residents: 649,209
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.5%
- #15 most common country of origin

#17. Germany

Iowa
- Number of residents: 2,400
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.4%
National
- Number of residents: 549,073
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.2%
- #16 most common country of origin

#16. Liberia

Iowa
- Number of residents: 2,749
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.6%
National
- Number of residents: 92,283
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.2%
- #68 most common country of origin

You may also like: Counties where children have the best opportunity for economic mobility in Iowa

#15. Canada

Iowa
- Number of residents: 2,793
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.6%
National
- Number of residents: 817,885
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.9%
- #11 most common country of origin

#14. Thailand

Iowa
- Number of residents: 3,168
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.9%
National
- Number of residents: 256,436
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.6%
- #34 most common country of origin

#13. Laos

Iowa
- Number of residents: 3,353
- Percent of foreign born residents: 2.0%
National
- Number of residents: 179,004
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.4%
- #44 most common country of origin

#12. Democratic Republic of the Congo

Iowa
- Number of residents: 3,607
- Percent of foreign born residents: 2.1%
National
- Number of residents: 50,221
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.1%
- #88 most common country of origin

#11. Sudan

Iowa
- Number of residents: 3,951
- Percent of foreign born residents: 2.3%
National
- Number of residents: 52,433
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.1%
- #86 most common country of origin

You may also like: Healthy hotspots: The most physically active counties in Iowa

#10. El Salvador

Iowa
- Number of residents: 4,114
- Percent of foreign born residents: 2.4%
National
- Number of residents: 1,370,579
- Percent of foreign born residents: 3.1%
- #5 most common country of origin

#9. Burma

Iowa
- Number of residents: 4,306
- Percent of foreign born residents: 2.5%
National
- Number of residents: 147,834
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.3%
- #48 most common country of origin

#8. Philippines

Iowa
- Number of residents: 4,762
- Percent of foreign born residents: 2.8%
National
- Number of residents: 1,967,140
- Percent of foreign born residents: 4.5%
- #4 most common country of origin

#7. Guatemala

Iowa
- Number of residents: 4,935
- Percent of foreign born residents: 2.9%
National
- Number of residents: 964,528
- Percent of foreign born residents: 2.2%
- #10 most common country of origin

#6. South Korea

Iowa
- Number of residents: 5,433
- Percent of foreign born residents: 3.2%
National
- Number of residents: 1,048,588
- Percent of foreign born residents: 2.4%
- #9 most common country of origin

You may also like: Romaine lettuce, ham, and other groceries that rose in price in the Midwest last month

#5. Bosnia and Herzegovina

Iowa
- Number of residents: 5,547
- Percent of foreign born residents: 3.3%
National
- Number of residents: 102,942
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.2%
- #59 most common country of origin

#4. Vietnam

Iowa
- Number of residents: 7,889
- Percent of foreign born residents: 4.6%
National
- Number of residents: 1,354,391
- Percent of foreign born residents: 3.1%
- #6 most common country of origin

#3. China

Iowa
- Number of residents: 9,933
- Percent of foreign born residents: 5.8%
National
- Number of residents: 2,184,189
- Percent of foreign born residents: 4.9%
- #3 most common country of origin

#2. India

Iowa
- Number of residents: 10,615
- Percent of foreign born residents: 6.2%
National
- Number of residents: 2,618,558
- Percent of foreign born residents: 5.9%
- #2 most common country of origin

#1. Mexico

Iowa
- Number of residents: 41,522
- Percent of foreign born residents: 24.4%
National
- Number of residents: 10,924,662
- Percent of foreign born residents: 24.8%
- #1 most common country of origin

You may also like: Iowa ranks #13 in mental health care deserts