Biggest sources of immigrants to Milwaukee

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April 21, 2022
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Biggest sources of immigrants to Milwaukee

Nearly 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 countries most immigrants to Milwaukee come from, using data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Countries are ranked by highest number of foreign-born residents who lived in Milwaukee as of 2019's five-year estimates.

Keep reading to find out more about the immigrant community in your home city.

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#50. Austria

Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI Metro Area
- Number of residents: 308
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.3%

National
- Number of residents: 43,103
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.1%
- #92 most common country of origin

#49. Belarus

Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI Metro Area
- Number of residents: 332
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.3%

National
- Number of residents: 63,642
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.1%
- #78 most common country of origin

#48. El Salvador

Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI Metro Area
- Number of residents: 335
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.3%

National
- Number of residents: 1,381,008
- Percent of foreign born residents: 3.1%
- #5 most common country of origin

#47. Israel

Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI Metro Area
- Number of residents: 359
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.3%

National
- Number of residents: 135,672
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.3%
- #50 most common country of origin

#46. Netherlands

Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI Metro Area
- Number of residents: 361
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.3%

National
- Number of residents: 85,161
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.2%
- #69 most common country of origin

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#45. Romania

Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI Metro Area
- Number of residents: 362
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.3%

National
- Number of residents: 162,046
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.4%
- #45 most common country of origin

#44. Nicaragua

Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI Metro Area
- Number of residents: 390
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.3%

National
- Number of residents: 251,913
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.6%
- #33 most common country of origin

#43. Hungary

Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI Metro Area
- Number of residents: 394
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.3%

National
- Number of residents: 65,873
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.1%
- #77 most common country of origin

#42. Japan

Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI Metro Area
- Number of residents: 402
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.3%

National
- Number of residents: 345,140
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.8%
- #29 most common country of origin

#41. Peru

Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI Metro Area
- Number of residents: 416
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.4%

National
- Number of residents: 451,076
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.0%
- #18 most common country of origin

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#40. Honduras

Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI Metro Area
- Number of residents: 431
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.4%

National
- Number of residents: 651,123
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.5%
- #16 most common country of origin

#39. Taiwan

Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI Metro Area
- Number of residents: 440
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.4%

National
- Number of residents: 381,098
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.9%
- #24 most common country of origin

#38. Brazil

Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI Metro Area
- Number of residents: 457
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.4%

National
- Number of residents: 433,479
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.0%
- #20 most common country of origin

#37. Czechoslovakia (includes Czech Republic and Slovakia)

Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI Metro Area
- Number of residents: 492
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.4%

National
- Number of residents: 66,818
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.2%
- #76 most common country of origin

#36. Serbia

Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI Metro Area
- Number of residents: 494
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.4%

National
- Number of residents: 37,570
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.1%
- #96 most common country of origin

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#35. Greece

Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI Metro Area
- Number of residents: 514
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.4%

National
- Number of residents: 129,765
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.3%
- #51 most common country of origin

#34. Ghana

Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI Metro Area
- Number of residents: 532
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.5%

National
- Number of residents: 178,388
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.4%
- #43 most common country of origin

#33. Kenya

Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI Metro Area
- Number of residents: 550
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.5%

National
- Number of residents: 141,751
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.3%
- #48 most common country of origin

#32. Malaysia

Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI Metro Area
- Number of residents: 557
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.5%

National
- Number of residents: 76,521
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.2%
- #74 most common country of origin

#31. Somalia

Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI Metro Area
- Number of residents: 617
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.5%

National
- Number of residents: 98,966
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.2%
- #60 most common country of origin

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#30. Croatia

Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI Metro Area
- Number of residents: 624
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.5%

National
- Number of residents: 37,176
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.1%
- #97 most common country of origin

#29. Bosnia and Herzegovina

Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI Metro Area
- Number of residents: 636
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.5%

National
- Number of residents: 103,938
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.2%
- #57 most common country of origin

#28. Iran

Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI Metro Area
- Number of residents: 638
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.5%

National
- Number of residents: 382,260
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.9%
- #23 most common country of origin

#27. Cuba

Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI Metro Area
- Number of residents: 640
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.6%

National
- Number of residents: 1,289,875
- Percent of foreign born residents: 2.9%
- #7 most common country of origin

#26. Albania

Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI Metro Area
- Number of residents: 797
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.7%

National
- Number of residents: 89,911
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.2%
- #65 most common country of origin

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#25. Jordan

Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI Metro Area
- Number of residents: 816
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.7%

National
- Number of residents: 81,155
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.2%
- #71 most common country of origin

#24. Dominican Republic

Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI Metro Area
- Number of residents: 869
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.7%

National
- Number of residents: 1,118,147
- Percent of foreign born residents: 2.5%
- #8 most common country of origin

#23. Italy

Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI Metro Area
- Number of residents: 872
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.8%

National
- Number of residents: 332,857
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.8%
- #30 most common country of origin

#22. Colombia

Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI Metro Area
- Number of residents: 885
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.8%

National
- Number of residents: 761,374
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.7%
- #12 most common country of origin

#21. Guatemala

Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI Metro Area
- Number of residents: 921
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.8%

National
- Number of residents: 979,098
- Percent of foreign born residents: 2.2%
- #10 most common country of origin

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#20. Iraq

Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI Metro Area
- Number of residents: 957
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.8%

National
- Number of residents: 225,038
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.5%
- #38 most common country of origin

#19. Nigeria

Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI Metro Area
- Number of residents: 1,090
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.9%

National
- Number of residents: 350,272
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.8%
- #26 most common country of origin

#18. Jamaica

Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI Metro Area
- Number of residents: 1,108
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.0%

National
- Number of residents: 741,386
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.7%
- #13 most common country of origin

#17. Saudi Arabia

Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI Metro Area
- Number of residents: 1,180
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.0%

National
- Number of residents: 85,000
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.2%
- #70 most common country of origin

#16. Ukraine

Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI Metro Area
- Number of residents: 1,202
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.0%

National
- Number of residents: 345,250
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.8%
- #28 most common country of origin

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#15. Vietnam

Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI Metro Area
- Number of residents: 1,227
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.1%

National
- Number of residents: 1,336,988
- Percent of foreign born residents: 3.0%
- #6 most common country of origin

#14. Canada

Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI Metro Area
- Number of residents: 1,642
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.4%

National
- Number of residents: 808,566
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.8%
- #11 most common country of origin

#13. Poland

Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI Metro Area
- Number of residents: 1,696
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.5%

National
- Number of residents: 410,841
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.9%
- #21 most common country of origin

#12. Russia

Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI Metro Area
- Number of residents: 1,858
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.6%

National
- Number of residents: 391,641
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.9%
- #22 most common country of origin

#11. Pakistan

Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI Metro Area
- Number of residents: 1,908
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.6%

National
- Number of residents: 376,127
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.9%
- #25 most common country of origin

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#10. United Kingdom

Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI Metro Area
- Number of residents: 2,022
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.7%

National
- Number of residents: 698,612
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.6%
- #14 most common country of origin

#9. South Korea

Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI Metro Area
- Number of residents: 2,167
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.9%

National
- Number of residents: 1,044,634
- Percent of foreign born residents: 2.4%
- #9 most common country of origin

#8. Philippines

Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI Metro Area
- Number of residents: 2,400
- Percent of foreign born residents: 2.1%

National
- Number of residents: 1,983,939
- Percent of foreign born residents: 4.5%
- #4 most common country of origin

#7. Burma

Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI Metro Area
- Number of residents: 3,177
- Percent of foreign born residents: 2.7%

National
- Number of residents: 147,573
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.3%
- #47 most common country of origin

#6. Germany

Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI Metro Area
- Number of residents: 3,586
- Percent of foreign born residents: 3.1%

National
- Number of residents: 560,368
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.3%
- #17 most common country of origin

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#5. Laos

Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI Metro Area
- Number of residents: 3,616
- Percent of foreign born residents: 3.1%

National
- Number of residents: 181,546
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.4%
- #42 most common country of origin

#4. Thailand

Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI Metro Area
- Number of residents: 3,866
- Percent of foreign born residents: 3.3%

National
- Number of residents: 255,345
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.6%
- #32 most common country of origin

#3. China

Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI Metro Area
- Number of residents: 5,183
- Percent of foreign born residents: 4.5%

National
- Number of residents: 2,162,395
- Percent of foreign born residents: 4.9%
- #3 most common country of origin

#2. India

Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI Metro Area
- Number of residents: 12,107
- Percent of foreign born residents: 10.4%

National
- Number of residents: 2,561,906
- Percent of foreign born residents: 5.8%
- #2 most common country of origin

#1. Mexico

Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI Metro Area
- Number of residents: 35,877
- Percent of foreign born residents: 30.9%

National
- Number of residents: 11,250,541
- Percent of foreign born residents: 25.6%
- #1 most common country of origin

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