The United States is a country built by immigrants, and it remains one of the more culturally-diverse nations in the world today. While we often think of major U.S. cities as the melting pots of the country, that actually might not be the case.
Business Insider used data from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey to see where in each state the highest proportion of foreign-born residents live. The American Community Survey defines a "place" as a "legally incorporated town, city or village, or a Census-designated statistical equivalent" with a population of at least 1,000.
Here's the top 10 places with the highest proportion of residents born in other countries, along with the percentage of its population that is foreign born:
1. Sweetwater, Fla. (74.4 percent)
2. Langley Park, Md. (67.6 percent)
3. Palisades Park, N.J. (66.9 percent)
4. Toughkenamon, Pa. (62.6 percent)
5. Oasis, Calif. (62.5 percent)
6. Cactus, Texas (60.7 percent)
7. Mattawa, Wash. (56 percent)
8. Sand Point, Alaska (55.5 percent)
9. Oak Grove, Va. (54.1 percent)
10. Doraville, Ga. (53.4 percent)
And here's the bottom 10 places with the highest proportion of foreign-born residents:
41. Jackson, Wyo. (19 percent)
42. Monterey, Tenn. (18.4 percent)
43. Walworth, Wis. (17.9 percent)
44. Madawaska, Maine (16.8 percent)
45. Hanover, N.H. (14.6 percent)
46. Wilder, Vt. (11.5 percent)
47. Star City, W. Va. (11.2 percent)
48. Huron, S.D. (9.4 percent)
49. Fargo, N.D. (5.8 percent)
50. Bigfork, Mont. (4.6 percent)
As you can see, the immigrant populations in places across the U.S. vary widely, from 74.4 percent of the population in Sweetwater, Fla. born in another country to only 4.6 percent of the population in Bigfork, Mont. being born in another country.
Business Insider also noted the country where most of the foreign-born residents in each place came from. The vast majority of immigrants in the U.S. are from Latin America, from the East Coast to the West Coast. This is followed by residents from Asia, Africa, Europe and North America, in descending order.
What's most surprising about these results is that there are virtually no major cities on the list. We always prize cities, such as New York, for their cultural diversity and as places where many immigrants flock to upon their arrival in the U.S. However, since these results show proportions of the population, with cities having so many more residents than most locations in the U.S., it must be the case that immigrants don't make up as great of a proportion, relatively.
Head over to Business Insider to see the map and full list to find out where the most foreign-born residents in your state live.
