Some 13.5 percent of the U.S. population -- 44 million -- is foreign born, the highest level ever, and many are not proficient in English, choosing to speak Spanish at home instead.

A report from the Migration Policy Institute found that 22 percent of the U.S. population does not speak English at home.

The share was highest in Nevada at 31 percent and Florida at 29 percent.

The report revealed a new trend in migration to the U.S where immigrants are dispersed throughout the nation instead of clustering in a few states and cities.

For example, while the number of immigrants in the last eight years increased 9 percent, the foreign born population surged 15 percent or more in 15 states. The report said those states are: North Dakota, West Virginia, South Dakota, Delaware, Nebraska, Minnesota, Wyoming, Pennsylvania, Alaska, Indiana, Florida, Nevada, Washington, Iowa, and Maryland.

“Approximately nine million immigrants, or one in every five, reside in these 15 states.” said the report.



Graphic: Migration Policy Institute



Mexicans and Cubans dominated the influx, followed by those from India and China.

Legal immigrants with green cards in the top 15 states were slightly outnumbered by illegal alien. From the report:

More than 1.6 million foreign nationals in the top 15 states obtained lawful permanent residence (LPR status, also known as getting a green card) between fiscal year (FY) 2010 and 2016. They accounted for 22 percent of the 7.4 million immigrants who received green cards during the same period nationwide.

The 15 states were home to about 1.7 million unauthorized immigrants in the 2010-14 period, or about 15 percent of the 11 million unauthorized population in the United States.