While Ohio's population growth rate has slowed in recent decades, our foreign born population has continued to increase at a steady clip. What are the most likely countries of origin for those coming to Cincinnati? The most recent and reliable data illustrate that Cincinnati's immigrants are most likely to come from Western Europe, Eastern Africa, Central and Western Asia, and India.
What happens once people get to Ohio? Simple, like the rest of us, they move as life circumstances dictate. Did you know that recent, foreign born, arrivals to Cincinnati often don't even move here from other countries. Rather, they move here from other parts of our own state. And for those who are actually new to both our state and our city, more than 1 in 5 arrive from another part of the United States; not some other country. Only fewer than 30 percent of Cincinnati's foreign born population comes directly from a sending nation.
And what do immigrants do over time as they settle in to life as a Buckeye? Roughly half of become American citizens. There are presently 220,000 foreign born Ohio residents who are now citizens and are eligible to vote. Another 101,286 immigrants are eligible for naturalization. Immigrants also invest in quality education. Best estimates indicate that Ohio's universities are home to roughly 33,000 international college students.
From this we can take the following. First, immigrants who settle in our city have a healthy grasp of contemporary American culture. Second, when we hear the word immigration, we are likely to think of Latin America due to its outsized presence in our media subconscience. But the reality is that most Cincy-based immigrants are coming from Europe, Africa and Asia. Please read through and share the materials above to learn more about the changing demographics in our state and region.