Ellis Island Era Immigration Statistics
By the Numbers
Total Immigration to the United States
1880s: 5.2 million
1890s: 3.7 million
1900s: 8.8 million
1910s: 5.7 million
1920s: 4.1 million
1930s: 0.5 million6
Immigration 1860 vs. 1910
Percentage of America's foreign-born population in 1860 born in Great Britain, Ireland, or Germany: more than 80%
Percentage of America's foreign-born population in 1910 born in Great Britain, Ireland, or Germany: less than 40%
Percentage of America's foreign-born population in 1860 born in Southern or Eastern Europe: 1.2%%
Percentage of America's foreign-born population in 1910 born in Southern or Eastern Europe: 37.5%12
Chinese Immigrants at Angel Island
Number of Chinese immigrants processed through the Immigration Station at Angel Island, California, between 1910 and 1940: approximately 175,000
Average length of detention at Angel Island for would-be Chinese immigrants: 2 to 3 weeks
Longest length of detention at Angel Island for would-be Chinese immigrants: more than 2 years7
Chinese Population of the United States
1850: 758
1860: 35,565
1870: 64,565
1880: 104,468
1890: 106,688
1900: 81,534
1910: 56,756
1920: 43,56010
Ellis Island's Immigration Numbers
Number of European immigrants processed through the Immigration Station at Ellis Island, New York, between 1892 and 1954: more than 16 million8
Record number of immigrants processed through the Immigration Station at Ellis Island in a single day in 1907: 11,7479
Transportation to the United States
Percentage of immigrants arriving in New York in 1856 who traveled by sailing vessel: 96%
Typical length of passage from Europe to New York via sailing vessel: 1-3 months
Percentage of immigrants arriving in New York in 1873 who traveled by steamship: 98%
Typical length of passage from Europe to New York via steamship: 10 days11
Population Percentages of Illinois Union Members (1886)
Native-born Americans: 21%
German immigrants: 33%
Irish immigrants: 19%
Scandinavian immigrants: 12%
British immigrants: 10%
Polish, Bohemian, or Italian immigrants: 5%13