Where residents were born: the share of each state born in the state
Louisiana has the largest share of residents born in the state where they live: 76.4% in 2025, followed by Michigan (75.2%) and Ohio (73.3%). Nevada has the smallest, 29.0%, the only state where fewer than one resident in three was born there. Across the United States the figure is 56.4%1.
Published November 12, 2026. Data as of October 29, 2026.
Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B05002; Census Bureau, 2024 Cartographic Boundary Files. Darker states are higher; DC is the dot. Period: 2025.
Show the numbers
| State | Born in the state where they live |
|---|---|
| Louisiana | 76.4% |
| Michigan | 75.2% |
| Ohio | 73.3% |
| Mississippi | 69.4% |
| Wisconsin | 69.2% |
| Pennsylvania | 69.1% |
| Iowa | 68.8% |
| Minnesota | 66.4% |
| Indiana | 66.2% |
| Illinois | 65.6% |
| West Virginia | 65.4% |
| Alabama | 65.2% |
| Kentucky | 65.2% |
| Missouri | 64.3% |
| Nebraska | 63.2% |
| New York | 61.2% |
| South Dakota | 61.1% |
| North Dakota | 60.4% |
| Oklahoma | 59.4% |
| Utah | 59.0% |
| Arkansas | 58.6% |
| Kansas | 57.8% |
| Massachusetts | 57.6% |
| Texas | 57.6% |
| California | 57.1% |
| Maine | 56.3% |
| Tennessee | 55.7% |
| Rhode Island | 53.8% |
| Hawaii | 53.5% |
| Georgia | 52.5% |
| New Mexico | 52.3% |
| Connecticut | 52.2% |
| North Carolina | 52.0% |
| Montana | 50.4% |
| New Jersey | 50.2% |
| South Carolina | 50.2% |
| Virginia | 47.8% |
| Oregon | 46.1% |
| Maryland | 46.0% |
| Washington | 46.0% |
| Vermont | 45.1% |
| Alaska | 44.6% |
| Idaho | 44.5% |
| Colorado | 41.4% |
| Delaware | 40.2% |
| New Hampshire | 39.9% |
| Wyoming | 39.7% |
| Arizona | 39.2% |
| Florida | 35.2% |
| District of Columbia | 32.4% |
| Nevada | 29.0% |
Every year the American Community Survey asks each resident where they were born. The answer sorts a state's population into three groups: people born in the state, people born in another US state, and people born abroad. Nationally, 56.4% (±0.1 percentage points) of residents lived in their birth state in 2025, 27.0% had come from another state and 14.7% were foreign born. State by state, the mix ranges from from 29.0% in Nevada to 76.4% in Louisiana1.
The states with the most homegrown residents
Louisiana leads with 76.4% (±0.4 percentage points), the highest in the nation and higher than every bordering state (Arkansas, Mississippi and Texas). Michigan is second at 75.2%, higher than every bordering state (Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin). Then come Ohio (73.3%), Mississippi (69.4%), Wisconsin (69.2%) and Pennsylvania (69.1%1).
Of the ten highest states, seven are in the Midwest, two in the South (Louisiana and Mississippi) and one, Pennsylvania, in the Northeast. What they share is that few residents arrived from either direction. Louisiana's foreign-born share, 5.0%, is the 9th lowest, and only 17.7% of its residents were born in another state. Mississippi's foreign-born share is 3.0%; Ohio's is 5.9%1.
The same states also see few recent arrivals. In 2025, 1.5% of Louisiana residents had lived in another state a year earlier, tied for 4th lowest, and Michigan (1.4%) was among the three lowest, against 2.1%3 nationally.
Where natives are a minority
In Nevada, 29.0% (±0.6 percentage points) of residents were born in the state, the lowest in the nation and lower than every bordering state (Arizona, California, Idaho, Oregon and Utah). Nearly half, 49.4%, were born in another state, and 19.4% abroad. 29.4%1 of all Nevadans were born in another state of the West.
The District of Columbia (32.4%) and Florida (35.2%) are next, followed by Arizona (39.2%), Wyoming (39.7%) and New Hampshire (39.9%). In 25 states, counting DC, the share is significantly below the national figure; in 251 it is significantly above.
Florida's newcomers come from both directions at once. 38.0% of its residents were born in another state and 22.7% abroad, the 4th highest1 foreign-born share. Florida and Nevada are the only states in both the bottom ten for natives and the top five for the foreign born.
Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B05002. Whiskers show the 90% margin of error; states whose whiskers overlap may not differ significantly. Period: 2025.
Show the numbers
| State | Born in the state where they live | MOE |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 56.4% | ±0.1 |
| Washington | 46.0% | ±0.3 |
| Vermont | 45.1% | ±1.2 |
| Alaska | 44.6% | ±1.3 |
| Idaho | 44.5% | ±1.0 |
| Colorado | 41.4% | ±0.5 |
| Delaware | 40.2% | ±1.4 |
| New Hampshire | 39.9% | ±0.9 |
| Wyoming | 39.7% | ±1.5 |
| Arizona | 39.2% | ±0.4 |
| Florida | 35.2% | ±0.3 |
| District of Columbia | 32.4% | ±1.4 |
| Nevada | 29.0% | ±0.6 |
Two kinds of newcomers: from other states or from abroad
A middling share of natives can hide very different populations. California's share born in the state, 57.1%, is 0.7 percentage points above the US figure (56.4%). Yet only 14.1% of Californians were born in another state, the 2nd lowest, while 27.2% were born abroad, the highest in the nation. New York has the lowest share born in another state of all, 12.8%, and the 3rd highest foreign-born share, 23.4%. New Jersey shows the same pattern: 22.4% born in other states, 24.9%1 abroad.
Wyoming is the reverse. It has the highest share of residents born in another state, 55.8%, and the 4th lowest foreign-born share, 3.6%. New Hampshire (51.8%) and Idaho (48.5%1) follow the same pattern: many residents from other states, few from abroad.
Hawaii sits between the two: 53.5% born in the state, 25.4% in another state and 18.0%1 abroad. The table below gives all three shares for every state; sort any column.
| Louisiana | 76.4% ±0.4 | 17.7% ±0.4 | 5.0% ±0.2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan | 75.2% ±0.3 | 16.2% ±0.3 | 7.7% ±0.2 |
| Ohio | 73.3% ±0.3 | 19.7% ±0.3 | 5.9% ±0.2 |
| Mississippi | 69.4% ±0.6 | 26.9% ±0.5 | 3.0% ±0.2 |
| Wisconsin | 69.2% ±0.4 | 24.4% ±0.4 | 5.4% ±0.2 |
| Pennsylvania | 69.1% ±0.3 | 20.5% ±0.2 | 8.4% ±0.2 |
| Iowa | 68.8% ±0.6 | 23.8% ±0.5 | 6.6% ±0.3 |
| Minnesota | 66.4% ±0.4 | 23.4% ±0.3 | 9.1% ±0.3 |
| Indiana | 66.2% ±0.4 | 25.9% ±0.4 | 7.1% ±0.3 |
| Illinois | 65.6% ±0.3 | 17.5% ±0.2 | 15.6% ±0.3 |
| West Virginia | 65.4% ±0.8 | 31.8% ±0.8 | 2.3% ±0.2 |
| Alabama | 65.2% ±0.5 | 29.2% ±0.5 | 4.6% ±0.2 |
| Kentucky | 65.2% ±0.5 | 28.0% ±0.5 | 5.7% ±0.3 |
| Missouri | 64.3% ±0.5 | 30.2% ±0.5 | 4.7% ±0.2 |
| Nebraska | 63.2% ±0.7 | 27.1% ±0.7 | 8.8% ±0.5 |
| New York | 61.2% ±0.3 | 12.8% ±0.2 | 23.4% ±0.3 |
| South Dakota | 61.1% ±1.1 | 34.0% ±1.1 | 3.8% ±0.4 |
| North Dakota | 60.4% ±1.2 | 32.4% ±1.1 | 6.0% ±0.8 |
| Oklahoma | 59.4% ±0.5 | 33.0% ±0.4 | 6.4% ±0.2 |
| Utah | 59.0% ±0.6 | 30.1% ±0.6 | 9.8% ±0.4 |
| Arkansas | 58.6% ±0.7 | 34.8% ±0.7 | 5.7% ±0.3 |
| Kansas | 57.8% ±0.6 | 32.8% ±0.5 | 8.3% ±0.4 |
| Massachusetts | 57.6% ±0.5 | 20.4% ±0.4 | 19.1% ±0.4 |
| Texas | 57.6% ±0.2 | 22.1% ±0.2 | 18.5% ±0.2 |
| California | 57.1% ±0.2 | 14.1% ±0.1 | 27.2% ±0.2 |
| Maine | 56.3% ±0.9 | 37.8% ±1.0 | 4.7% ±0.3 |
| Tennessee | 55.7% ±0.5 | 36.5% ±0.5 | 6.8% ±0.3 |
| Rhode Island | 53.8% ±1.2 | 29.1% ±1.2 | 14.9% ±0.8 |
| Hawaii | 53.5% ±0.9 | 25.4% ±0.6 | 18.0% ±0.8 |
| Georgia | 52.5% ±0.4 | 34.1% ±0.4 | 11.7% ±0.3 |
| New Mexico | 52.3% ±0.8 | 36.6% ±0.8 | 9.8% ±0.6 |
| Connecticut | 52.2% ±0.6 | 28.3% ±0.5 | 15.7% ±0.5 |
| North Carolina | 52.0% ±0.4 | 36.7% ±0.4 | 9.9% ±0.2 |
| Montana | 50.4% ±1.0 | 45.7% ±1.0 | 2.8% ±0.3 |
| New Jersey | 50.2% ±0.4 | 22.4% ±0.3 | 24.9% ±0.3 |
| South Carolina | 50.2% ±0.6 | 41.7% ±0.6 | 6.6% ±0.3 |
| Virginia | 47.8% ±0.4 | 36.1% ±0.4 | 13.9% ±0.2 |
| Oregon | 46.1% ±0.5 | 42.6% ±0.5 | 10.0% ±0.4 |
| Maryland | 46.0% ±0.5 | 34.6% ±0.5 | 17.7% ±0.4 |
| Washington | 46.0% ±0.3 | 35.4% ±0.3 | 16.6% ±0.3 |
| Vermont | 45.1% ±1.2 | 48.3% ±1.3 | 5.4% ±0.6 |
| Alaska | 44.6% ±1.3 | 45.7% ±1.2 | 7.6% ±0.6 |
| Idaho | 44.5% ±1.0 | 48.5% ±0.9 | 6.0% ±0.4 |
| Colorado | 41.4% ±0.5 | 46.3% ±0.5 | 10.4% ±0.4 |
| Delaware | 40.2% ±1.4 | 47.0% ±1.5 | 10.7% ±0.9 |
| New Hampshire | 39.9% ±0.9 | 51.8% ±1.0 | 7.3% ±0.4 |
| Wyoming | 39.7% ±1.5 | 55.8% ±1.5 | 3.6% ±0.5 |
| Arizona | 39.2% ±0.4 | 46.0% ±0.4 | 13.2% ±0.3 |
| Florida | 35.2% ±0.3 | 38.0% ±0.3 | 22.7% ±0.2 |
| District of Columbia | 32.4% ±1.4 | 50.9% ±1.5 | 14.8% ±1.0 |
| Nevada | 29.0% ±0.6 | 49.4% ±0.6 | 19.4% ±0.5 |
| United States | 56.4% ±0.1 | 27.0% ±0.1 | 14.7% ±0.1 |
Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B05002. ± is the 90% margin of error.
The three shares do not quite cover the whole population. The remainder are people who were US citizens at birth but born outside the 50 states and DC, for example in Puerto Rico, in the US island areas or abroad to American parents. The Census Bureau counts as foreign born anyone who was not a US citizen at birth.
Most movers come from the same region
The survey also records the region of birth for residents born in another state, and for many states the answer is next door. These shares count only people born in a different state from the one they live in.
| State | Born in another state of this region | Share of all residents | Compared with the US |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Hampshire | Northeast | 40.5% | 34.2 percentage points above the US figure (6.3%) |
| Delaware | Northeast | 28.2% | 21.9 percentage points above the US figure (6.3%) |
| Idaho | West | 34.4% | 28.8 percentage points above the US figure (5.6%) |
| Nevada | West | 29.4% | 23.8 percentage points above the US figure (5.6%) |
| Wyoming | West | 27.1% | 21.5 percentage points above the US figure (5.6%) |
| Oregon | West | 26.4% | 20.8 percentage points above the US figure (5.6%) |
| South Dakota | Midwest | 20.5% | 13.6 percentage points above the US figure (6.9%) |
| District of Columbia | South | 21.9% | 13.6 percentage points above the US figure (8.3%)1 |
In New Hampshire, 40.5% (±0.9 percentage points) of residents were born in another northeastern state, about as many as the 39.9% born in New Hampshire itself. In Idaho, 34.4%1 were born elsewhere in the West.
Some states draw across regions. Delaware is in the Census South, yet 28.2% of its residents were born in the Northeast. In Florida, 15.4% of residents were born in the Northeast and 9.7% in the Midwest, respectively 9.1 percentage points above the US figure (6.3%) and 2.8 percentage points above the US figure (6.9%). In Arizona, 14.0% were born in the Midwest, 7.1 percentage points above the US figure (6.9%). Wyoming draws on two regions: 27.1% from the West and 16.5%1 from the Midwest.
What changed between 2024 and 2025
Nationally the share born in their state of residence was not statistically different from 56.5% in 2024. In most states the one-year change was also too small to separate from sampling error, but some moved. The share fell in Ohio (down from 74.3% in 2024), Louisiana (down from 77.0% in 2024), Maine (down from 58.3% in 2024), Vermont (down from 47.2% in 2024), Delaware (down from 42.5% in 2024) and the District of Columbia (down from 34.8% in 2024), among others. It rose in Florida (up from 34.7% in 2024), California (up from 56.4% in 2024), Texas (up from 57.1% in 2024) and Rhode Island (up from 52.0% in 20241).
These are survey estimates for single years, so a change of less than a point is a signal to watch rather than a trend. Where people move each year is covered in state-to-state migration in 2025, and the foreign-born population in detail in the foreign-born ranking.
How to read these figures
The figures come from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey 1-year estimates for 2025, table B05002, and cover the whole resident population, children included. Each share has a 90% margin of error, smallest in the largest states, so ranks between states with close values are not exact. Comparisons with the US figure and changes from 2024 on this page are stated only where the Census Bureau's significance test supports them. The survey records where a person was born, not where they grew up or how long they have lived in the state, so a resident born in another state may have lived in their current state since infancy.
Questions about where residents were born
Which state has the most residents born in the state?
Louisiana. In the 2025 American Community Survey, 76.4% (±0.4 percentage points) of its residents were born in Louisiana, 20.0 percentage points above the US figure (56.4%). Michigan (75.2%) and Ohio (73.3%1) follow.
Which state has the fewest people born there?
Nevada, where 29.0% (±0.6 percentage points) of residents were born in the state. Among the 50 states and DC, the District of Columbia (32.4%) and Florida (35.2%1) are next.
What percent of Americans live in the state where they were born?
56.4% (±0.1 percentage points) in 2025. Another 27.0% were born in a different US state and 14.7%1 were born abroad as non-citizens (the foreign born). The small remainder were US citizens at birth born outside the states, for example in Puerto Rico.
Does "native" here mean Native American?
No. On this page a native of a state is anyone born in that state, of any race or ethnicity. For the American Indian and Alaska Native population, see the Native American population ranking.
Which state has the most residents born in another state?
Wyoming: 55.8% of its residents were born in another US state, the highest in the nation. New Hampshire (51.8%) and the District of Columbia (50.9%) follow. New York has the lowest share, 12.8%1.
Sources
- Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B05002; 2025; released October 29, 2026. data.census.gov
- Census Bureau, 2024 Cartographic Boundary Files; table cb_2024_us_state_20m; 2024; released April 10, 2025. www2.census.gov
- Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B07003; 2025; released October 29, 2026. data.census.gov
Margins of error (±) are at the 90% confidence level. A difference is called significant only when it passes the Census Bureau's test at that level. How every figure is built: methodology. Found an error? Write to [email protected]; corrections are listed on the updates page.