Census leaders: California (immigration), Minnesota (fewest dropouts)

The Census Bureau on Wednesday released a host of demographic data about the nation, including statistics on immigration, housing, education and employment. Here's a look at some of its key findings:

Last update: September 12, 2007 - 12:56 AM

The Census Bureau on Wednesday released a host of demographic data about the nation, including statistics on immigration, housing, education and employment. Here's a look at some of its key findings:

LANGUAGE

Nearly one in five people living in the United States speaks a language at home other than English. California led the nation in immigrants, at 27 percent of the state's population, and in people who spoke a foreign language at home, at 43 percent. West Virginia had the smallest shares of both: 1.2 percent of immigrants and 2.3 percent of people who speak a foreign language at home.

EDUCATION

College graduates: About 48 percent of Asian immigrants held at least a bachelor's degree, compared with about 11 percent of immigrants from Latin America. Among those born in the U.S., about 27 percent were college graduates. Massachusetts led all states in college graduates, with 37 percent of adults 25 and older holding at least a bachelor's degree. West Virginia was last with 16.5 percent.

High school diplomas: 47 percent of adult immigrants from Latin America lacked a high school diploma compared with 16 percent of Asian immigrants and 13 percent of people born in the United States. Mississippi led all states in high-school dropouts, with 22.1 percent of adults 25 and older not graduating from high school. Minnesota was at the other end, with 9.3 percent.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

And something we could probably have predicted: New York residents had the longest average commuting time to work at nearly 31 minutes. The shortest? North Dakota, at 15.5 minutes.

FAMILY MAKEUP

Fewer households consist of a married couple with children -- 21.6 percent in 2006, down from 23.5 percent in 2000.

ABOUT THE REPORT

The data come from the American Community Survey, an annual survey of 3 million households that has replaced the Census Bureau's long-form questionnaire from the once-a-decade census. To read the report, go to www.census.gov.

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