Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 11.djvu/215

 ITALIAN IMMIGRATION INTO THE UNITED STATES 1 99

Neglecting to consider this tendency of a part of the northern Italian immigrants to concentrate in California, precisely the most populous point of the Western Division, it is well to return to the principal deductions to be made from Table XV ; i. e., the enormous prevalence of Italians in the states of the North Atlantic and North Central Divisions. The figures below set forth that in these divisions the great majority of the Italians are concentrated in a few states :

TABLE XVII

NORTH ATLANTIC DIVISION

1901

190 2

1903

1904

IQOX

1902

1003

1904

1901

1902

1903

1904

New York

44.38

60.57

60.68

53.81

Pennsylvania

30.87

30.15 6.84

33.87

31-96

20.58

24.79

25-3I

22.29

21.78

21.37

26.30

2,350

Massachusetts Connecticut

8.64

32

9-43

6.13

IO.I3 5.63

10.46 6.46

7.25 3.67

9.OO 3.38

7-41

3-34

8.03

7-4'

7-41

8. 3 2

861

186

NORTH CENTRAL DIVISION

Illinois

47*75

10.80

46.48

Michigan

25.62

18.25

8.32

7.16

0.8s

895

Ohio

The data are wanting for showing what centers of population in the states considered become the final destination of the immi- grants, or in what proportions they are scattered in the different parts of these states. It can be assumed, however, that the mass of Italians cannot spread in the farming lands, since these farms are already occupied, and it may be affirmed that the immigrants go to augment the population of the cities, and principally the large cities. This idea is favored by common observation, by the census of 1900, and by the conclusions of Dr. Tosti in his study of the Italian population of New York state. According to the census of 1900, 62.4 per cent, of the Italians established in the United States were settled in centers whose population was greater than 25,000. According to Dr. Tosti, who secured data up to December, 1903, of 486,175 Italians resident in New York state, 382,775, or 78.7 per cent., were established in New York city.

The conclusion, then, from the figures reported is that more