The number of US residents born in other countries rose to an estimated 33 million in 2002 and accounted for nearly half of the nation's population growth, according to a US Census Bureau survey released on Wednesday.

Among states, California ranked first in the proportion of its population who were foreign-born with 26.9 per cent, while Mississippi had the lowest percentage at 1.1 per cent, the survey revealed.

The proportion of foreign-born in the city of Miami, 60.6 per cent, was found to be greater than any other city in the United States.

The survey also found that a majority of the foreign-born live in four states: California (28 per cent), New York (11.8 per cent), Texas (9.8 per cent) and Florida (8.9 per cent).

Overall, the US foreign-born population increased nearly 5 percent between 2001 and 2002 to more than 33 million, slightly larger than the entire population of Canada, according to the Census analysis.

"These data provide a moving picture of one of the fastest growing population segments in the United States, Census Bureau Director Louis Kincannon said in a statement.

Kincannon also said the growth reflects how attractive the United States remains, both politically and economically, for people around the world.

The Census Bureau said that about 52 per cent of the US foreign-born population is from Latin America, 27 per cent from Asia and 15 percent from Europe.

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