Philadelphia's U.S.-born population has been shrinking for decades but immigration has helped soften that blow.

This won't exactly be news to hard-core population nerds. The U.S. Census Bureau has highlighted this dynamic in almost every population data release of recent years. In 2022, 15.7% of the city's more than 1.5 million residents reported being born outside the United States, the highest share in eight decades.

Still, a report published by the Pew Charitable Trusts Thursday uses census data to dive into the rhythms and trends seen among the city's immigrant populations.

Not all corners of the city are affected by influxes in immigration to the same degree, said Thomas Ginsberg, a senior officer at Pew who coauthored the report with Maridarlyn Gonzalez. But as someone who subscribes to the idea that "demography is destiny," Ginsberg thinks it's important to study trends to try and see what Philadelphia could look like long-term.

"The demographic makeup of a city is who we are, it's the face of the city, it shapes our culture, it shapes our cuisine, it shapes the way we interact with each other, the languages we use," he said.

Here are four takeaways from the report.

Philly's Latino population is becoming more diverse

It's 2000. Allen Iverson is a Sixer, low-rise jeans are peak fashion, and 85% of Philadelphia's population identifies as white or Black.

Some 130,000 people identify as Latino in Philadelphia. Notably, about 71% of those Latinos were Puerto Rican and 13% were foreign-born.

Fast forward 22 years and white and Black residents make up 72% of Philadelphians.

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