MIAMI (AP) - The total number of immigrants living in the United States illegally hasn't changed much since 2009, but where they settle has.
A report from the Pew Research Center released Tuesday shows Florida with among the biggest increases in residents without legal immigration status.
Between 2009 and 2012, some 55,000 new immigrants in the country illegally came to Florida. That brings the state's total to an estimated 925,000. The increase highlights a broader shift from the West and Southwest. Only New Jersey saw a larger increase, with about 75,000 people.
Other states that saw sharp rises: Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia. Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico saw the biggest declines.
Florida's agriculture, construction and hospitality industries tend to draw those in the country illegally. So too does Florida's thriving legal immigrant population.
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