Percentage of Americans of German Origin

As late as 1910, about nine percent of the American population had been born in Germany or was of German parentage – the highest percentage of any ethnic group. In certain states of the Midwest, German-Americans accounted for up to 25-35% of the population. The area between Milwaukee, St. Louis, and Cincinnati was known as the “German triangle” and had particularly high rates of German settlement. Generally speaking, discrimination against German-Americans during World War I was most severe in areas where they made up a large share of the population.