When it comes to the economic recession, immigrants are definitely feeling the pinch, according to the U.S. Census.

Agency data released Thursday show that among the foreign-born population, the poverty rate and the number in poverty increased to 17.8 percent and 6.5 million in 2008, up from 16.5 percent and 6.2 million, in 2007.

The poverty rate in 2008 for naturalized citizens at 10.2 percent was, however, statistically unchanged from 2007, but the poverty rate for those who were not U.S. citizens rose to 23.3 percent in 2008, up from 21.3 percent in 2007.

There was no breakdown of the foreign-born population beyond Hispanic, blacks or Asians. Asians saw an increase in their poverty rate to 11.8 percent in 2008, up from 10.2 percent in 2007, while Hispanics had a 23.2 percent poverty rate in 2008, up from 21.5 percent in 2007.

The poverty rate in 2008 was statistically unchanged for blacks, however, at 24.7 percent.

Among the native-born population, 12.6 percent, or 33.3 million, were in poverty in 2008, up from 11.9 percent, or 31.1 million, in 2007.

Meanwhile, the uninsured rates for the native-born and foreign-born populations were statistically unchanged at 12.9 percent and 33.5 percent, respectively, in 2008. Among the foreign-born population, the uninsured rates for both naturalized citizens at 18 percent and noncitizens at 44.7 percent were statistically unchanged.

The uninsured rate and number of uninsured for blacks in 2008, meanwhile, were not statistically different from 2007, at 19.1 percent and 7.3 million, while the uninsured rate for Asians in 2008 rose to 17.6 percent, up from 16.8 percent.

The percentage of uninsured Hispanics decreased to 30.7 percent in 2008, from 32.1 percent in 2007.