| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 60,965 (by birth2000 United States census data) 114,000 (by ancestry[1]) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| West Coast (especially inCalifornia near theSan Francisco andSacramento area),Midwest,New England,Florida,Hawaii andTexas[1] | |
| Languages | |
| Australian English | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| British Americans · Cornish Americans · Canadian Americans · English Americans · Scottish Americans · Scotch-Irish Americans · Welsh Americans · Irish Americans • New Zealand Americans • Oceanian Americans • White Americans • Asian Americans |
Australian Americans areAmericans who haveAustralian ancestry.[2] The first Australian Americans were settlers in Australia who then moved on to America. This group included English, Irish, Welsh and Scottish settlers in Australia who then moved to California during the Gold Rush. Immigration from Australia to the United States increased at times of economic boom, such as the Reconstruction era, and in the years following the Second World War. Many Australian citizens live in the U.S. during the 21st century, including an estimated 44,000 Australians living in the city ofLos Angeles alone as of 2016. In 2023 Australian Americans had thehighest Median Household Income out of any Ancestry group as well as a high Per Capita Income of $66,769.[3]
The history of the Australian American population almost follows the story of bothBritish Americans andIrish Americans, as Australia was aBritish political territory at the time when they first immigrated and most of the settlers were English or Irish. The first wave of immigration from Australia to the United States came in the 1850sCalifornia Gold Rush when mostly Irish migrants who had escaped theGreat Irish Famine had previously worked on the Australian goldfields. In San Francisco, the "Sydney Ducks" as they were known came into violent conflict withnativist locals.[4]
Transpacific immigration then dried up while theAmerican Civil War took place. It picked up during the period ofReconstruction, but faltered again when Australia was hit by aneconomic depression in the late 1890s. Immigration to the United States peaked in the years followingWorld War II, due to America's increased economic activity, and the exodus of 15,000 Australianwar brides who married U.S.servicemen. From 1971 to 1990, more than 86,400 Australians and New Zealanders immigrated to the United States.[5]
At the 2000 U.S. Census, 60,965 Australian-born people were enumerated in the United States, of which 15,315 were citizens. Around 40% of Australian Americans had entered the United States before 1980.[6] Since 2010, aLittle Australia has emerged and is growing inNolita,Manhattan,New York City.[7] In 2016, the Australian Consulate-General estimated there were 44,000 Australians living inLos Angeles.[8]
In Little Australia, Australian-owned cafes are popping up all over the place (such as Two Hands), joining other Australian-owned businesses (such as nightclubs and art galleries) as part of a growing green and gold contingent in NYC. Indeed, walking in this neighbourhood, the odds of your hearing a fellow Aussie ordering a coffee or just kicking back and chatting are high – very high – so much so that if you're keen to meet other Aussies whilst taking your own bite out of the Big Apple, then this is the place to throw that Australian accent around like it's going out of fashion!
