 | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
 United States224,000 (2024)(0.07% of the US population)[1][2] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
Hartford | |
 New York | 52,000[3] |
 Michigan | 30,200[4][3] |
 Massachusetts | 21,300[3] |
 Ohio | 4,000-20,000[5] |
 Illinois | 15,300[3] |
 Connecticut | 12,000[3] |
 New Jersey | 15,500[6] |
 Pennsylvania | 10,000[6] |
 Florida | 16,000[6] |
 California | 2,204[7] |
 Texas | 7,000[6] |
| Languages | |
| Religion | |
| Christianity •Islam | |
| Part ofa series on |
| Albanians |
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Native communities Diaspora
Subgroups |
Albanian Americans (Albanian:shqiptaro-amerikanët) are Americans of full or partialAlbanianancestry andheritage in theUnited States. They trace their ancestry to the territories with a large Albanian population in theBalkans and southern Europe, includingAlbania,Italy,Serbia,North Macedonia andMontenegro. They are adherents of differentreligions and are predominantlyMuslims andChristians, while some areirreligious.
In 2024, there were 224,000 counted people of Albanian descent living in theUnited States,[2] mostly in theNortheast and theGreat Lakes region.[8] This is a major increase since 1990, when there were only 47,710 Albanians in the U.S.[9] The figure includes all people affiliated with the United States who claim Albanian ancestry, both those born in the country andnaturalized citizens, as well as those withdual citizenship who affiliate themselves with both cultures.
People of Albanian descent are often concentrated in theGreater Philadelphia,Greater Boston,Metro Detroit,Chicagoland,New York City, andWaterbury, Connecticut areas. About three-quarters of the Albanian American population lives in the aforementioned Eastern U.S. states (52,000 inNew York State, 30,000 inMichigan, 21,000 inMassachusetts, 16,000 inFlorida, 15,000 inIllinois, 15,000 inNew Jersey, and 12,000 inConnecticut).
There are also smaller, yet sizable communities within the Midwest such asGreater Cleveland, andKenosha andMilwaukee, and as well as smaller East Coast communities like that of in theWashington, D.C. metropolitan area that encompassesNorthern Virginia andMaryland.Tampa andJacksonville, Florida also have sizeable Albanian communities. West of theMississippi River, there are smaller ethnic Albanian communities inDallas-Fort Worth,Houston,Phoenix, andSan Diego areas.
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To avoid service in the Turkish War during the late 19th century, due to Albania being under the rule of theOttoman Empire, Albanians would arrive in the U.S., namely toChicago,Boston, and New York.[11] The first Albanian documented to have emigrated to the United States was Kolë Kristofori (English:Nicholas Christopher), who landed inBoston in the early 1880s and is remembered as the pioneer of the Albanian ethnic group in the U.S.[12] It was not until the 1900s that large numbers of Albanians reached the U.S. East Coast: most of them were young bachelors from southern Albania.[12]
In addition to the Boston and Chicago areas,large numbers of Albanians would make their home in the N.Y.C. area, especially inthe Bronx. Workers settled in New York in the early 20th century, many of whom would find work in shoe, glass, and textile factories.[13] A second wave of Albanians arrived afterWorld War II, and many of them were refugees from theCommunist regime ofEnver Hoxha. These refugees came from all regions of Albania and settled mainly in New York.[14] Albanians would also be instrumental in the pizzeria and restaurant industry in New York, Boston, Chicago, and other metropolises.
In 1912, Albanians began arriving in theDetroit area.[15] At the time there were groups in east Detroit, northwest Detroit, andGrosse Pointe.[15] The early settlers originated from southern Albania, but they were recorded as being from Greece, Turkey, or from the country in which they boarded their boats to the United States. Many had initially lived in New York and New England, but moved to Detroit by the 1910s.[16]
The majority of this first wave of emigrants, approximately 10,000, did not intend to permanently settle in the U.S., and went back to Albania afterWorld War I.[12] Meanwhile, the post-WWII group of emigrants from Albania reached the U.S. The second group settled and intermarried in their new country.[12] The number of Albanians that reported theAlbanian language as their mother tongue in 1920 was around 6,000.[12]
AfterWorld War II the Albanians who emigrated to the U.S. were mostly political emigrants, and by 1970 the figure rose to around 17,000.[12]
Following theExpulsion of Cham Albanians from Greece in the aftermath of World War II, many of them migrated to the United States, asserting that the Communist government in Albania discriminated against and persecuted them.[17] They managed to retain their traditions and language,[17] and created in 1973 theChameria Human Rights Association which later merged and became Albanian American Organization Chameria which aimed to protect their rights.[18][19] (seeCham Albanians).
Allowing for the families that had abandoned their mother tongue, it is estimated that around 70,000 US citizens with an Albanian background lived in the US in 1980.[20]
In the 1990s, many Albanians fromAlbania,Montenegro,Serbia, and theRepublic of North Macedonia emigrated to the United States as refugees of war. Another Albanian American (Kosovan-Americans) community in theRiverside/San Bernardino area ofCalifornia includes Kosovars who entered the United States at theMarch Joint Air Reserve Base in Riverside.[21]
A wave of mass immigration came in 1992 with thebreakup of Yugoslavia and it continued in the 1990s. Some Catholic ethnic Albanians fromMontenegro entered the United States from Mexico and settled in Detroit.[22]
Some of the first ethnic Albanians to arrive in the United States were immigrants from Italy who descended from a group of Albanians known as theArbëreshë. The Arbëreshë were a group of Albanians who fled to theKingdom of Naples and to theKingdom of Sicily in the 15th century to avoid invasion by theOttoman Empire.
This group of Albanians is distinguishable from other Albanian Americans due to theirItalianized names, as well as theirAlbanian Greek Catholic religion. Nevertheless, Arbëreshë have a strong sense of identity, and are unique in that they speak an archaic dialect of Tosk Albanian calledArbëresh, which does not have any Ottoman influence.
Greater New Orleans has a history of an Arbëreshë community, mostly descended from 19th century Sicilian immigrants. Oftentimes, wherever there are Italians, there are a few Arbëreshë mixed with them. Arbëreshë Americans, therefore, are often indistinguishable from Italian Americans due to being assimilated into the greaterItalian American community.[23]
The top 10 cities in the United States that have the most Albanian Americans.[24]
| Cities | Number of Albanian Americans |
|---|---|
| New York, NY | 39,471 |
| Philadelphia, PA | 5,187 |
| Jacksonville, FL | 3,812 |
| Sterling Heights, MI | 3,331 |
| Worcester, MA | 3,315 |
| Yonkers, NY | 3,012 |
| Waterbury, CT | 3,012 |
| Quincy, MA | 1,894 |
| Chicago, IL | 1,768 |
| Boston, MA | 1,550 |
Albanians tend to live in the Upper South, the Midwest, and the Northeast. The Albanian community is generally concentrated in the Northeast, with populations mostly inNew York City,Yonkers area,Waterbury, Connecticut area,Philadelphia,Boston and nearbyQuincy. There are some Albanian communities in Florida, mainly in theJacksonville area. The main other Albanian communities are in the Midwest, such as inMetro Detroit, Michigan, andChicagoland. There are few Albanian communities elsewhere, with a small population in California and a slightly higher proportion in Texas, especiallyDallas.
With over 60,000 Albanian-Americans, the largest community is in New York which serves as an important pillar of the Albanian community.[3] 0.3% of New York State reports Albanian ancestry, and about 0.5% of NYC residents report Albanian ancestry. There is a concentrated Albanian community around the Bronx, especially aroundBelmont,Bedford Park,Morris Park, as well as also inStaten Island, which is nearly one percent Albanian. Parts ofWestchester County such asYonkers andWhite Plains are rife with Albanian people, both having over 2,000 and 1,000 Albanians each, respectively.[25]
The New Jersey cities ofGarfield,Clifton,Elmwood Park, andLodi all bear over 500 Albanians each.
TheGreater Philadelphia Area ofPennsylvania is rife with Albanian-descended persons.Philadelphia city proper, as well as the suburbs ofProgress andBerwyn are over 2% Albanian ethnically, and Philadelphia has over 5,000 Albanians in residence; 0.3% of the city's population.[26]
TheDMV area encompassing D.C., Virginia, and Maryland, has several thousand Albanians: many reside inFairfax County, Virginia (1,000; 120 in Dulles Town Center; 100 Floris; 100 in Oakton, and several dozen in other various cities and communities within the county),Arlington County, Virginia,Loudoun County, Virginia,Montgomery County, Maryland, andWashington, D.C. itself has an Albanian American proportion that is slightly higher than the American figure of 0.06% (D.C.'s is 0.08%).
Massachusetts has a large Albanian population, especially in the communities ofWorcester, which has 3,000 Albanians, andQuincy with over a thousand.Connecticut you can find them inWaterbury, CTSouthington, CT
Some 30,000 live in Michigan, about 20,000 live in Massachusetts, approximately 4,000 live in Ohio (inGreater Cleveland, especiallyLakewood and the West Side of Cleveland), 14,500 live in Illinois and about 13,000 live in Connecticut.[2][3][5][27] The three largest communities (New York, Michigan and Massachusetts) account for 58% of the total Albanian-American population.[3] Michigan has an Albanian American percentage for the state recorded at 0.4%, higher than New York's at 0.3%; thus having Michigan having the highest percentage of Albanian Americans of any state.
Hamtramck, Michigan is 3% ethnically Albanian. There are 5,000 Albanians inMacomb County, and several thousand inWayne County. While few live in the Detroit city proper, many live also in the suburbs such asSt. Clair Shores andFarmington Hills. (SeeHistory of the Albanian Americans in Metro Detroit).
Chicago has a large population of Albanians; the state ofIllinois has over 15,000 Albanians, and 3,000 reside in Chicago proper. Exurban communities likeMinooka have abundant Albanian populations.Milwaukee also has a sizeable Albanian community, whileWisconsin's total Albanian population is estimated at 5,000 strong.[28]
There is a sizable Albanian population inMissouri, especially inGreater St. Louis; the town ofBella Villa, which also has a large population of another Southern European ethnic group (Bosnian Americans), is 4% Albanian.[29] There are 1,200 Albanians inSt. Louis County.[30]
Jacksonville has the most Albanian Americans inFlorida with 3,812 Albanians, having almost 1/4 of all Albanian Americans in Florida and 1.76% of all Albanian Americans.[31] Jacksonville's population is 0.4% Albanian by ancestry.Clearwater, in theTampa area, has 900 Albanian residents, almost one percent of its population, as well as an Albanian Islamic mosque. There is also another Tampa-area Albanian mosque located inDunedin, which has served as a place of worship for thePinellas County Albanian Muslim community since 1996.[32][33]
NearbySt. Petersburg has 500 Albanians,Spring Hill has 400,Gainesville has 400,Egypt Lake-Leto has 350, andPalm Harbor has 300.[31] Collectively, theTampa Bay Area has 3,344 Albanians, making it Florida’s second largest Albanian community after Jacksonville.
South Florida has an Albanian community, although it is rather very small inMiami andMiami Beach, with the 2020s estimated data showing that not even a total of 100 ethnic Albanians live in those two cities combined. 30 miles from Miami isOakland Park, which has 800 Albanians, two percent of the city's population, and 350 live inPompano Beach.[31] Orlando and nearby communities do not have many Albanians, althoughSanford, 20 miles away, has 300 Albanian residents.[31]
Within theDallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area,Plano has a large community in addition to the metropolitan area's two aforementioned cities. The zip code of 75075, west of the Central Expressway in Plano, is 1.5% Albanian; 500-600 residents.[34] There is a Balkan/Albanian restaurant, cultural center inLewisville, and one to two thousand Albanians reside in the Dallas area.[35]
There is an Albanian presence in theNashville area. While much smaller in other parts ofTennessee, such asMemphis andKnoxville where both cities have less than 50 Albanians live in said cities proper, over 1,000 Albanians live in Nashville. There is an Albanian-language Christianmonastery that is adjoined with a community center there.[36][37]
Also, there is a small, yet thriving and historically important Albanian community inLouisiana, particularly aroundNew Orleans. Most of them areArbëresh (Albanians from Italy).
In addition to New York, Connecticut, Florida and Michigan having most of the Albanian population, pockets of sizable Albanians are found inSan Diego County, which has roughly up towards 1,000 Albanians, many residing inSantee, or in the East San Diego County area. There are also several hundred Albanian Americans in theSacramento Valley, especially in and aroundCarmichael.Pasadena, inLos Angeles, also has several hundred Albanians.Scottsdale, Arizona, as well as theGreater Phoenix area, has about 2-3,000 ethnic Albanians, and an Albanian cafe inPhoenix.[38][39] A small yet sizable Albanian community can be found inWashington state, includingMercer Island and within theSeattle area.[40]
Albanian-Americans are on average younger than non-Albanian Americans, having an average age of 33.5 in comparison to the American national average of 37.7. Albanian-Americans also have a higher percentage of males than non-Albanian Americans with 52.1% of the community being male versus the American national average of 49.2%.[41]
Albanian-born population in the U.S. since 2010 (excludes Albanians born in Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro):[42]
| Year | Number |
|---|---|
| 2010 | 77,407 |
| 2011 |  86,010 |
| 2012 |  83,746 |
| 2013 | 81,047 |
| 2014 | 81,622 |
| 2015 | 89,744 |
| 2016 | 93,033 |
New York City Public Schools started teaching Albanian language in the late 2010s; the language was offered to PS 105 in Morris Park, Bronx.[43] Starting in 2024, Albanian language is taught at an Albanian andMontenegrin American cultural center to roughly 60 children inRidgewood, Queens, NYC, entitled the "Fol Shqip School," andMercy College is the only college known to be teaching Albanian courses in New York City.[44][45]
Common ingredients found in typical Albanian American homes consist ofcabbage,onions, root vegetables,peppers, andolives.Feta cheese is widely favored by Albanian Americans, while other protein sources encompass beef, lamb, chicken, and fish. Traditional Albanian cuisine features salads, stuffed dishes, savory pies, soups, and an assortment of sweets. The Albanian culture is renowned for its hospitality, particularly in the form of food, which is evident in the extensive selection of cold and hot mezze, or appetizers. These are generally served alongsiderakia.[46]
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