 | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 1,168,271 (2024)[1] 0.34% of total population (2024) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Languages | |
| Religion | |
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Venezuelan Americans (Spanish:venezolano-estadounidenses,venezolano-americanos, orestadounidenses de origen venezolano) are Americans who trace their heritage, or part of their heritage, to the nation ofVenezuela. The word may refer to someone born in the U.S. of Venezuelan descent or to someone who has immigrated to the U.S. from Venezuela.
Venezuelan Americans are one of manyLatin American groups in the United States. Venezuela's diverse culture includes influences from Spanish, Portuguese, Italians, Germans, Dutch and the French, along with influences from African andIndigenous elements.
Venezuelan Spanish is the group's spoken form of the Spanish language.
In the United States, Venezuelans are on top of the list of nationalities requestingasylum.[2]
Until the 20th century, the number of Venezuelans that immigrated to the United States is unknown because they were included in the "Other" category. During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, there were manyEuropean migrants who went originally toVenezuela, but later moved to the United States with their children and grandchildren who were born and/or grew up in Venezuela speaking Spanish. From 1910 to 1930, it is estimated that over 4,000 South Americans each year migrated to the United States. However, there are not many specific figures that indicate the number of Venezuelans among the 4,000.[3]
Many Venezuelans settled in the United States with hopes of receiving a better education, only to remain there following graduation. Many Venezuelans who have relatives living in the United States also immigrated to this country. However, since the 1980s, the reasons for Venezuelan immigration have changed to include hopes of earning a better salary.[3] In the 1990s and continuing up to the present, many Venezuelans opposing theregime of presidentsHugo Chavez andNicolás Maduro have migrated to the United States (mostly to Florida, but Texas and Utah are other destinations).[4]
Due to economic turmoil and crime in Venezuela, there is an ongoing migration wave to the United States and its neighboring countries.[5][6][7][8][9] and currently as of the early 2020s, Venezuelans make up the majority of undocumented immigrants coming into the country, many going to cities such as New York, Chicago, Denver and Washington, D.C.[10][11][12]
The largest concentration of Venezuelans in the United States is inSouth Florida, especially the Miami suburbs ofDoral andWeston. Other main states with Venezuelan American populations are, according to the 2010 census, followed byTexas second, New York, California,New Jersey,Georgia andVirginia. Urban areas with a large Venezuelan community includeMiami,Houston,New York City,Los Angeles,Salt Lake City andWashington, D.C.[3]
| State | Venezuelan Population (2022ACS)[13][14][15] | Percent |
|---|---|---|
 Alabama | 1,759 | 0.0% |
 Alaska | 309 | 0.0% |
 Arizona | 4,625 | 0.1% |
 Arkansas | 2,214 | 0.1% |
 California | 29,345 | 0.1% |
 Colorado | 9,587 | 0.2% |
 Connecticut | 7,651 | 0.2% |
 Delaware | 139 | 0.0% |
 District of Columbia | 1,808 | 0.3% |
 Florida | 380,972 | 1.7% |
 Georgia | 33,227 | 0.3% |
 Hawaii | 1,750 | 0.1% |
 Idaho | 2,999 | 0.2% |
 Illinois | 16,730 | 0.1% |
 Indiana | 7,673 | 0.1% |
 Iowa | 582 | 0.0% |
 Kansas | 2,854 | 0.1% |
 Kentucky | 2,245 | 0.1% |
 Louisiana | 1,991 | 0.0% |
 Maine | 345 | 0.0% |
 Maryland | 7,891 | 0.1% |
 Massachusetts | 7,266 | 0.1% |
 Michigan | 3,705 | 0.0% |
 Minnesota | 4,139 | 0.1% |
 Mississippi | 560 | 0.0% |
 Missouri | 1,611 | 0.2% |
 Montana | 248 | 0.0% |
 Nebraska | 1,586 | 0.1% |
 Nevada | 2,597 | 0.1% |
 New Hampshire | 781 | 0.1% |
 New Jersey | 15,566 | 0.2% |
 New Mexico | 2,142 | 0.1% |
 New York | 28,590 | 0.2% |
 North Carolina | 18,389 | 0.2% |
 North Dakota | 11 | 0.0% |
 Ohio | 8,388 | 0.1% |
 Oklahoma | 3,981 | 0.1% |
 Oregon | 2,475 | 0.1% |
 Pennsylvania | 12,931 | 0.1% |
 Rhode Island | 2,378 | 0.2% |
 South Carolina | 5,443 | 0.1% |
 South Dakota | 53 | 0.0% |
 Tennessee | 11,789 | 0.2% |
 Texas | 122,038 | 0.4% |
 Utah | 18,326 | 0.5% |
 Vermont | 346 | 0.1% |
 Virginia | 12,400 | 0.1% |
 Washington | 5,150 | 0.1% |
 West Virginia | 261 | 0.0% |
 Wisconsin | 3,726 | 0.0% |
 Wyoming | 403 | 0.1% |
| Total U.S. Venezuelan Population | 814,080 | 0.2% |
The largest populations of Venezuelans are situated in the following metropolitan areas (Source: 2021 estimate):[16]
The 10 states with the largest Venezuelan population were (Source: Census 2020[13]):
Among U.S. communities in 2000 wherein one thousand or more people indicated their ancestry, those where at least 1% of people claimed Venezuelan ancestry were:[17]
The Venezuelan American population are highly educated. The people obtain bachelor's, graduate, and professional degrees at nearly double (48.5%) the total U.S. national percentage (27%), while only 6% of the group's adults did not complete high school, compared to 15.9% of the total U.S. national population.[18]
Venezuelan Americans still maintain strong relations with their country of origin, which can easily be seen in business, family, and community life. Venezuelan Americans often report on the social and current events in Venezuela and first-generation immigrants visit there frequently. It is also quite common for Venezuelans to visit their relatives in the United States.[3]
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