| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 19,961 (2010 American Community Survey)[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Illinois,Wisconsin,California, andWashington | |
| Languages | |
| American English,New Zealand English,Māori,Spanish | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Australian Americans · Oceanian Americans |
| Lists of Americans |
|---|
| By US state |
| By ethnicity |
New Zealand Americans areAmericans who haveNew Zealand ancestry. According to the 2010 surveys, there are 19,961 New Zealand Americans.[1] Most of them are of European descent, but some hundreds are of indigenous New Zealand descent. Some 925 of those New Zealand-Americans declared they were ofTokelauan origin.[2] The 2000 Census indicated also the existence of 1,994 people ofMāori descent in US.[3]
The earliest instance of Many New Zealanders coming to the United States happened during theCalifornia Gold Rush in which some went to the state ofCalifornia to make their fortune and stayed there. The modern stream of New Zealanders immigrating to America came afterWorld War II as a significant portion (although not the majority) of these immigrants werewar brides, because they had married U.S. servicemen who were stationed in thePacific theater during the war. Since the 1940s, the majority of New Zealanders who have settled in the United States came seeking higher education or employment, especially in work related to finance, import and export, and entertainment industries.
Some small communities of New Zealanders have been created in theChicago area and in theGreen Bay andMadison,Wisconsin areas.[4]
