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అమెరికా తెలుగువారు Amerikā Teluguvāru | |
|---|---|
 The spread of the Telugu language in the United States according to the 2000 U.S. Census. | |
| Total population | |
| 1,230,000[1][2] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Languages | |
| Predominantly: | |
| Religion | |
| Predominantly: Hinduism Minority: Christianity,Islam | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
Telugu Americans (Telugu:అమెరికా తెలుగువారు,romanized: Amerikā Teluguvāru) are citizens of theUnited States of America who belong to theTelugu ethnolinguistic group. The majority of Telugu Americans can trace their roots back to theIndian states ofAndhra Pradesh andTelangana, but also from other neighboring states includingKarnataka,Tamil Nadu,Odisha,Maharashtra, among others. Telugu Americans are not counted as a distinct group in theUnited States Census, so population estimates are based on the number of Telugu-language speakers reported.
Historically, majority of the Telugu immigrants to the United States during the 20th century hailed from theKrishna and Godavari delta regions of Andhra Pradesh. Later, during the early 21st century, they primarily came from all major cities of the undivided Andhra Pradesh, and from 2014 onwards, they have been immigrating from all rural and urban areas of both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
The rise in the Telugu American population is attributed to the increasing representation ofSouth Indian diaspora in the technological field, especially following theY2K incident.[3] In fact, the Brookings Institution Report revealed that the Telugu states sent over 26,000 students between 2008 and 2012, with most pursuing degrees inSTEM fields.
Telugu people constitute one of the largest groups ofIndian Americans.[4] The majority of Telugu Americans live in metropolitan areas with significant economic importance in STEM fields. These areas include theBay Area, theTexas Triangle,Delaware Valley,Chicagoland,Central Jersey,Northern Virginia, as well as theSeattle andBaltimore metropolitan areas. Smaller, but significant populations of Telugu Americans exist throughout the country in other metropolitan and micropolitan areas of almost every state.[5] These includeGreater Boston,Kansas City,Metro Detroit,Greater Cleveland, andMinneapolis–Saint Paul.
The predominant faith among Telugu Americans isHinduism, with a significant number also identifying asChristians, and a smaller portion asMuslims.
| Lists of Americans |
|---|
| By U.S. state |
| By ethnicity |
A recent study by the American Center for Immigration Studies showed Telugu as the fastest growing language in United States, which has grown by 86% in the last seven years.[6]
During the2020 United States elections, theTelugu language was first listed on voter registration and ballot boxes in select locales.[7][8]
The states with the highest percentages of Telugu speakers are:
| Serial No | The states with the highest percentages of Telugu speakers | |
|---|---|---|
| State | Percentage (%) | |
| 1 | New Jersey | 0.35 |
| 2 | Delaware | 0.25 |
| 3 | Virginia | 0.25 |
| 4 | Connecticut | 0.18 |
| 5 | Illinois | 0.17 |
| 6 | Texas | 0.16 |
| 7 | California | 0.15 |
| 8 | Maryland | 0.15 |
| 9 | Georgia | 0.14 |
| 10 | New Hampshire | 0.13 |
| 11 | Washington | 0.13 |
| 12 | Massachusetts | 0.13 |
| 13 | Kansas | 0.13 |
| 14 | Michigan | 0.12 |
| 15 | Minnesota | 0.11 |
| 16 | North Carolina | 0.10 |
| 17 | Arizona | 0.10 |
| 18 | Pennsylvania | 0.09 |
| 19 | Ohio | 0.07 |
 |
Telugu Americans have suffered from hate crimes in America. The most notable of these incidents was the2017 Olathe, Kansas shooting, in which a white supremacist, Adam Purinton, harassed two Telugu immigrants, Srinivas Kuchibhotla and Alok Madasani, under the pretense that they were Iranians and or illegal immigrants. Purinton proceeded to shoot them, killing Kuchibhotla and wounding Madasani, as well as Ian Grillot, a White American who had come to their defense.
Aishwarya Thatikonda, a Telugu immigrant from Hyderabad, and Dallas resident, was a victim of the2023 Allen, Texas outlet mall shooting.
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