Venezuelan Americans

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Venezuelan Americans
venezolano-estadounidenses
Americans with Venezuelan Ancestry by state.svg
Total population
903,153 (2023) [1]
Regions with significant populations
Languages
Religion

Venezuelan Americans (Spanish : venezolano-estadounidenses, venezolano-americanos, or estadounidenses de origen venezolano) are Americans who trace their heritage, or part of their heritage, to the nation of Venezuela. 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.

Contents

Venezuelan Americans are one of 20 Latin 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 and Indigenous 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 requesting asylum. [2]

History

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 many European migrants who went originally to Venezuela, 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 the regime of presidents Hugo Chavez and Nicolás Maduro have migrated to the United States (mostly to Florida, but Texas and Utah are other destinations).

Due to economic turmoil and crime in Venezuela, there is an ongoing migration wave to the United States and its neighboring countries. [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] 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. [9] [10] [11]

Demographics

A public assembly of Venezuelans at Bayfront Park's FPL Solar Amphitheater, in Miami, Florida. VenezuelaProtest.jpg
A public assembly of Venezuelans at Bayfront Park's FPL Solar Amphitheater, in Miami, Florida.

The largest concentration of Venezuelans in the United States is in South Florida, especially the Miami suburbs of Doral and Weston. Other main states with Venezuelan American populations are, according to the 2010 census, followed by Texas second, New York, California, New Jersey, Georgia and Virginia. Urban areas with a large Venezuelan community include Miami, Houston, New York City, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City and Washington, D.C. [3]

U.S. States with large Venezuelan American populations

States

StateVenezuelan
Population
(2022 ACS) [12] [13] [14]
Percent
Flag of Alabama.svg  Alabama 1,7590.0%
Flag of Alaska.svg  Alaska 3090.0%
Flag of Arizona.svg  Arizona 4,6250.1%
Flag of Arkansas.svg  Arkansas 2,2140.1%
Flag of California.svg  California 29,3450.1%
Flag of Colorado.svg  Colorado 9,5870.2%
Flag of Connecticut.svg  Connecticut 7,6510.2%
Flag of Delaware.svg  Delaware 1390.0%
Flag of Washington, D.C.svg  District of Columbia 1,8080.3%
Flag of Florida.svg  Florida 380,9721.7%
Flag of Georgia (U.S. state).svg Georgia 33,2270.3%
Flag of Hawaii.svg  Hawaii 1,7500.1%
Flag of Idaho.svg  Idaho 2,9990.2%
Flag of Illinois.svg  Illinois 16,7300.1%
Flag of Indiana.svg  Indiana 7,6730.1%
Flag of Iowa.svg  Iowa 5820.0%
Flag of Kansas.svg  Kansas 2,8540.1%
Flag of Kentucky.svg  Kentucky 2,2450.1%
Flag of Louisiana.svg  Louisiana 1,9910.0%
Flag of Maine.svg  Maine 3450.0%
Flag of Maryland.svg  Maryland 7,8910.1%
Flag of Massachusetts.svg  Massachusetts 7,2660.1%
Flag of Michigan.svg  Michigan 3,7050.0%
Flag of Minnesota.svg  Minnesota 4,1390.1%
Flag of Mississippi.svg  Mississippi 5600.0%
Flag of Missouri.svg  Missouri 1,6110.2%
Flag of Montana.svg  Montana 2480.0%
Flag of Nebraska.svg  Nebraska 1,5860.1%
Flag of Nevada.svg  Nevada 2,5970.1%
Flag of New Hampshire.svg  New Hampshire 7810.1%
Flag of New Jersey.svg  New Jersey 15,5660.2%
Flag of New Mexico.svg  New Mexico 2,1420.1%
Flag of New York.svg  New York 28,5900.2%
Flag of North Carolina.svg  North Carolina 18,3890.2%
Flag of North Dakota.svg  North Dakota 110.0%
Flag of Ohio.svg  Ohio 8,3880.1%
Flag of Oklahoma.svg  Oklahoma 3,9810.1%
Flag of Oregon.svg  Oregon 2,4750.1%
Flag of Pennsylvania.svg  Pennsylvania 12,9310.1%
Flag of Rhode Island.svg  Rhode Island 2,3780.2%
Flag of South Carolina.svg  South Carolina 5,4430.1%
Flag of South Dakota.svg  South Dakota 530.0%
Flag of Tennessee.svg  Tennessee 11,7890.2%
Flag of Texas.svg  Texas 122,0380.4%
Flag of Utah.svg  Utah 18,3260.5%
Flag of Vermont.svg  Vermont 3460.1%
Flag of Virginia.svg  Virginia 12,4000.1%
Flag of Washington.svg  Washington 5,1500.1%
Flag of West Virginia.svg  West Virginia 2610.0%
Flag of Wisconsin.svg  Wisconsin 3,7260.0%
Flag of Wyoming.svg  Wyoming 4030.1%
Total U.S. Venezuelan Population814,0800.2%

U.S. metropolitan areas with the largest Venezuelan populations

The largest populations of Venezuelans are situated in the following metropolitan areas (Source: 2021 estimate): [15]

  1. Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL MSA - 177,730 - 2.92%
  2. Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL MSA – 77,541 - 2.88%
  3. Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX MSA – 60,308 - 0.84%
  4. New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PA-CT MSA – 41,915 - 0.21%
  5. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA MSA – 24,211 - 0.39%
  6. Dallas–Fort Worth-Arlington, TX MSA - 19,124 - 0.23%
  7. Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL MSA – 18,508 - 0.58%
  8. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV MSA – 14,480 - 0.23%
  9. Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL-IN-WI MSA - 13,621 - 0.14%
  10. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, CA MSA – 11,867 - 0.09%
  11. Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, MSA - 9,941 - 0.42%
  12. Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH Metro Area - 7,789 - 0.16%
  13. Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill, NC-SC MSA - 6,649 - 0.25%
  14. Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO MSA - 6,186 - 0.21%
  15. Jacksonville, FL-GA MSA - 5,097 - 0.20%
  16. San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA MSA - 4,971 - 0.11%
  17. Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD MSA - 4,339 - 0.07%
  18. Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL MSA - 3,949 - 0.50%
  19. Salt Lake City, UT MSA - 3,845 - 0.3%
  20. Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT MSA - 3,528 - 0.37%
  21. Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX MSA - 2,381 - 0.11%

States with highest Venezuelan population

The 10 states with the largest Venezuelan population were (Source: Census 2020 [12] ):

  1. Florida – 380,972 (1.7% of state population)
  2. Texas – 122,038 (0.4% of state population)
  3. Georgia – 33,227 (0.3% of state population)
  4. California – 29,345 (0.1% of state population)
  5. New York – 28,590 (0.2% of state population)
  6. North Carolina – 18,389 (0.2% of state population)
  7. Utah – 18,326 (0.5% of state population)
  8. Illinois - 16,730 (0.1% of state population)
  9. New Jersey – 15,566 (0.2% of state population)
  10. Pennsylvania – 12,931 (0.1% of state population)

Population distribution by Venezuelan ancestry

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: [16]

  1. Doral, Florida 8.22%
  2. Weston, Florida 4.1%
  3. Fontainebleau, Florida 3.14%
  4. The Hammocks, Florida 3.14%
  5. Key Biscayne, Florida 2.36%
  6. North Bay Village, Florida 2.15%
  7. Sunny Isles Beach, Florida 1.96%
  8. Miami Beach, Florida 1.79%
  9. Virginia Gardens, Florida 1.58%
  10. Kendale Lakes, Florida 1.54%
  11. Kendall, Florida 1.47%
  12. Surfside, Florida 1.41%
  13. Richmond West, Florida 1.36%
  14. West Sand Lake, New York 1.34%
  15. Aventura, Florida 1.31%
  16. Country Club, Florida 1.26%
  17. Bal Harbour, Florida 1.21%
  18. Coral Gables, Florida 1.17%
  19. Bay Harbor Islands, Florida 1.15%
  20. Miami Lakes, Florida 1.06%
  21. Tamiami, Florida 1.06%
  22. Miami Springs, Florida 1.01%
  23. Sand Lake, New York 1.01%
Carolina Herrera, fashion designer Carolina Herrera alt.jpg
Carolina Herrera, fashion designer

By Venezuelan birth

The top 25 U.S. communities with the most residents born in Venezuela are:[ citation needed ]

Miguel Cabrera, professional baseball player Miguel Cabrera (2011).jpg
Miguel Cabrera, professional baseball player
  1. Doral, Florida 17.3%
  2. Medley, Florida 16.1%
  3. Weston, Florida 10.2%
  4. Maurice, Louisiana 9.8%
  5. Hunters Creek, Florida 7.1%
  6. Three Lakes, Florida 5.1%
  7. North Westside, Florida 5.0%
  8. Northlake, Texas 4.8%
  9. Key Biscayne, Florida 4.3%
  10. Aventura, Florida 4.2%
  11. Dade City North, Florida 4.0%
  12. Southchase, Florida 3.7%
  13. Lake Belvedere Estates, Florida 3.7%
  14. Fontainebleau, Florida 3.5%
  15. Wahneta, Florida 3.5%
  16. Derwood, Maryland 3.3%
  17. North Bay Village, Florida 3.3%
  18. Princeton, Florida 3.1%
  19. The Hammocks, Florida 3.0%
  20. Chambers Estates, Florida 2.8%
  21. Snellville, Georgia 2.8%
  22. Tequesta, Florida 2.8%
  23. Horizon West, Florida 2.7%
  24. Sunny Isles Beach, Florida 2.4%
  25. Surfside, Florida 2.4%

Ethnic variety

The Venezuelan American population represents Venezuela's ethnic variety. Some 40 percent of Venezuelan immigrants are a mixture of European, Indigenous, and African ancestry. The rest are 56 percent white, 2 percent black and 2 percent is Indigenous. Most Venezuelan Americans are descendants of Spanish (mainly), Italians, Portuguese, Germans, Jews, Syrians and Chinese. [17]

Socioeconomics

Laura Termini, actress, producer, writer Laura Termini.png
Laura Termini, actress, producer, writer

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]

Relations with Venezuela

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]

Notable people

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cuban Americans</span> Americans of Cuban birth or descent

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haitian Americans</span> Americans of Haitian birth or descent

Haitian Americans are a group of Americans of full or partial Haitian origin or descent. The largest proportion of Haitians in the United States live in Little Haiti to the South Florida area. In addition, they have settled in major Northeast cities such as New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, D.C., and in Chicago and Detroit in the Midwest. Most are immigrants or their descendants from the mid-late 20th-century migrations to the United States. Haitian Americans represent the largest group within the Haitian diaspora.

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A Nicaraguan American is an American of Nicaraguan descent. They are also referred to as "nica" or "nicoya".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ecuadorian Americans</span> Ethnic group

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guatemalan Americans</span> Americans of Guatemalan birth or descent

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Panamanian Americans are Americans of Panamanian descent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paraguayan Americans</span> Americans of Paraguayan birth or descent

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Venezuelan refugee crisis</span> Emigration of millions of Venezuelans during the Bolivarian Revolution

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References

  1. https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDT1Y2023.B03001?q=Hispanic%20or%20Latino&g=010XX00US
  2. "The Venezuelan Walkers | Human Rights Watch". September 5, 2018. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Walker, Drew (2010). "A Countries and Their Cultures: Venezuelan American". Everyculture.com. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  4. Turkewitz, Julie; Herrera, Isayen (September 24, 2023). "Why Are So Many Venezuelans Going to the United States?". The New York Times.
  5. Turkewitz, Julie; Rios, Federico (October 7, 2022). "In Record Numbers, Venezuelans Risk a Deadly Trek to Reach the U.S. Border". The New York Times.
  6. "Historic Venezuelan refugee crisis tests U.S. Border policies - CBS News". CBS News . September 26, 2023.
  7. "Venezuelan Refugee and Migrant Crisis".
  8. "Venezuelan Migration Crisis Impacts Neighboring Countries". NPR .
  9. "The Venezuelan migrant crisis and the U.S. Response, explained". The Week . October 16, 2022.
  10. Fandos, Nicholas (September 21, 2023). "Venezuelan Migrants Scored a Big Victory. How Will It Affect New York?". The New York Times.
  11. "Why are Venezuelans coming to the United States?". December 2022.
  12. 1 2 "Detailed Races and Ethnicities in the United States and Puerto Rico: 2020 Census".
  13. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
  14. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov.
  15. "Explore Census Data".
  16. "Venezuelan ancestry by city – ePodunk". Epodunk.com. Retrieved December 1, 2008.
  17. "Composición Étnica de las Tres Áreas Culturales del Continente Americano al Comienzo del Siglo XXI" [Ethnic Composition of the Three Areas Culture of the American Continent at the beginning of the 21st century](PDF) (in Spanish). September 20, 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 20, 2008.
  18. "S0201. Selected Population Profile in the United States; Population Group: Venezuelan". 2006 American Community Survey. United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved June 2, 2008.

Further reading