As war wages in Ukraine, Europe, and likely countries outside of Europe, will face a refugee crisis. Already well over half a million people have fled Ukraine in search of safety. Here in the United States, our population that lists Ukrainian as their ancestry is rather small, just over 1 million people, or 0.31% of our population. So, if these refugees make it to the U.S., where might they find people who remind them of home? And if you are looking for ways to support Ukraine, by eating at Ukrainian restaurants, attending festivals, etc., where might you find these?
It is no surprise that New York City, the original entry point into the United States, is home to the largest percentage of the U.S. Ukrainian population. Around 14% of the total Ukrainian population calls the New York metro area home in the U.S. After WWII, the USSR encouraged many of Jewish heritage to leave the country, and those people likely settled in the New York area, so it isn’t surprising that so many still live in that area today. Overall, Pennsylvania, New York, Washington, New Jersey and Delaware have the largest percentages of people of Ukrainian ancestry. You can see this on the map below.
When we drill down to the county level, there are interesting clusters of people with Ukrainian ancestry. Billings County, North Dakota’s population is 8.95% Ukrainian, with Southeast Fairbanks, Alaska coming in behind them at 5.08%, and Lucas Iowa at 2.9%. Those that settled in the Midwest was likely due to agriculture initially, with family staying in the area generations later.
While Ukrainian people represent a small portion of the United States, there are a few cluster areas where they represent a larger percentage of their community.
Recent Comments