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Arab Population in United States
Arab Americans are people who self-identify as Arabic of Arab World origin; this includes immigrants from the region of the Levant, which includes Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, and Jordan, although overwhelmingly from Lebanon. The remainder is made up of those from Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Iraq, Libya, the Gulf Cooperation Council, and other Arab nations.
Arab Americans are a sub-group of people from the Middle East* and North America and are considered “White” in the census count.
As per US Census 2020, an estimated 2.1 million Arab origin reside in the United States.
The Arab population in the U.S., 2000-2020
| Year | Population |
| 2000 | 1,160,729 |
| 2010 | 1,698,570 |
| 2020 | 2,058,490 |
Estimated Population of Arab Americans in 2024 is 2.2 million
also read about Middle Eastern Americans
*The U.S. Census Bureau Bureau defines “White” people to be those “having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa.
Arab Population by Nation of Origin
Arab Americans make up 0.62% of the U.S. population and according to the 2020 U.S. census, there are 2,058,490 Arab Americans in the United States. 264,230 persons defined themselves as simply Arab, and a further 387,188 as Other Arab. Other groups on the 2020 census are listed by nation of origin, and some may or may not be Arabs, or regard themselves as Arabs.
The largest subgroup is by far the Lebanese Americans, with 508,210, followed by; Egyptian Americans with 278,554, Syrian Americans with 185,008, Iraqi Americans with 153,964, Palestinian Moroccan Americans with 137,434, Moroccan Americans with 120,402, and Jordanian Americans with 88,553.
Let’s have a look at Arab Americans by Origin
| # | Arab Origin | Pop. 2020 Census |
| 1 | Lebanese | 508,210 |
| 2 | Egyptian | 278,554 |
| 3 | Arab | 264,230 |
| 4 | Syrian | 185,008 |
| 5 | Iraqi | 153,964 |
| 6 | Palestinian | 137,434 |
| 7 | Moroccan | 120,402 |
| 8 | Jordanian | 88,553 |
| 9 | Other small Arab Nations | 387,188 |
| Total Arab | 2,058,490 |
Other West Asian and Middle East Origins
| # | Non-Arab West Asian Origin | Pop. 2020 |
| 1 | Iranian | 476,242 |
| 2 | Armenian | 460,254 |
| 3 | Turkish | 223,260 |
| 4 | Israeli | 144,860 |
| 5 | Afghan | 131,619 |
| 6 | Assyrian/Chaldean/Syriac | 100,649 |
also read about Arab Population in Canada
Top U.S. states by the Arab population
About 50% of the Arab American population, resides in California, Michigan, New York, Texas, Florida, and New Jersey, respectively. They have a population of more than 100,000 Arab residents.
The cities with 100,000 or more in population with the highest percentages of Arabs are Sterling Heights, Michigan 3.69%; Jersey City, New Jersey 2.81%; Warren, Michigan 2.51%; Allentown, Pennsylvania 2.45%; Burbank, California 2.39% and nearby Glendale, California 2.07%; Livonia, Michigan 1.94%; Arlington, Virginia 1.77%; Paterson, New Jersey 1.77%; and Daly City, California 1.69%.
Let’s have a look at Top U.S states by the Arab population
| # | States | Arab Population 2020 | % of the Total State Population |
| 1 | California | 310,118 | 0.79% |
| 2 | Michigan | 197,602 | 1.98% |
| 3 | New York | 178,723 | 0.92% |
| 4 | Texas | 153,191 | 0.53% |
| 5 | Florida | 126,752 | 0.60% |
| 6 | New Jersey | 107,097 | 1.21% |
| 7 | Illinois | 97,714 | 0.77% |
| 8 | Ohio | 83,269 | 0.71% |
| 9 | Virginia | 80,011 | 0.94% |
| 10 | Pennsylvania | 72,938 | 0.57% |
| 11 | Massachusetts | 70,472 | 1.03% |
| 12 | North Carolina | 41,621 | 0.40% |
| 13 | Tennessee | 40,518 | 0.60% |
| 14 | Arizona | 38,936 | 0.54% |
| 15 | Washington | 36,139 | 0.48% |
| 16 | Maryland | 33,957 | 0.56% |
| 17 | Georgia | 33,956 | 0.32% |
| 18 | Minnesota | 25,547 | 0.46% |
| 19 | Connecticut | 25,515 | 0.71% |
| 20 | Missouri | 24,451 | 0.40% |
| 21 | Colorado | 24,033 | 0.42% |
| 22 | Indiana | 22,112 | 0.33% |
| 23 | Louisiana | 20,274 | 0.43% |
| 24 | Oregon | 19,622 | 0.47% |
| 25 | Wisconsin | 16,763 | 0.29% |
| 26 | Kentucky | 15,567 | 0.35% |
| 27 | South Carolina | 13,595 | 0.27% |
| 28 | Nevada | 12,661 | 0.42% |
| 29 | Alabama | 12,467 | 0.25% |
| 30 | Oklahoma | 10,711 | 0.27% |
| 31 | Kansas | 10,026 | 0.34% |
| 32 | New Hampshire | 9,241 | 0.68% |
| 33 | Rhode Island | 8,940 | 0.85% |
| 34 | Iowa | 8,683 | 0.28% |
| 35 | Mississippi | 8,086 | 0.27% |
| 36 | Utah | 8,064 | 0.26% |
| 37 | Nebraska | 7,537 | 0.39% |
| 38 | New Mexico | 7,071 | 0.34% |
| 39 | West Virginia | 6,601 | 0.37% |
| 40 | Arkansas | 5,950 | 0.20% |
| 41 | District of Columbia | 5,578 | 0.79% |
| 42 | Maine | 4,422 | 0.33% |
| 43 | Idaho | 4,289 | 0.24% |
| 44 | Delaware | 3,418 | 0.35% |
| 45 | North Dakota | 3,013 | 0.40% |
| 46 | Hawaii | 2,435 | 0.17% |
| 47 | Vermont | 2,129 | 0.34% |
| 48 | Puerto Rico | 1,896 | 0.06% |
| 49 | South Dakota | 1,796 | 0.20% |
| 50 | Montana | 1,542 | 0.15% |
| 51 | Alaska | 973 | 0.13% |
| 52 | Wyoming | 468 | 0.08% |
| – | United States | 2,058,490 | 0.62% |
also read about the White Americans in the United States
Top U.S. Cities by Arab population
New York Metro area with 239,497 people of Arab ancestry, has the largest population of Arab Americans. It’s followed by Detroit (182,980) and the Los Angeles metro area (128,370).
Top Metro Areas by Arab Population
| # | Metro Area | Population |
| 1 | New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA | 239,497 |
| 2 | Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | 182,980 |
| 3 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 128,370 |
| 4 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 90,094 |
| 5 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI | 77,347 |
| 6 | Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | 64,364 |
| 7 | Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 57,538 |
| 8 | Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 56,023 |
| 9 | San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA | 53,398 |
| 10 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | 50,244 |
| 11 | Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL | 49,766 |
| 12 | Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 47,835 |
| 13 | Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 39,436 |
| 14 | Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 33,753 |
| 15 | Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta, GA | 30,207 |
| 16 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 26,007 |
| 17 | Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | 25,662 |
| 18 | Cleveland-Elyria, OH | 24,470 |
| 19 | Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | 23,830 |
| 20 | Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX | 23,524 |
Source: US Census Estimates 2021
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