Bulgarian Ancestry in United States
Bulgarian Americans are Americans who have full or partial Bulgarian ancestry. People of Bulgarian ancestry form a minority group in several countries of North and South America. As per the estimates, the total population of Bulgarian ancestry is 1 million around the world and the largest communities of the Bulgarian diaspora in Americas are in the United States, Canada, Argentina, and Brazil.
According to the United States Ancestry Census 2020, there were 106,177 (0.03% of the U.S. population) people of Bulgarian descent in the U.S. This number can be higher as per the general assessments of Bulgarian diplomatic representations in the US for 2010, there are 250,000 Bulgarians residing in the country, and more than 30,000 students.
Top US State by Bulgarian Population
The state with the largest number of Bulgarians is Illinois, followed by California, Florida, and New York.
List of States by Bulgarian Ancestry Population
# | States | Est. population | Percent |
1 | Illinois | 15,988 | 0.13% |
2 | California | 13,897 | 0.04% |
3 | Florida | 8,402 | 0.04% |
4 | New York | 5,830 | 0.03% |
5 | Washington | 4,649 | 0.06% |
6 | Texas | 4,386 | 0.02% |
7 | Massachusetts | 4,228 | 0.06% |
8 | Pennsylvania | 3,376 | 0.03% |
9 | Michigan | 3,166 | 0.03% |
10 | Ohio | 3,155 | 0.03% |
11 | New Jersey | 3,154 | 0.04% |
12 | Virginia | 3,132 | 0.04% |
13 | Georgia | 2,864 | 0.03% |
14 | Arizona | 2,525 | 0.04% |
15 | Nevada | 2,463 | 0.08% |
16 | Missouri | 2,296 | 0.04% |
17 | Maryland | 2,231 | 0.04% |
18 | Colorado | 1,879 | 0.03% |
19 | Indiana | 1,758 | 0.03% |
20 | North Carolina | 1,599 | 0.02% |
21 | Minnesota | 1,355 | 0.02% |
22 | Oregon | 1,300 | 0.03% |
23 | Wisconsin | 1,243 | 0.02% |
Other states have less than 1000 + people with Vulgarian Descent
Source: US Census 2020
Top U.S. Cities by Bulgarian population
Chicago Metro area with 16,126 people of Bulgarian ancestry, has the largest population of Bulgarian Americans. It’s followed by New York (6,029) and the Washington metro area (4,181).
Top Metro Areas by Bulgarian Population
# | Metro Area | State | Population |
1 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin | IL-IN-WI | 16,126 |
2 | New York-Newark-Jersey City | NY-NJ-PA | 6,029 |
3 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria | DC-VA-MD-WV | 4,181 |
4 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | CA | 3,590 |
5 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue | WA | 3,317 |
6 | San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley | CA | 3,223 |
7 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | CA | 3,107 |
8 | Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater | FL | 2,961 |
9 | Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach | FL | 2,820 |
10 | Boston-Cambridge-Newton | MA-NH | 2,750 |
Source: US Census Estimates
Read about Top US Cities by Population
Bulgarians Canadians
Bulgarian Canadians are Canadians who have full or partial Bulgarian ancestry. Bulgarian Canadians account for about 0.10% of the total population of Canada. According to the Canadian Census 2020, there were 33,085 people of Bulgarian descent in Canada.Bulgarian 33,085.
Bulgarians primarily settled in Canada’s industrial cities, mostly Toronto, and Ontario, which was a major center of Bulgarian migration to North America. Other Cities with good numbers are Ottawa, Vancouver, and Montreal.
Bulgarians in South America
Bulgarians have been settling in South America since the late 19th century. Their presence has been documented in Uruguay since 1905, in Argentina since 1906, and in Brazil since the early 20th century.
The Bulgarian diaspora in South America is Largest in Argentina, around 3,000 people have declared Bulgarian nationality in Argentina. Bulgarians mainly live in Buenos Aires, Berisso, Mar del Plata, Presidencia Roque Sáenz Peña, Las Breñas, and Comodoro Rivadavia.
According to estimates, 1,800–5,000 Bulgarians live in Brazil, chiefly in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Porto Alegre, and Belo Horizonte, including many Bessarabian Bulgarians and some Bulgarian Jews and Bulgarian Armenians.
The Bulgarian diaspora in Uruguay is around 2,000. Most Bulgarians in this country live in Montevideo, with some in Fray Bentos, Punta del Este, Maldonado, Durazno, and Rocha. In the late 1920s, there were around 4,000 Bulgarians in Uruguay. A smaller number of Bulgarians have also settled in Chile (today around 150, mostly in Santiago), Venezuela (today around 130), Peru, Paraguay, and Colombia.
Source: estimates