Ukrainian American

Ukrainian American
Українці Америки
Agapius Honcharenko
(Andrii Humnytsky)
Total population
976,314[1]
0.35% of US population (2009)
Regions with significant populations
New York City Metropolitan Area,[2] Rust Belt (Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan & Illinois), Midwest (Minnesota & North Dakota), California, Alaska
Languages
American English, Ukrainian, Russian
Religion
Predominantly Ukrainian Greek Catholic with Ukrainian Orthodox, Protestant and Jewish minorities
Related ethnic groups
Ukrainians, Ukrainian Canadians, British Ukrainians, Ukrainian Australians, Rusyn Americans, other Slavic peoples especially East Slavs

Ukrainian Americans (Ukrainian: Українці Америки, Українці у США; translit. Ukrayintsi Ameriki, Ukrayintsi u SShA) are Americans who are of Ukrainian ancestry. According to U.S. census estimates, in 2006 there were 961,113 Americans of Ukrainian descent representing 0.33% of the American population.[1] The Ukrainian population of the United States is thus the second largest outside the former Soviet Union; only Canada has a larger Ukrainian community. According to the 2000 U.S. census, the metropolitan areas with the largest numbers of Ukrainian Americans are: New York City with 160,000 Ukrainians, Philadelphia with 60,000 Ukrainians, Chicago with 46,000 Ukrainians, Los Angeles with 34,000, Detroit with 33,000 Ukrainians, Cleveland with 26,000 and Indianapolis with 19,000.[3][4]

History

Distribution of Ukrainian Americans, as percentage of the population, according to the 2000 census.
The New York City Metropolitan Area, including Brighton Beach in Brooklyn, New York and Fair Lawn in Bergen County, New Jersey, is home to by far the largest Ukrainian population in the United States.[5]

The first Ukrainian immigrant to America, Ivan Bohdan, sailed with John Smith to the Jamestown colony in 1607. Bohdan met captain Smith during the time when the latter had fought the Turks, was captured, and escaped captivity by fleeing through Ukraine, Romania, Hungary, and other countries.[6] Large scale Ukrainian immigration to America did not begin, however, until the 1880s.[7]

The largest wave of Ukrainians came in the early 1990s, after the fall of the Soviet Union. A large number those emigrating from Ukraine after the fall of the Soviet Union were Jewish and Protestant. Many Ukrainians of the newest immigration wave migrated to large cities and regional centers, creating ethnic enclaves. In addition, many Ukrainian Americans have come by way of Canada, which has a larger Ukrainian presence.

Ukrainian Americans living in Northern New Jersey and the remainder of the Northeastern United States have long been politically vocal about Ukrainian affairs, often traveling to Washington, D.C. to express their concerns.[8]

Demographics

Ukrainian Institute of America, on Fifth Avenue, Manhattan, New York City.
St. Andrew Memorial Church in South Bound Brook, New Jersey was constructed as a memorial honoring victims of the Holodomor and serves as the headquarters of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA.

As of the 2000 U.S. Census, there were 892,922 Americans of full or partial Ukrainian descent. The New York City Metropolitan Area contains by far the largest Ukrainian community in the United States, receiving the highest legal permanent resident Ukrainian immigrant population.[2]

The American states with the largest Ukrainian populations are as follows:

New York 148,700
Pennsylvania   122,291
California 83,125
New Jersey 73,809
Ohio 48,908[9]
Illinois 47,623

The total number of people born in Ukraine is more than 275,155 inhabitants.[10]

U.S. communities with high percentages of people of Ukrainian ancestry

The top 20 U.S. communities with the highest percentage of people claiming Ukrainian ancestry are:[11]

  1. Cass Township, Pennsylvania (Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania) 14.30%
  2. Belfield, North Dakota 13.60%
  3. Gulich Township, Pennsylvania 12.70%
  4. Gilberton, Pennsylvania 12.40%
  5. Wilton, North Dakota 10.30%
  6. Lumberland, New York 9.90%
  7. Saint Clair, Pennsylvania 8.80%
  8. Soap Lake, Washington 8.10%
  9. Frackville, Pennsylvania 7.60%
  10. Olyphant, Pennsylvania and Norwegian Township, Pennsylvania 7.00%
  11. Houtzdale, Pennsylvania 6.90%
  12. Harmony Township, Pennsylvania (Beaver County, Pennsylvania) and Kerhonkson, New York 6.70%
  13. Baden, Pennsylvania and McAdoo, Pennsylvania 5.90%
  14. Branch Township, Pennsylvania and Postville, Iowa 5.70%
  15. Woodward Township, Pennsylvania (Clearfield County, Pennsylvania) and Northampton, Pennsylvania 5.60%
  16. Warren, New York and Independence, Ohio 5.50%
  17. West Leechburg, Pennsylvania 5.40%
  18. Ambridge, Pennsylvania, Mount Carmel Township, Pennsylvania, and Parma, Ohio 5.30%
  19. Ford City, Pennsylvania 5.20%
  20. Bigler Township, Pennsylvania and Kline Township, Pennsylvania 5.10%
  21. Mayfield Heights, Ohio 3.4%

U.S. communities with the highest percentage of residents born in Ukraine

Top 20 U.S. communities with the highest percentage of residents born in Ukraine are:[12]

  1. Delta Junction, AK 16.4%
  2. Deltana, AK 8.4%
  3. West Hollywood, CA 7.8%
  4. Lumberland, NY 6.3%
  5. Moses Lake North, WA 6.0%
  6. Soap Lake, WA 6.0%
  7. Postville, IA 5.9%
  8. Webster, NY 4.8%
  9. Peaceful Valley, WA 4.8%
  10. Pikesville, MD 4.5%
  11. Kerhonkson, NY 3.9%
  12. North Highlands, CA 3.6%
  13. Rancho Cordova, CA 3.3%
  14. Flying Hills, PA 3.2%
  15. Waverly, NE 3.2%
  16. Fair Lawn, NJ 3.1%
  17. Buffalo Grove, IL 2.8%
  18. Feasterville-Trevose, PA 2.6%
  19. Smallwood, NY 2.5%
  20. Solvay, NY 2.5%
  21. North Port, FL 2.4%

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Census 2006 ACS Ancestry estimates". Factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2012-04-01.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Yearbook of Immigration Statistics: 2010 Supplemental Table 2". U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Retrieved 2011-09-05.
  3. ↑ http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_10_1YR_DP02&prodType=table
  4. ↑ Ukrainians in the US: Statistics 2000.
  5. ↑ "Yearbook of Immigration Statistics: 2011 Supplemental Table 2". U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Retrieved 2012-11-02.
  6. ↑ The Ukrainians in America: 1608-1975. (1976). Compiled and Edited by Vladimir Wertsman. New York: Oceana Publications.
  7. ↑ Paul Robert Magocsi. (1996). A History of Ukraine. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
  8. ↑ Minjae Park (2014-09-18). "Ukrainian president greets North Jersey residents at D.C. rally". North Jersey Media Group. Retrieved 2014-09-18.
  9. ↑ http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_09_1YR_B04003&prodType=table
  10. ↑ "Table FBP-1. Profile of Selected Demographic and Social Characteristics: 2000" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. 2000. Retrieved 2007-08-15.
  11. ↑ "Ancestry Map of Ukrainian Communities". Epodunk.com. Retrieved 2008-08-12.
  12. ↑ "Top 101 cities with the most residents born in Ukraine (population 500+)". city-data.com. Retrieved 2008-08-12.

Sources

Further reading

External links