Issues
Iraq
Population Estimates of Americans of Iraqi/Chaldean Ancestry
Posted on Thursday April 9, 2009
One way to estimate the number of persons living in America with roots in Iraq is through the ancestry question in the U.S. Census. While the census ancestry question identifies only a portion of the population with origins in the Arab world, it is a useful tool to track growth and location of population groups.
The chart below is derived from those persons who filled out the 2000 Census and identified their ancestry as Iraqi or Assyrian/Chaldean, Christian minorities who mostly do not identify as Arabs but who are indigenous to the Middle East. The majority of Chaldean-Americans come from Northern Iraq.
Reasons for the undercount of ancestry groups from the Arab world include the effect of the sample methodology on small, unevenly distributed ethnic groups, high levels of out-marriage among the third and fourth generations, and distrust/misunderstanding of government surveys among more recent immigrants. While the 2000 census accounted for close to 1.3 million persons who trace their heritage to the Arab world, we estimate the population to number over 3.5 million. The combined Iraqi/Chaldean population comprises around 9% of that total, with more than three-quarters living in three states: Michigan, California, and Illinois.
| 2000 Census Data | AAIF Estimates | |
| Iraqi/Chaldean Ancestry | 120,000 | 350,000 |
| All Arab/Chaldean Ancestry | 1,300,000 | 3,900,000 |
Top 10 U.S. Counties Ranked by Iraqi/Chaldean Ancestry
Based on Responses to Census 2000 Ancestry Question
Iraqi/Chaldean Ancestry |
Total Arab/Chaldean Ancestry |
Iraqi/Chaldean to Total Arab/Chaldean Ancestry % |
|
| 1. Oakland, MI | 24,743 |
39,443 |
62.7% |
| 2. Cook, IL | 15,681 |
49,332 |
31.7% |
| 3. Macomb, MI | 11,829 |
26,339 |
44.9% |
| 4. San Diego, CA | 9,080 |
24,248 |
37.4% |
| 5. Wayne, MI | 5,930 |
58,738 |
10.0% |
| 6. Los Angeles, CA | 5,359 |
69,271 |
7.7% |
| 7. Santa Clara, CA | 3,341 |
11,787 |
28.3% |
| 8. Maricopa, AZ | 2,502 |
14,406 |
17.3% |
| 9. Orange, CA | 1,561 |
25,882 |
6.0% |
| 10. Fairfax, VA | 806 |
19,291 |
4.1% |
More information: "Iraqis/Chaldeans/Assyrians," excerpted from “Immigration to the United States” by Dr. Louise Cainkar in "Arab American Encyclopedia"
