Nepalese Population in the USA by Cities

Nepalese Population in Nepal

Nepal situated in Southern Asia is a land occupied by over 23.6 million people. This small landmass covering the area of 56136 square miles, located between China and India is home to around 125 ethnic groups and castes including the Khas Arya, Hill Janajati, Madhesi, Adivasi, Muslims, and others.

These ethnic groups are scattered around the horizontal geographical divisions of Himalayas, Hills, and Terai. Nepal is a habitable place in regards to geography and biodiversity. The main source of living is agriculture and animal husbandry in almost 80 percent of the country.

History of Nepalese in the USA

Nepal began its official relations with the USA in 1947. In 1974, 56 Nepalese had immigrated to the United States and began classifying as Nepalese Americans. Thorough 1992, the number of immigrants from Nepal heading to the United States remains below 100 annually.

In 1990 the U.S. census revealed that there were around 2616 Americans with Nepalese Ancestry. Although in the late 1980s, there were only fewer than 100 Nepalese becoming legal residents of America, it has seen a gradual stride in the past years.

By 1996 there were around 431 Nepalese who became permanent residents in the U.S. In the years to come, Nepalese began applying for the USA and began relocating to states like New York, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Dallas, Portland, Gainesville, and St. Paul, and California.

Nepalese Population in the USA

The research was done by the South Asian Resource Centre in 2017 on the basis census bureau by Homeland Security, State Department, CDC, World Bank Migration Policy Institute, International Education Exchange, Track immigration, NCCL and UNHCR’s 2010 to 2016 data statistics.

Also by another study of the census of Nepalese Americans, it was released that in 2010 there were around 3,15,980 Americans in the U.S. with Nepalese descent. Among those, 1,39,278 had obtained Permanent resident. Also, 65,983 were denoted as being students, and 48,670 were illegal immigrants.

3,443 Nepalese Americans were born in the USA, and there were approximately 884 deaths. Most of these Nepalese Americans were living in New York City, Washington DC, Texas, California, Virginia, Maryland, Massachusetts, and Colorado.

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Nepalese Population in the USA by Cities

According to a study done on the U.S. census in 2010, it was found that New York had the most number of Nepalese than other cities at 5,681 which marks as 0.07% of the total Population of N.Y. In Sonoma, California there were an estimated 2,352 Nepalese makings up to 0.06% of the total population there.

There is also a massive population of Nepalese Americans living in Irving, Texas of around 1507 which makes up to 0.6% of the total population. The Population of Nepalese in Houston of Texas is at 833. Nepalese are known mostly to be scattered in Texas mostly for educational purposes.

However, if you are to see the coverage of Nepalese based on the state population covered, Around 1 percent of the total population which is 752 of Somerville, MA is occupied by Nepalese which is higher than any other state. In Chicago, there are around 534 Nepalese, 502 in Fort Worth Texas, 473 in Arlington, VA, 413 in Denver, Colorado, and 362 in Aurora, Colorado. There are major cities and States where most Nepalese reside.

As of 2010, the largest communities of Nepalese were in the following cities:

• New York, NY – 5,681
• Sonoma, CA – 2,352
• Irving, TX – 1,507
• Houston – 833
• Somerville, MA – 752
• Chicago – 534
• Fort Worth, TX – 502
• Arlington, VA – 473
• Denver, CO – 413
• Aurora, CO – 362

According to the Pew Research Center, the largest communities of Nepalese were in the following cities in 2015:

• New York – 9,000
• Dallas-Fort Worth – 9,000
• Washington, DC – 8,000
• San Francisco – 5,000
• Baltimore – 4,000
• Boston – 4,000
• Atlanta – 3,000
• Houston – 3,000
• Pittsburgh – 3,000
• Columbus – 3,000

Education Prospect in the USA

Nepalese are known to be most attracted to the USA for education prospects. As per the 2018 data by Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange data publicized by the IIE and the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, there has been a 14.3 % increase in the number of Nepali students studying in various parts of the U.S. Nepal ranks among the top 10th in the 25 undergraduate students in the USA.

In the 2017-2018 academic year, the U.S. brought in around 1.09 million students from abroad which is a record-breaking number in comparison to the bygone years. 2017 -18 marked the 12th consecutive year for the U.S. to have hosted students from abroad.

There has been an increase in Nepalese students studying in America by 57 percent this year. Over recent years there have been many student exchange programs and institutional collaborations which have given rise to this whopping number.

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Nepalese Student

Nepalese Students opting for an international degree is rising at a magnanimous rate. The Population of Nepali students studying in colleges and universities in the United States is very high. As per the research was done by the Institute of International Education around 13,270 Nepalese Students are in the USA for further studies while in the year 2016-17 the number was around 11,602.

Year	2015/16	2016/17	2017/18
Nepalese Students	9,662	11,602	13,270

Status of Nepalese Americans

Nepalese Population in the USA is growing significantly in most of the states. It was identified in 2014 that Nepalese Americans were one of the highest-earning ethnic groups in the USA with the per capita income of $45,849 while Americans were at an average of $25,825.

This is also because Nepalese Americans focus more on earning money and working hard after leaving Nepal. This ethnic group is also noted to be very accomplished in terms of Academics. They are known to have a high college GPA and have also managed to surpass the Indian Americans in median household income.

Most Nepalese in the U.S. working as entrepreneurs, industry professionals, I.T. professionals, lawyers, professors, researchers, and more. The average median household income of these Nepalese is $93,500. Going abroad has not made them forget their religious and cultural since they celebrate Holi, Losar, Dasain, Tihar, Chhath, and the Nepali New Year with pride. Also, they intermingle with the cultures of the U.S.

Why do Nepalese come to the USA?  

There are many reasons why Nepalese come to the U.S. states. Looking at the history of this movement, we can see that higher prospects of living standards, availability of resources in the market, economic stability, academic opportunities, political stability, have marked to be the significant players in driving the Population to the U.S.

While the Nepalese Civil War was one of the catalysts for the reason Nepalese left for the U.S., the introduction of the Diversity Visa Lottery Program added fuel to the fire. Every year since the introduction of the Diversity Visa Lottery, thousands of Nepalese apply for this program.

It is reported that around 4,000 immigrate from Nepal to the USA every year. More than three thousand Nepalese are selected each year through this DV program. These are the few reasons why we spot the Nepalese population in the U.S. states more than ever in the resent day.