Bolivian Americans

Bolivian Americans
Total population
	(117,842; 2014 Us surveys; 0.04% of the U.S. population (2014))
Regions with significant populations
	Washington Metropolitan Area; Miami-Dade County; Los Angeles, CA; Queens, NY; Providence, RI;
Languages
	American English; Spanish;
Religion
	Predominantly Roman Catholic, minority Protestant

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A Bolivian American (Spanish: bolivio-americanos, norteamericanos de origen boliviano or estadounidenses de origen boliviano) is an American of Bolivian descent.

Bolivian Americans are identified as Indigenous, European (mostly Spanish or German), Afro Bolivian, or a combination of any or all three races in varying degrees of admixture. Additionally, there are Bolivian Americans of Japanese descent, albeit, in small numbers.

Bolivians compose the third smallest Hispanic group in the United States, with a 2010 Census population of 99,210. The highest concentration resides in the Washington Metropolitan Area, which accounts for 38% of the total Bolivian population in the US. Additional areas of concentration include the New York City borough of Queens, Miami-Dade County, and the cities of Los Angeles and Providence, Rhode Island.

History

Bolivian immigration into the United States occurred in two significant phases. The first phase occurred during and subsequent to the 1952 National Revolution (between 1952 and the latter 1960s). Most of these immigrants consisted of middle- to upper-middle income occupational professionals or political dissidents, and identify with Bolivia's White or Criollo (descendants from Europeans born in Bolivia) society.

The second notable phase of Bolivian immigration (between 1980 and 1988) was a result of Bolivia's fiscal policies in the 1970s which gave way to the hyperinflation throughout most of the 1980s. Most of these immigrants consisted of lower-income Mestizo ( white European / native Indian mix) and Indigenous Bolivians obtaining work posts as service and manual laborers.

Many Bolivians who emigrated to the United States came as tourists. However, it remained indefinitely in the country, setting them to family and friends. This made it difficult to know the number of Bolivians living in the United States. Between 1984 and 1993, only 4,574 Bolivians got U.S. citizenship. In this period about 457 were naturalized each year.^[2]

Demographics

Bolivians have settled throughout the United States, mainly in Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia; there are also large groups of Bolivian immigrants in Texas, New York City, New Jersey, South Florida, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Chicago and California. The number of Bolivians in the U.S. in 2006 was estimated at 82,322. Most Bolivian immigrants are high school or college graduates; many work in companies or in government.^[2]

States

The 10 states with the largest population of Bolivians (Source: 2010 Census):

Virginia - 31,333
California - 13,351
Florida - 10,938
Maryland - 7,496
New York - 7,122
Texas - 4,913
New Jersey - 3,361
Illinois - 2,304
Rhode Island - 1,912
Massachusetts - 1,401

Areas

The largest populations of Bolivians are situated in the following areas (Source: Census 2010):

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV MSA - 37,607
New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PA MSA - 9,749
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, CA MSA - 7,068
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL MSA - 6,697
Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX MSA - 2,359
Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL-IN-WI MSA - 2,099
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA MSA - 2,078
Providence-New Bedford-Fall River, RI-MA MSA - 1,970
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX MSA - 1,223
Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA-NH MSA - 1,170
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA MSA - 1,114
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA MSA - 898
San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA MSA and Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL MSA - 808
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL MSA - 744
Baltimore-Towson, MD MSA - 710
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA MSA - 647
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA MSA - 558
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD MSA - 524
Salt Lake City, UT MSA - 519
Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale, AZ MSA - 502

US communities with the largest populations of people of Bolivian ancestry

The top 25 US communities with the highest populations of Bolivians (Source: Census 2010)

US communities with high percentages of people of Bolivian ancestry

The 25 US communities with the highest percentages of Bolivians as a percent of total population (Source: Census 2010)