California is home to the greatest number of people in the United States who claim Latvian ancestry, with New York a close second, according to new population estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau.
In all, an estimated 91,096 people claim some Latvian ancestry in the American Community Survey, which is sent annually to a random sample of households. The figure has a margin of error of 2,282, meaning the range of people with Latvian ancestry could be between 88,814 and 93,378.
Updated data from the past five years of the ACS were released Dec. 8. More than 2 million households each year were sampled from 2006 through 2010, according to a press release from the Census Bureau.
An estimated 11,443 people with Latvian ancestry live in California, according to the data, followed by New York with 9,194. The data include both the first and second ancestry reported.
The top 10 states in terms of Latvian population also include Illinois with an estimated 6,982 persons; Florida with 4,921; Massachusetts with 4,706; Michigan with 4,265; New Jersey with 3,946; Pennsylvania with 3,754; Washington with 3,380; and Maryland with 3,289.
The greatest concentration of Latvians continues to be in the Northeast and Upper Midwest of the country, as it has for decades.
Here is a breakdown of the estimated Latvian ethnic population by state, according to the American Community Survey:
| State | Total | Margin of error |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 317 | +/-142 |
| Alaska | 252 | +/-107 |
| Arizona | 1588 | +/-361 |
| Arkansas | 187 | +/-112 |
| California | 11443 | +/-893 |
| Colorado | 2142 | +/-378 |
| Connecticut | 1876 | +/-375 |
| Delaware | 180 | +/-96 |
| District of Columbia | 297 | +/-95 |
| Florida | 4921 | +/-539 |
| Georgia | 1603 | +/-390 |
| Hawaii | 338 | +/-158 |
| Idaho | 376 | +/-181 |
| Illinois | 6982 | +/-720 |
| Indiana | 1490 | +/-495 |
| Iowa | 942 | +/-283 |
| Kansas | 327 | +/-128 |
| Kentucky | 530 | +/-209 |
| Louisiana | 265 | +/-119 |
| Maine | 495 | +/-253 |
| Maryland | 3289 | +/-550 |
| Massachusetts | 4706 | +/-531 |
| Michigan | 4265 | +/-519 |
| Minnesota | 3010 | +/-535 |
| Mississippi | 196 | +/-103 |
| Missouri | 792 | +/-226 |
| Montana | 337 | +/-170 |
| Nebraska | 479 | +/-149 |
| Nevada | 820 | +/-244 |
| New Hampshire | 521 | +/-188 |
| New Jersey | 3946 | +/-563 |
| New Mexico | 411 | +/-134 |
| New York | 9194 | +/-919 |
| North Carolina | 1364 | +/-242 |
| North Dakota | 102 | +/-69 |
| Ohio | 2580 | +/-330 |
| Oklahoma | 304 | +/-125 |
| Oregon | 1701 | +/-352 |
| Pennsylvania | 3754 | +/-416 |
| Rhode Island | 127 | +/-67 |
| South Carolina | 625 | +/-160 |
| South Dakota | 147 | +/-69 |
| Tennessee | 666 | +/-218 |
| Texas | 2300 | +/-361 |
| Utah | 300 | +/-210 |
| Vermont | 357 | +/-121 |
| Virginia | 1911 | +/-383 |
| Washington | 3380 | +/-521 |
| West Virginia | 96 | +/-59 |
| Wisconsin | 2810 | +/-468 |
| Wyoming | 55 | +/-42 |
| Puerto Rico | 6 | +/-9 |
When grouped by metropolitan areas in the United States, the region that includes New York City, Long Island and northern New Jersey accounts for the largest concentration of persons with Latvian ancestry, according to the data. A total of 9,098 Latvians were estimated to live there.
The Chicago metropolitan area is second with an estimated 6,560 Latvians, followed by the Los Angeles region with 4,176. The remaining metropolitan areas in the top 10 include Boston with 3,971; Philadelphia with 2,904; Washington, D.C., with 2,684; Minneapolis-St. Paul with 2,643; Seattle with 2,421; San Francisco and Oakland, Calif., with 2,201; and Miami and Fort Lauderdale with 1,846.
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I want to meet the (potentially) negative three Latvians in Puerto Rico.
Vai doma kad vaidzet ielikt numurus no Kanadas? Mes ari dzivojam zeme kas nava tevu zeme!!! Mums ari ira berni kas ir dejosanas grupas un iet uz Latviesu skolu un brauc uz Latviju dejot dziesmas svetkos! Just a thought. Paldies Andri
Here is the story we did on the most recent Canadian census results: Latvian ancestry rises in Canada, but purity drops. First results from the 2011 census will be released in February, according to Statistics Canada. As for the United States and Latvian language use, the American Community Survey’s three-year estimate for 2006-2008 was that 16,149 persons (with a margin of error of +/- 1,622) spoke Latvian at home.
If I am not mistaken, the latest Canadian census had 28,000 people claiming Latvian ancestry. However, the Canadian census also listed those who still speak Latvian. That number was approx. 4,000, or 15% of those claiming ancestry. Does the US census list languages spoken?
I`m an Estonian-American living in the southern part of Estonia and a big fan of Latvians. Since Latvia is so close, I drive to Latvia offen, mostly to Valmiera and 3-4 times a year to Riga. Lai dzivo Latvia. Visu labu, Hillar.
Want to contact Latvians who were in German Displaced Person Camp near Weinheim on Strassebahn route to Heidelberg. Met Walli, beautiful sixteen year old girl while serving in Occupation with U.S. Army, writing movie script need contact with Walli, lived with mother and younger sister, with fifteen hundred women and children in D.P. camp.