Moldovan Americans
Moldovan Americans are Americans who are from Moldova or are descended from Moldovans. According to the U.S. 2000 census, there were 7,859 Moldovan Americans in the United States. The American Community Survey indicated that the number born in Moldova greatly increased over the years, and in 2014 exceeded 40,000 people in the United States. Most Moldovan Americans are Eastern Orthodox.
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 7,859, including 7,156 first ancestry and 703 second ancestry (Moldovan ancestry, 2000 US Census)[1] 47,156 (Moldovan-born, 2017 American Community Survey)[2] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Asheville (North Carolina), New York City, Washington, D.C., California (Especially Sacramento,) Washington (Seattle, Tacoma,) Chicago | |
| Languages | |
| Romanian, American English, Russian | |
| Religion | |
| Eastern Orthodoxy, Protestantism, Judaism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Romanian, Ukrainian, Russian |
Demographics
In the 2010 U.S. census and subsequently, the largest part of the population born in Moldova self-identified as being of Romanian ancestry. The 2015 U.S. Census Bureau estimate results based on population surveys show 20,128 people born in the Republic of Moldova (50.82%) who identified themselves as being of "Romanian ancestry".[3] In that year, there were 39,603 individuals born in Moldova in the United States.[4] By contrast, 131,323 individuals who declared a Romanian ancestry were born in Romania and 1,438 in Ukraine.[5] However, many other Moldovan-born people were of other ancestries. In 2015, 7,968 of them declared themselves to be of "Russian ancestry", probably including some Russian-speaking Jews,[6] 3,747 declared themselves to be of Ukrainian ancestry,[7] 332 declared themselves to be of Bulgarian ancestry,[8] and 126 declared themselves to be of Turkish ancestry (mainly Gagauz).[9] No inhabitants of the U.S. declared a Gagauz ancestry in the 2020 census.[10] The number of people originating from Moldova who indicated Polish ancestry was 228,[11] while 126 declared German ancestry,[12] 43 declared Israeli ancestry,[13] and 196 declared "European" ancestry.[14] The 2015 data and other sources suggest that it is likely that about 7,000 residents of the United States identify themselves for census purposes as being of "Moldovan ancestry", but no exact numbers have been made available. This figure includes a number of Jews, given the fact that there is no Jewish ancestry category. Those who self-identify as being of "Moldovan ancestry" are outnumbered by more than two to one by those originating from Moldova who declare a "Romanian ancestry". In 2021, out of 52,107 individuals born in the Republic of Moldova living in the United States,[15] 26,921 (51.66%) declared a Romanian ancestry,[16] 8,155 (15.65%) declared a Russian ancestry,[17] 5,058 (9.71%) declared a Ukrainian ancestry,[18] 321 (0.62%) declared a Bulgarian ancestry [19] and 152 (0.29%) a Turkish ancestry (mainly Gagauz).[20] The number of people from Moldova who indicated an Israeli ancestry was 23,[21] while 437 declared a Polish ancestry,[22] 167 a German ancestry[23] and 468 an "European" ancestry.[24]
Moldovan communities exist in cities such as Asheville, New York, Washington, D.C.,[25] Chicago and Seattle.[26] Moldovans have Moldovan food restaurants in the United States, in places such as New York City.[27][28]
Most Moldovan Americans are Eastern Orthodox, and attend overwhelmingly ethnic Romanian parishes of the Orthodox Church of America.
Statistics
Moldova-born population in the US since 2010:[2]
