Punjabi Americans

Punjabi Americans, are Americans whose ancestry originates wholly or partly from the Punjab region of India and Pakistan. There are over 300,000 Punjabi Americans, many of whom were Sikhs from British Punjab who first settled in California's Central Valley to do agricultural work.

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Punjabi American
The language spread of Punjabi in the United States according to U. S. Census 2000
Total population
318,588[1]
0.1% of the total American population (2021 est.)
Regions with significant populations
California California156,763 (0.42%)
New York (state) New York30,341 (0.16%)
Washington (state) Washington19,292 (0.26%)
New Jersey New Jersey17,857 (0.2%)
Texas Texas15,538 (0.06%)
Languages
Punjabi • American English • Indian English • Pakistani English
American Spanish • Hindi • Urdu
Religion
Sikhism, Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Unaffiliated
Related ethnic groups
Indian Americans, Pakistani Americans, Punjabi Mexican Americans
Punjabi Population History
in the United States[2][3]
YearPop.±%
198019,298—    
199050,005+159.1%
2000 110,254+120.5%
2010 243,773+121.1%
2021318,588+30.7%
Source: United States Census Bureau
A Punjabi-Mexican American couple, Valentina Alarez and Rullia Singh, posing for their wedding photo in 1917.

Sikhs

Sikhs have been a part of the American populace for more than 130 years. At the turn of the 19th century, the province of Punjab of British India was hit hard by British practices of mercantilism. Many Sikhs emigrated to the United States and began arriving to work on farms in California. They traveled via Hong Kong to Angel Island, California, the western counterpart to Ellis Island in New York.[4]

"Some Sikhs worked in lumber mills of Oregon or in railroad construction and for some Sikhs, it was on a railway line, which allowed other Sikhs who were working as migrant laborers to come into the town on festival days".

Due to discrimination from Anglo Americans many early Punjabi immigrants in California married Mexican Americans, forming a sizable Punjabi Mexican American community. Punjabi farmers were also able to circumvent laws prohibiting their ownership of property by operating through American bankers.[5]

Role in America

Most Sikhs started life in America as farm labourers, with many eventually becoming landowners and successful farmers. In 1956, Dalip Singh Saund became the first Asian American to be elected to the United States House of Representatives. At present Amarjit Singh Buttar is perhaps the only turbaned Sikh who holds elected public office. He was elected in December 2001 to the Vernon, Connecticut Board of Education for a four-year term. He has also been recently selected as the chairman of the board. Bobby Jindal, the governor of Louisiana is also of Punjabi descent, as well as Nikki Haley, the former United States Ambassador to the United Nations[6] and the 116th governor of South Carolina.[7]

Many Punjabi Americans have become successful in technology-related fields. Vinod Dham helped to develop the Pentium processor while Vinod Khosla and Sabeer Bhatia co-founded Sun Microsystems and Hotmail respectively.[8] Aneesh Chopra served as the first Chief Technology Officer of the United States (CTO), appointed by President Barack Obama.

Geographical distribution

States

Approximately half of all American Punjabis live in California.

Punjabi Americans by state and territory (1990 −2021)[9][10][11]
State and territory 2017-21 (est.) 2006-10 (Est.) 2000 1990
Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. %
California California 142,450 0.38% 103,998 0.31% 67,820 0.22% 25,725
New York (state) New York 36,435 0.19% 32,135 0.18% 22,560 0.13% 5,516
Washington (state) Washington 18,410 0.26% 11,454 0.19% 6,005 0.11% 861
New Jersey New Jersey 17,225 0.2% 11,304 0.14% 7,730 0.1% 2,648
Texas Texas 9,795 0.04% 6,875 0.03% 3,765 0.02% 1,497
Virginia Virginia 7,828 0.1% 8,177 0.11% 4,560 0.07% 1,283
Michigan Michigan 7,612 0.08% 5,676 0.06% 3,635 0.04% 1,256
Maryland Maryland 7,147 0.12% 3,224 0.06% 2,975 0.06% 1,699
Indiana Indiana 6,691 0.11% 2,895 0.05% 740 0.01% 418
Illinois Illinois 6,195 0.05% 4,276 0.04% 4,315 0.04% 2,180
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania 5,057 0.04% 3,944 0.03% 2,030 0.02% 769
Ohio Ohio 5,011 0.05% 5,083 0.05% 2,040 0.02% 1,067
Massachusetts Massachusetts 4,917 0.07% 2,588 0.04% 995 0.02%
Arizona Arizona 3,833 0.06% 1,980 0.03% 1,035 0.02%
North Carolina North Carolina 3,642 0.04% 2,932 0.03% 705 0.01% 485
Wisconsin Wisconsin 2,852 0.05% 1,936 0.04% 1,165 0.02% 318
Florida Florida 2,544 0.01% 2,126 0.01% 1,655 0.01%
Georgia (U.S. state) Georgia 2,540 0.03% 1,882 0.02% 790 0.01% 317
Nevada Nevada 2,190 0.08% 743 0.03% 715 0.04%
Kansas Kansas 1,948 0.07% 827 0.03% 249 0.01% 240
Missouri Missouri 1,670 0.03% 579 0.01% 500 0.01% 142
Oregon Oregon 1,570 0.04% 1,246 0.04% 425 0.01%
Connecticut Connecticut 1,455 0.04% 1,269 0.04% 934 0.03%
Utah Utah 1,383 0.05% 632 0.03% 255 0.01% 86
Colorado Colorado 1,121 0.02% 367 0.01% 360 0.01%
Minnesota Minnesota 1,153 0.02% 331 0.01% 459 0.01%
Mississippi Mississippi 858 0.03% 622 0.02% 275 0.01% 114
South Carolina South Carolina 676 0.01% 261 0.01% 199 0.01% 214
Louisiana Louisiana 612 0.01% 551 0.01% 474 0.01% 257
Alabama Alabama 507 0.01% 451 0.01% 219 0.01% 249
Iowa Iowa 481 0.02% 60 0% 125 0%
Arkansas Arkansas 478 0.02% 91 0% 80 0% 56
Oklahoma Oklahoma 464 0.01% 53 0% 150 0%
Tennessee Tennessee 379 0.01% 572 0.01% 200 0%
New Hampshire New Hampshire 359 0.03% 287 0.02% 85 0.01% 125
Kentucky Kentucky 317 0.01% 340 0.01% 160 0%
Vermont Vermont 289 0.05% 120 0.02% 0 0%
Delaware Delaware 214 0.02% 371 0.04% 169 0.02%
New Mexico New Mexico 207 0.01% 228 0.01% 130 0.01%
Washington, D.C. District of Columbia 189 0.03% 138 0.03% 134 0.02%
Nebraska Nebraska 160 0.01% 70 0% 65 0%
Idaho Idaho 92 0.01% 324 0.02% 0 0% 33
Rhode Island Rhode Island 74 0.01% 0 0% 30 0%
Hawaii Hawaii 68 0% 0 0% 39 0%
Alaska Alaska 33 0% 0 0% 25 0%
North Dakota North Dakota 23 0% 0 0% 35 0.01% 21
Montana Montana 12 0% 13 0% 0 0%
Maine Maine 5 0% 0 0% 0 0% 25
South Dakota South Dakota 0 0% 0 0% 0 0%
West Virginia West Virginia 0 0% 196 0.01% 219 0.01% 72
Wyoming Wyoming 0 0% 0 0% 0 0%
Puerto Rico Puerto Rico 0 0% 16 0% 0 0%
United States United States 309,373 0.1% 223,309 0.08% 141,295 0.05% 47,673


Metropolitan areas
15 largest Punjabi American Primary statistical area populations
Primary statistical area 2017-2021 American Community Survey[12] 2012-2016 American Community Survey[13]
Pop. % Pop. %
California San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA CSA 62,574 0.69% 49,626 0.62%
New York (state)New JerseyConnecticutPennsylvania New York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA CSA 49,005 0.22% 49,728 0.22%
California Sacramento-Roseville, CA CSA 31,576 1.26% 30,195 1.28%
California Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA CSA 20,217 0.12% 18,858 0.11%
California Fresno-Madera-Hanford, CA CSA 16,559 1.36% 16,010 1.56%
Washington (state) Seattle-Tacoma, WA CSA 15,743 0.34% 11,825 0.28%
Washington, D.C.MarylandVirginiaWest VirginiaPennsylvania Washington-Baltimore-Arlington, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA CSA 13,054 0.14% 12,930 0.15%
California Bakersfield, CA MSA 6,610[14] 0.79% 6,822 0.85%
PennsylvaniaNew JerseyDelawareMaryland Philadelphia-Reading-Camden, PA-NJ-DE-MD CSA 6,416 0.09% 5,125 0.08%
IllinoisIndianaWisconsin Chicago-Naperville, IL-IN-WI CSA 5,711 0.06% 5,606 0.06%
Indiana Indianapolis-Carmel-Muncie, IN CSA 5,493 0.24% 4,533 0.21%
Michigan Detroit-Warren-Ann Arbor, MI CSA 5,458 0.11% 4,548 0.09%
MassachusettsRhode IslandNew HampshireConnecticut Boston-Worcester-Providence, MA-RI-NH-CT CSA 5,144 0.06% 3,256 0.04%
Texas Dallas-Fort Worth, TX-OK CSA 4,273 0.06% 4,467 0.07%
Texas Houston-The Woodlands, TX CSA 4,135 0.06% 2,854 0.05%
United States 309,373 0.1% 280,867 0.09%

Communities
Members of the Sikh community of Union Square, Somerville, Massachusetts in 2004.

Nearly half of American Punjabis live in California. Most of California's Punjabi population live in NorCal, especially in the Central Valley and the Bay Area. The nation's largest Punjabi population is in California's Central Valley, where Punjabi is the third most spoken language after only English and Spanish.[15] Punjabis can found across the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys, but the largest concentrations can be found in the valley's largest cities (Sacramento in the Sacramento Valley and Stockton, Fresno, and Bakersfield in the San Joaquin Valley), and in smaller communities associated with the farming of almonds, peaches, walnuts, and plums. There are also significant concentrations of Punjabi Americans in the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta and in the Bay Area near Fremont, California.

In the Sacramento Valley, Yuba City and Live Oak have prominent Punjabi populations, with the first Punjabi arriving in Yuba City in 1906.[16] In 2021, Yuba City was home to an Indian American population of 10,638 (15.3% of the city's population), while Live Oak was home to an Indian American population of 1,038 (11.4% of the city's population), with most of these being Punjabis.[17] Sutter County, California as a whole is home to 12,753 Indian Americans (12.9% of the county population); with most of these being Punjabis, this makes Sutter County the most proportionally Punjabi county in America. Down south in the San Joaquin Valley, Livingston is home to 2,798 Indian Americans (19.9% of the city's population); with most of these being Punjabi, Livingston is the most proportionally Punjabi municipality in America.[18][19]

The New York metropolitan area also has a significant Punjabi American presence, with 49,005 Punjabis living in the area. 18,187 Punjabis live in New York City (0.23% of the city's population), including 16,139 in the borough of Queens (0.73% of the borough's population).[20] The Richmond Hill neighborhood of Queens is often referred to as "Little Punjab" due to its large Punjabi population. In 2020, the stretch of 101st Avenue between 111th and 123rd streets in Richmond Hill was renamed Punjab Avenue (ਪੰਜਾਬ ਐਵੇਨਿਊ) and the stretch of 97th Avenue between Lefferts Boulevard and 117th Street was renamed Gurdwara Street.[21][22] Outside of the city, the suburbs of Hicksville in Long Island and Carteret in Central Jersey have significant Punjabi populations. In 2021, Hicksville was home to 8,040 Indian Americans (18.7% of the community's population) while Carteret was home to 4,708 Indian Americans (18.8% of the borough's population), with many of these being Punjabis.[23]

Outside of California and the New York metropolitan area, there are significant populations of Punjabi Americans in Kent, Washington and Greenwood, Indiana.

20 largest Punjabi American Public Use Microdata Area populations
PUMA 2017-2021 American Community Survey[24]
Pop. %
California Sutter & Yuba Counties--Yuba City PUMA, California 11,182 6.7%
California San Joaquin County (South)--Tracy, Manteca & Lathrop Cities PUMA; California 9,432 4.17%
New York (state) NYC-Queens Community District 9--Richmond Hill & Woodhaven PUMA, New York 7,705 5.39%
California Alameda County (Southwest)--Union City, Newark & Fremont (West) Cities PUMA; California 4,717 3.41%
California Fresno County (North Central)--Fresno City (North) PUMA, California 4,686 2.57%
California Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (West) PUMA, California 4,683 2.19%
New York (state) NYC-Queens Community District 13--Queens Village, Cambria Heights & Rosedale PUMA; New York 4,592 2.26%
California Sacramento County (Northwest)--Sacramento City (Northwest/Natomas) PUMA, California 4,457 3.98%
Washington (state) King County (Southwest Central)--Kent City PUMA, Washington 4,236 3.35%
California San Joaquin County (Central)--Stockton City (North) PUMA, California 3,927 2.2%
New York (state) NYC-Queens Community District 10--Howard Beach & Ozone Park PUMA, New York 3,877 2.88%
New Jersey Middlesex County (Northeast)--Carteret Borough PUMA, New Jersey 3,615 3.38%
California Alameda County (South Central)--Fremont City (East) PUMA, California 3,310 1.73%
California Sacramento County (Central)--Elk Grove City PUMA, California 3,300 2.13%
California Fresno County (Central)--Fresno City (Southwest) PUMA, California 3,260 1.98%
New York (state) Nassau County (East Central)--Oyster Bay Town (Central) PUMA, New York 3,202 3.19%
California Fresno County (Central)--Fresno City (Southeast) PUMA, California 2,875 2.73%
California Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, California 2,771 2.6%
California Sacramento County (South)--Galt, Isleton Cities & Delta Region PUMA; California 2,769 2.43%
California Alameda County (East)--Livermore, Pleasanton & Dublin Cities PUMA; California 2,768 1.22%
United States 309,373 0.1%

Notable Punjabi Americans

Activists

Military

Musicians

Politics
  • Bobby Jindal, governor of Louisiana
  • Nikki Haley, governor of South Carolina and former United States Ambassador to the United Nations
  • Kashmir "Kash" Gill, former mayor of Yuba City, California
  • Ravinder "Ravi" Bhalla, mayor of Hoboken, New Jersey and first turban-wearing Sikh mayor of a U.S. city
  • Dalip Singh Saund, first Asian American and first member of a non-Abrahamic faith elected to the House of Representatives
  • Ro Khanna, U.S. Representative for California's 17th District

See also

References
  1. "B16001LANGUAGE SPOKEN AT HOME BY ABILITY TO SPEAK ENGLISH FOR THE POPULATION 5 YEARS AND OVER". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  2. "Language Use in the United States: 2019" (PDF). United States Census Bureau.
  3. "B16001LANGUAGE SPOKEN AT HOME BY ABILITY TO SPEAK ENGLISH FOR THE POPULATION 5 YEARS AND OVER". data.census.gov. Retrieved 2022-11-23.
  4. The Pioneers, America, "A historical perspective of Americans of Asian Indian origin 1790-1997" 31 October 2006
  5. Bhatia, Sunil. American karma: race, culture, and identity in the Indian diaspora. p. 84 (2007) ISBN 0-8147-9959-0.
  6. "Nikki Haley confirmed as new U.S. envoy to the United Nations". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2017-01-25.
  7. Nossiter, Adam (October 22, 2007). "In a Southern U.S. state, immigrants' son takes over". International Herald Tribune. Retrieved 2008-10-14.
  8. Shankar, Ravi (26 August 2010). "Capitol cats". India Today. Retrieved 30 March 2011.
  9. "B16001LANGUAGE SPOKEN AT HOME BY ABILITY TO SPEAK ENGLISH FOR THE POPULATION 5 YEARS AND OVER". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
  10. "Panjabi". Modern Language Association. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
  11. "Language Use Data". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
  12. "B16001LANGUAGE SPOKEN AT HOME BY ABILITY TO SPEAK ENGLISH FOR THE POPULATION 5 YEARS AND OVER". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
  13. "B16001LANGUAGE SPOKEN AT HOME BY ABILITY TO SPEAK ENGLISH FOR THE POPULATION 5 YEARS AND OVER". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2023-06-14.
  14. "B16001LANGUAGE SPOKEN AT HOME BY ABILITY TO SPEAK ENGLISH FOR THE POPULATION 5 YEARS AND OVER". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
  15. Sewell, Summer (2021-02-08). "'This has to end peacefully': California's Punjabi farmers rally behind India protests". The Guardian. Retrieved 2022-11-27. Community members have also raised funds to support billboards drawing attention to India's protests throughout the Central Valley, where Punjabi is the third-most spoken language, after English and Spanish.
  16. "Tuly Singh Johl- Pioneering Punjabis Digital Archive". ucdavis.edu. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
  17. "DP05ACS DEMOGRAPHIC AND HOUSING ESTIMATES". data.census.gov. Retrieved 2022-11-23.
  18. "DP05ACS DEMOGRAPHIC AND HOUSING ESTIMATES". data.census.gov. Retrieved 2022-11-23.
  19. "Data Center Results - Livingston, California". apps.mla.org. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
  20. "B16001LANGUAGE SPOKEN AT HOME BY ABILITY TO SPEAK ENGLISH FOR THE POPULATION 5 YEARS AND OVER". data.census.gov. Retrieved 2023-03-25.
  21. "Richmond Hill Street Co-Named 'Punjab Avenue' To Honor Neighborhood's South Asian Culture". CBS News. Retrieved 2022-11-23.
  22. "'Punjab Way,' 'Gurdwara St.' coming to Queens". New York Daily News. Retrieved 2022-11-23.
  23. "DP05ACS DEMOGRAPHIC AND HOUSING ESTIMATES". data.census.gov. Retrieved 2022-11-23.
  24. "B16001LANGUAGE SPOKEN AT HOME BY ABILITY TO SPEAK ENGLISH FOR THE POPULATION 5 YEARS AND OVER". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
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