Greece-born Population in the United States, 1900–2024

The figure below shows the number of U.S. residents born in Greece from 1900 to 2024, using data from the decennial U.S. Census and the American Community Survey (ACS), retrieved from IPUMS USA.

From the graph, we see that the number of Greek-born people in the U.S. rose rapidly in the early 1900s, as many Greeks immigrated before World War I. The number of Greek-born residents grew sharply between 1900 and 1920 and stayed relatively high during the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s.

The population reached its highest point around 1970, when about 360,000 U.S. residents reported being born in Greece. This peak reflects the combined effects of earlier mass migration and postwar immigration to the United States, especially after the passage of the 1965 Hart-Cellar Act.

After 1970, the number of Greek-born people in the U.S. started to fall steadily. By the 1980s and 1990s, it was well below its peak, and this slow decline continued through the 2000s and 2010s.

By 2024, the Greece-born population stood at just over 164,000, less than half of its 1970 peak.

Data note:
This figure uses selected decennial census years and ACS 1-year estimates to show long-term trends and recent population levels. It will be updated when the new ACS estimates, such as the 2024 5-year estimates, are released next week, and recent years may be revised slightly as new data are added. The overall trends, however, are expected to remain unchanged.