# United States (Somali diaspora)

> About 260,000 Somalis live in the US (ACS 2024). Refugee admissions every year since 1990, states ranked, green cards, citizenship, TPS and ties home.

Source page: https://calankii.com/en/diaspora/united-states/
Last checked: 2026-11-12
Publisher: Calankii (https://calankii.com)

## How many Somalis live in the United States?

US counts differ by the question asked. The 2020 Census counted 221,043 people who named Somali as a detailed race group, alone or with another ([US Census Bureau, 21 September 2023](https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2023/2020-census-detailed-dhc-file-a.html)). The 2024 American Community Survey (ACS) put the figure at 259,694 ([ACS 2024 1-year, B02025, via Census Reporter](https://api.censusreporter.org/1.0/data/show/acs2024_1yr?table_ids=B02025&geo_ids=01000US)).

The five-year survey for 2020 to 2024 gives 223,725 by race and 166,157 by ancestry ([ACS 2020–2024, B02025, via Census Reporter](https://api.censusreporter.org/1.0/data/show/acs2024_5yr?table_ids=B02025&geo_ids=040|01000US); [ACS 2020–2024, B04006](https://api.censusreporter.org/1.0/data/show/acs2024_5yr?table_ids=B04006&geo_ids=01000US)). It counts 93,405 people born in Somalia ([ACS 2020–2024, B05006](https://api.censusreporter.org/1.0/data/show/acs2024_5yr?table_ids=B05006&geo_ids=01000US)). So more than half of the people counted as Somali were not born in Somalia.

## Which states have the most Somalis?

By the 2020–2024 survey, counting Somali as a race group ([ACS 2020–2024, B02025, via Census Reporter](https://api.censusreporter.org/1.0/data/show/acs2024_5yr?table_ids=B02025&geo_ids=040|01000US)):

1. Minnesota: 88,796; see [Minneapolis–St Paul](/en/diaspora/minneapolis-st-paul/), [St. Cloud](/en/diaspora/st-cloud/) and [Rochester](/en/diaspora/rochester-minnesota/)
2. Ohio: 31,237; see [Columbus](/en/diaspora/columbus/)
3. Washington: 17,733; see [Seattle and South King County](/en/diaspora/seattle/)
4. Georgia: 6,768; see [Atlanta and Clarkston](/en/diaspora/atlanta-clarkston/)
5. Texas: 6,436; see [Dallas–Fort Worth](/en/diaspora/dallas-fort-worth/)
6. New York: 6,400
7. California: 5,916; see [San Diego](/en/diaspora/san-diego/)
8. Virginia: 5,807; see [Washington DC area](/en/diaspora/washington-dc-area/)
9. Wisconsin: 4,642
10. Missouri: 4,237; see [Kansas City](/en/diaspora/kansas-city/)
11. Arizona: 3,582; see [Phoenix](/en/diaspora/phoenix/)
12. Colorado: 3,467; see [Denver and Colorado](/en/diaspora/denver/)
13. Tennessee: 3,117; see [Nashville](/en/diaspora/nashville/)
14. Maine: 3,111; see [Lewiston and Portland, Maine](/en/diaspora/lewiston-portland-maine/)

These are survey estimates. Georgia's figure, for example, has a margin of error of 2,074, so states from fourth place down may swap order ([Census Reporter](https://api.censusreporter.org/1.0/data/show/acs2024_5yr?table_ids=B02025&geo_ids=040|01000US)). Smaller communities in other states are on the [other US communities](/en/diaspora/us-other/) page.

## How many Somali refugees has the US admitted each year?

Somali refugee arrivals by fiscal year, from the government's immigration yearbooks ([INS Statistical Yearbook 1996, table 25](https://ohss.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/2023-12/ins_yearbook_immigration_statistics_1996.pdf); [INS Statistical Yearbook 1999, table 24](https://ohss.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/2023-12/Yearbook_Immigration_Statistics_1999.pdf); [DHS Yearbook 2009, table 14](https://ohss.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/2023-12/ois_yb_2009.pdf); [DHS Yearbook 2011, table 14](https://ohss.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/2023-12/ois_yb_2011.pdf); [DHS Yearbook 2014, table 14](https://ohss.dhs.gov/topics/immigration/yearbook/2014/table14); [DHS Yearbook 2024, table 14](https://ohss.dhs.gov/topics/immigration/yearbook/2024/table14)):

- **1990–1994:** 25 · 192 · 1,570 · 2,753 · 3,555
- **1995–1999:** 2,506 · 6,436 · 4,974 · 2,951 · 4,320
- **2000–2004:** 6,026 · 4,951 · 237 · 1,994 · 13,331
- **2005–2009:** 10,405 · 10,357 · 6,969 · 2,523 · 4,189
- **2010–2014:** 4,884 · 3,161 · 4,911 · 7,608 · 9,000
- **2015–2019:** 8,850 · 9,030 · 6,120 · 260 · 230
- **2020–2024:** 150 · 200 · 490 · 1,410 · 4,790

Figures from 2015 are rounded to the nearest 10 ([DHS](https://ohss.dhs.gov/topics/immigration/yearbook/2024/table14)). Together they add up to about 151,400 people. In fiscal 2024, Somalis were 4,790 of 100,060 refugees admitted ([DHS](https://ohss.dhs.gov/topics/immigration/yearbook/2024/table14)).

In fiscal 2025, the State Department recorded 2,496 Somali refugee arrivals, all in October 2024 to January 2025 ([Refugee Processing Center, FY 2025 arrivals by state and nationality](https://www.rpc.state.gov/documents/FY%202025%20Arrivals%20by%20State%20and%20Nationality%20as%20of%2030%20Sep%202025.pdf)). Minnesota received 670 of them, Ohio 245 and New York 211 ([RPC](https://www.rpc.state.gov/documents/FY%202025%20Arrivals%20by%20State%20and%20Nationality%20as%20of%2030%20Sep%202025.pdf)). The programme has been suspended since late January 2025 ([Congressional Research Service, July 2026](https://www.everycrsreport.com/reports/IF13277.html)).

## How did others come, and how many became citizens?

Some Somalis won asylum inside the US. Affirmative asylum grants to Somalis rose from 119 in 1993 to 2,368 in 1999 ([INS Statistical Yearbook 1999, table 26](https://ohss.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/2023-12/Yearbook_Immigration_Statistics_1999.pdf)). By 2011 they had fallen to 30 ([DHS Yearbook 2011](https://ohss.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/2023-12/ois_yb_2011.pdf)).

Green cards (permanent residence) for people born in Somalia peaked at 13,390 in 2009 ([DHS Yearbook 2009, table 3](https://ohss.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/2023-12/ois_yb_2009.pdf)). They were 2,030 in 2024: 1,170 spouses, children or parents of US citizens, 390 refugees and asylees, and 380 diversity lottery winners ([DHS Yearbook 2024, table 3](https://ohss.dhs.gov/topics/immigration/yearbook/2024/table3); [table 10](https://ohss.dhs.gov/topics/immigration/yearbook/2024/table10)).

Naturalisation followed. People born in Somalia became US citizens in these numbers ([DHS Yearbook 2011](https://ohss.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/2023-12/ois_yb_2011.pdf); [DHS Yearbook 2024, table 22](https://ohss.dhs.gov/topics/immigration/yearbook/2024/table22)):

- **2002:** 1,789
- **2011:** 7,971
- **2019:** 6,920
- **2022:** 7,700, the highest year shown
- **2024:** 2,440

## What was TPS, and what happened to it?

Temporary Protected Status (TPS) let Somalis already in the US stay and work while Somalia was unsafe ([USCIS](https://www.uscis.gov/humanitarian/temporary-protected-status/temporary-protected-status-designated-country-somalia)). The US designated Somalia for TPS on 16 September 1991 ([USCIS](https://www.uscis.gov/humanitarian/temporary-protected-status/temporary-protected-status-designated-country-somalia)). A termination notice was published on 14 January 2026, and the designation ended on 14 August 2026 ([USCIS](https://www.uscis.gov/humanitarian/temporary-protected-status/temporary-protected-status-designated-country-somalia)).

What the change means for people's papers is on [Refugee papers and status](/en/diaspora/refugee-papers-and-status/). At the end of 2024, UNHCR counted 1,355 recognised refugees and 3,945 asylum seekers from Somalia in the US ([UNHCR Refugee Data Finder API](https://api.unhcr.org/population/v1/population/?limit=200&yearFrom=2024&yearTo=2024&coo=SOM&coa_all=true)).

## What schooling and work do they have?

Minnesota, home to about two in five Somali Americans, is the best measured ([Census Reporter](https://api.censusreporter.org/1.0/data/show/acs2024_5yr?table_ids=B02025&geo_ids=040|01000US)). In 2020 to 2024, 47.8% of Somali Minnesotans were born in the US ([Minnesota Compass](https://www.mncompass.org/topics/demographics/cultural-communities/somali)).

Among Somali Minnesotans aged 25 and over, 63.9% had finished high school and 17.2% held a bachelor's degree or higher ([Minnesota Compass](https://www.mncompass.org/topics/demographics/cultural-communities/somali)). One in three (33.6%) spoke English less than "very well" ([Minnesota Compass](https://www.mncompass.org/topics/demographics/cultural-communities/somali)). Jobs, income and homeownership in Minnesota are on the [Minneapolis–St Paul](/en/diaspora/minneapolis-st-paul/) page.

## Who speaks for the community?

[Ilhan Omar](/en/people/ilhan-omar/) has represented Minnesota's 5th Congressional District since January 2019 ([US House of Representatives, Rep. Omar](https://omar.house.gov/about)). Born in Somalia, she spent four years in a Kenyan refugee camp before her family came to the US in the 1990s ([omar.house.gov](https://omar.house.gov/about)). State lawmakers, city officials and community groups are listed on each city page: [Minneapolis–St Paul](/en/diaspora/minneapolis-st-paul/), [Columbus](/en/diaspora/columbus/), [Seattle](/en/diaspora/seattle/), [Washington DC area](/en/diaspora/washington-dc-area/), [Atlanta and Clarkston](/en/diaspora/atlanta-clarkston/), [San Diego](/en/diaspora/san-diego/), [Dallas–Fort Worth](/en/diaspora/dallas-fort-worth/), [Phoenix](/en/diaspora/phoenix/), [Nashville](/en/diaspora/nashville/), [Lewiston and Portland, Maine](/en/diaspora/lewiston-portland-maine/) and [other US communities](/en/diaspora/us-other/). Every Somali American found in elected or senior appointed office is listed on [Somali Americans in public office](/en/diaspora/somali-americans-in-public-office/).

## What do they face now?

- **Fewer new arrivals:** total US refugee admissions fell from 100,034 in fiscal 2024 to 38,102 in fiscal 2025 ([Pew Research Center, August 2026](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/08/17/refugee-admissions-to-the-us-are-dropping-sharply-in-trumps-second-term/)).
- **The end of TPS:** in force since 14 August 2026 ([USCIS](https://www.uscis.gov/humanitarian/temporary-protected-status/temporary-protected-status-designated-country-somalia)).
- **A tax on cash transfers:** a 1% federal excise tax applies to money sent abroad and paid for in cash, from 1 January 2026 ([Bloomberg Tax](https://news.bloombergtax.com/daily-tax-report/irs-issues-proposed-regulations-on-1-percent-excise-tax-on-certain-remittance-transfers)).

## How are they tied to home?

Money sent home ties families together. Individual remittances to Somalia reached about US$3.13 billion in 2025, about 24% of GDP ([The EastAfrican, 2026](https://theeastafrican.co.ke/tea/business-tech/diaspora-steady-mogadishu-economy-in-times-of-turmoil-5558440); [Central Bank of Somalia, Annual Report 2025](https://centralbank.gov.so/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Annual-Report_2025.pdf)). The US share of that total is discussed on [other US communities](/en/diaspora/us-other/).

Family reunion keeps the link alive too: most green cards for Somalia-born people in 2024 went to relatives of US citizens ([DHS Yearbook 2024, table 10](https://ohss.dhs.gov/topics/immigration/yearbook/2024/table10)). For the wider picture, see [Life after leaving](/en/diaspora/life-after-leaving/) and [Somali refugees by the numbers](/en/diaspora/somali-refugees-by-the-numbers/).

## What else has been reported?

- **TPS holders:** the Congressional Research Service counted 705 Somali TPS holders out of nearly 1.3 million TPS holders nationally, as reported by Sahan Journal and NPR in late 2025 ([NPR, 4 December 2025](https://npr.org/2025/12/04/nx-s1-5632687/minnesota-responds-to-trump-rhetoric-on-somali-immigrants)). Reuters later reported nearly 1,100 Somalis held TPS when a court let the termination go ahead ([Citizen Digital, citing Reuters](https://citizen.digital/article/us-judge-clears-way-for-trump-to-end-somalis-deportation-protections-n388381)).

## Related pages

- [Canada (Somali diaspora)](/en/diaspora/canada/)
- [Minneapolis–St Paul](/en/diaspora/minneapolis-st-paul/)
- [Columbus, Ohio](/en/diaspora/columbus/)
- [Seattle and South King County](/en/diaspora/seattle/)
- [Washington DC area](/en/diaspora/washington-dc-area/)
- [Atlanta and Clarkston](/en/diaspora/atlanta-clarkston/)
- [San Diego](/en/diaspora/san-diego/)
- [Dallas–Fort Worth](/en/diaspora/dallas-fort-worth/)
- [Phoenix](/en/diaspora/phoenix/)
- [Nashville](/en/diaspora/nashville/)
- [Lewiston and Portland, Maine](/en/diaspora/lewiston-portland-maine/)
- [St. Cloud, Minnesota](/en/diaspora/st-cloud/)
- [Rochester, Minnesota](/en/diaspora/rochester-minnesota/)
- [Kansas City](/en/diaspora/kansas-city/)
- [Denver and Colorado](/en/diaspora/denver/)
- [Other US Somali communities](/en/diaspora/us-other/)
- [Why and how Somalis left](/en/diaspora/why-and-how-somalis-left/)
- [Refugee camps](/en/diaspora/refugee-camps/)
- [Refugee papers and status](/en/diaspora/refugee-papers-and-status/)
- [US travel bans and Somalis](/en/diaspora/us-travel-ban-and-somalis/)
- [Somali Bantu (Jareer) resettlement from Kenya to the United States](/en/diaspora/somali-bantu-resettlement/)

## Sources

1. US Census Bureau. "2020 Census Detailed Demographic and Housing Characteristics File A." Press release, 21 September 2023. [census.gov](https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2023/2020-census-detailed-dhc-file-a.html). Checked 2026-11-12.
2. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 1-year, table B02025, via Census Reporter API. [censusreporter.org](https://api.censusreporter.org/1.0/data/show/acs2024_1yr?table_ids=B02025&geo_ids=01000US). Checked 2026-11-12.
3. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year, table B02025 (states), via Census Reporter API. [censusreporter.org](https://api.censusreporter.org/1.0/data/show/acs2024_5yr?table_ids=B02025&geo_ids=040|01000US). Checked 2026-11-12.
4. US Census Bureau, ACS 2020–2024 5-year, table B04006 (ancestry). [censusreporter.org](https://api.censusreporter.org/1.0/data/show/acs2024_5yr?table_ids=B04006&geo_ids=01000US). Checked 2026-11-12.
5. US Census Bureau, ACS 2020–2024 5-year, table B05006 (place of birth). [censusreporter.org](https://api.censusreporter.org/1.0/data/show/acs2024_5yr?table_ids=B05006&geo_ids=01000US). Checked 2026-11-12.
6. Immigration and Naturalization Service. "1996 Statistical Yearbook," table 25. October 1997. [ohss.dhs.gov](https://ohss.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/2023-12/ins_yearbook_immigration_statistics_1996.pdf). Checked 2026-11-12.
7. Immigration and Naturalization Service. "1999 Statistical Yearbook," tables 24 and 26. March 2002. [ohss.dhs.gov](https://ohss.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/2023-12/Yearbook_Immigration_Statistics_1999.pdf). Checked 2026-11-12.
8. DHS Office of Immigration Statistics. "2009 Yearbook of Immigration Statistics," tables 3 and 14. August 2010. [ohss.dhs.gov](https://ohss.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/2023-12/ois_yb_2009.pdf). Checked 2026-11-12.
9. DHS Office of Immigration Statistics. "2011 Yearbook of Immigration Statistics." September 2012. [ohss.dhs.gov](https://ohss.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/2023-12/ois_yb_2011.pdf). Checked 2026-11-12.
10. DHS. "Yearbook of Immigration Statistics 2014," table 14. [ohss.dhs.gov](https://ohss.dhs.gov/topics/immigration/yearbook/2014/table14). Checked 2026-11-12.
11. DHS Office of Homeland Security Statistics. "Yearbook of Immigration Statistics 2024," tables 3, 10, 14 and 22. 2025. [table 14](https://ohss.dhs.gov/topics/immigration/yearbook/2024/table14) · [table 3](https://ohss.dhs.gov/topics/immigration/yearbook/2024/table3) · [table 10](https://ohss.dhs.gov/topics/immigration/yearbook/2024/table10) · [table 22](https://ohss.dhs.gov/topics/immigration/yearbook/2024/table22). Checked 2026-11-12.
12. US Department of State, Refugee Processing Center. "Refugee Arrivals by State and Nationality, FY 2025, as of 30 Sep 2025." [rpc.state.gov](https://www.rpc.state.gov/documents/FY%202025%20Arrivals%20by%20State%20and%20Nationality%20as%20of%2030%20Sep%202025.pdf). Checked 2026-11-12.
13. Congressional Research Service. "U.S. Refugee Admissions Program in FY2025 and FY2026." IF13277, July 2026. [everycrsreport.com](https://www.everycrsreport.com/reports/IF13277.html). Checked 2026-11-12.
14. US Citizenship and Immigration Services. "Temporary Protected Status Designated Country: Somalia." [uscis.gov](https://www.uscis.gov/humanitarian/temporary-protected-status/temporary-protected-status-designated-country-somalia). Checked 2026-11-12.
15. UNHCR. Refugee Data Finder API, Somalia as country of origin, 2024. [api.unhcr.org](https://api.unhcr.org/population/v1/population/?limit=200&yearFrom=2024&yearTo=2024&coo=SOM&coa_all=true). Checked 2026-11-12.
16. Minnesota Compass (Wilder Research). "Somali" cultural community profile, ACS 2020–2024. [mncompass.org](https://www.mncompass.org/topics/demographics/cultural-communities/somali). Checked 2026-11-12.
17. US House of Representatives. "About Ilhan." Office of Rep. Ilhan Omar. [omar.house.gov](https://omar.house.gov/about). Checked 2026-11-12.
18. Pew Research Center. "Refugee admissions to the U.S. are dropping sharply in Trump's second term." 17 August 2026. [pewresearch.org](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/08/17/refugee-admissions-to-the-us-are-dropping-sharply-in-trumps-second-term/). Checked 2026-11-12.
19. Bloomberg Tax. "IRS Issues Proposed Regulations on 1 Percent Excise Tax on Certain Remittance Transfers." 2026. [bloombergtax.com](https://news.bloombergtax.com/daily-tax-report/irs-issues-proposed-regulations-on-1-percent-excise-tax-on-certain-remittance-transfers). Checked 2026-11-12.
20. The EastAfrican. "How diaspora steady Mogadishu economy in times of turmoil." 2026. [theeastafrican.co.ke](https://theeastafrican.co.ke/tea/business-tech/diaspora-steady-mogadishu-economy-in-times-of-turmoil-5558440). Checked 2026-11-12.
21. Central Bank of Somalia. "Annual Report 2025." 2026. [centralbank.gov.so](https://centralbank.gov.so/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Annual-Report_2025.pdf). Checked 2026-11-12.
22. NPR. "Minnesota responds to Trump rhetoric on Somali immigrants". 4 Dec 2025. https://npr.org/2025/12/04/nx-s1-5632687/minnesota-responds-to-trump-rhetoric-on-somali-immigrants. Checked 2026-11-12.
23. Citizen Digital, citing Reuters. "US judge clears way for Trump to end Somalis' deportation protections". 2026. https://citizen.digital/article/us-judge-clears-way-for-trump-to-end-somalis-deportation-protections-n388381. Checked 2026-11-12.

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