Bolivian Americans


Bolivian Americans are Americans of at least partial Bolivian descent.
Bolivian Americans are identified as Indigenous, European, Afro Bolivian, or a combination of any or all three races in varying degrees of admixture. Additionally, there are Bolivian Americans of Japanese descent, albeit, in small numbers.
Bolivians compose the third smallest Hispanic group in the United States, with a 2010 Census population of 99,210. The highest concentration resides in the Washington Metropolitan Area, which accounts for 38% of the total Bolivian population in the US. Additional areas of concentration include the New York City borough of Queens, Miami-Dade County, and the cities of Los Angeles and Providence, Rhode Island.

History

Bolivian immigration into the United States occurred in two significant phases. The first phase occurred during and subsequent to the 1952 National Revolution. Most of these immigrants consisted of middle- to upper-middle income occupational professionals or political dissidents, and identify with Bolivia's White or Criollo society.
The second notable phase of Bolivian immigration was a result of Bolivia's fiscal policies in the 1970s which gave way to the hyperinflation throughout most of the 1980s. Most of these immigrants consisted of lower-income Mestizo and Indigenous Bolivians obtaining work posts as service and manual laborers.
Many Bolivians who emigrated to the United States came as tourists. However, many remained indefinitely in the country, setting with family and friends. This made it difficult to know the number of Bolivians living in the United States. Between 1984 and 1993, only 4,574 Bolivians got U.S. citizenship. In this period about 457 were naturalized each year.

Demographics

Bolivians have settled throughout the United States, mainly in Washington D.C., California and Maryland; there are also large groups of Bolivian immigrants in Texas, New York City, New Jersey, South Florida, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Chicago. The number of Bolivians in the U.S. in 2006 was estimated at 82,322. Most Bolivian immigrants are high school or college graduates; many work in companies or in government.

Areas

The largest populations of Bolivians are situated in the following areas :
  1. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV MSA – 37,607
  2. New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PA MSA – 9,749
  3. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, CA MSA – 7,068
  4. Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL MSA – 6,697
  5. Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX MSA – 2,359
  6. Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL-IN-WI MSA – 2,099
  7. San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA MSA – 2,078
  8. Providence-New Bedford-Fall River, RI-MA MSA – 1,970
  9. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX MSA – 1,223
  10. Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA-NH MSA – 1,170
  11. Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA MSA – 1,114
  12. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA MSA – 898
  13. San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA MSA and Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL MSA – 808
  14. Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL MSA – 744
  15. Baltimore-Towson, MD MSA – 710
  16. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA MSA – 647
  17. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA MSA – 558
  18. Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD MSA – 524
  19. Salt Lake City, UT MSA – 519
  20. Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale, AZ MSA – 502

    Notable people