Demographics
Arab Americans trace their roots to 22 countries in Africa and Asia that share a common language and heritage. There are of many 
religions. The majority of Arab Americans are Christian -- Eastern Orthodox (e.g., Greek Catholic, Maronite, Coptic, Assyrian, and Chaldean), Roman Catholic and Protestant, but Muslims are the fastest growing segment of the community. The majority of Arab Americans are native-born Americans, and 82 percent are U.S. citizens.
The first large wave of the United States began in the 1880s and continued into the early 20th century. The second began after World War II and has continued to the present. In 2000, the population was estimated at three to four million. The Arab American Institute (AAI) believes there are about four million Arab Americans.
AAI explains that they were undercounted in the 1990 Census, as were many other ethnic, minority, and immigrant populations. Because being of Arab heritage is an ethnicity, Arabs (like Hispanics) are not counted separately in the race question on the Census, but there is no separate ethnic question for Arabs.
The long form of the Census includes an ancestry question, but 2000 data are not yet available. AAI data indicates that "most Arab Americans are of Lebanese or Syrian origin, but the population of Egyptian, Palestinian, and Iraqi Americans has been growing steadily." According to 1990 Census data, the population is relatively concentrated in 1990, two-thirds (66%) lived in ten states, and one-third (33%) lived in California, New York, and Michigan. About half (48%) lived in just 20 metropolitan areas; as of 1990 the top six were Los Angeles, Detroit, New York, Northeastern New Jersey, Chicago, and Washington, DC.
The vast majority of Arab-Americans are citizens of the United States. They are very much like other Americans, except younger, more educated, more affluent and more likely to own a business. Like any other immigrant group, Arab-Americans want to enjoy America's riches while preserving the important parts of their native culture.
Though Arab-Americans are the least-studied ethnic group in the United States, they receive considerable publicity associated with political and economic events, a good example of which has been the intense focus on the community in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania. While this attention may be of grave political and diplomatic importance, it overshadows Arab-Americans' financial and social impact in the United States.
More importantly, such attention - including the current focus on the community - points out a longstanding problem: Very little is actually publicized and discussed about the make-up of the community. The lack of information, coupled with the media's tendency to use broad strokes to associate Arab-Americans with Arabs in the Middle East, has at times put the community in a defensive position. This article, which is based on the 1990 U.S. Census (which is the most recent available information) addresses the lack of information by providing a demographic and economic picture of the community.
Population: Arab Americans in the 2000 U.S. Census
| Ancestry | 2000 | 2010 (Estimated) |
|---|---|---|
 Lebanese |
440,279 |
786,918 |
 Syrian |
142,897 |
259,944 |
 Egyptian |
142,897 |
265,481 |
 Moroccan |
37,462 |
145,569 |
 Palestinian |
72,112 |
88,000 |
 Iraqi |
37,714 |
172,300 |
 Yemeni |
15,000 |
41,000 |
 Tunisian |
20,000 |
35,000 |
| Other Arabs | 424,807 |
892,088 |
| TOTAL | 1,275,641 |
3,240,000 |
Like all people, Arab Americans are too often described in simplistic terms. Although the Arab culture is one of the oldest on Earth, it is, in many parts of the United States, misunderstood. There are no easy, one-size-fits-all answers. Culture, language and religion are distinct qualities that act in different ways to connect Arabs, and to distinguish them from one another. The differences that seem to separate Arab Americans from non-Arabs can be much smaller than the variations that at times differentiate them from one another. It takes time to learn the issues and to understand them, but it is essential and rewarding for us to do that. Misunderstanding ultimately hurts each one of us.