Sri Lankan Americans (, ) are Americans of full or partial Sri Lankan ancestry. Sri Lankan Americans are persons of Sri Lankan origin from various Sri Lankan ethnic backgrounds. The people are classified as

South Asian South Asia is the southern Subregion#Asia, subregion of Asia that is defined in both geographical and Ethnicity, ethnic-Culture, cultural terms. South Asia, with a population of 2.04 billion, contains a quarter (25%) of the world's populatio ...

in origin.

History

Sri Lankans started arriving in the U.S. in larger numbers around the mid 1950s, but there is evidence from U.S. census records which proves that Sri Lankans first emigrated from

Ceylon Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

and arrived in the United States in earlier years, mostly between the 1880s and the 1890s. In 1975, Sri Lankan immigrants were classified as belonging to a category which was separate from "other Asian" for the first time. In that year, 432 Sri Lankans entered the United States. According to the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service's records, in 1996, 1,277 Sri Lankans were naturalized. This included 615 who had arrived in 1995 and 254 who had arrived in 1994, compared with only 68 arrivals in 1993 and 17 before 1985. The number increased to 14,448 in the 1990s in conjunction with the Sri Lankan Civil War . An estimated 40% of Sri Lankan Americans are

Sri Lankan Tamils Sri Lankan Tamils ( or ), also known as Ceylon Tamils or Eelam Tamils, are Tamils native to the South Asian island state of Sri Lanka. Today, they constitute a majority in the Northern Province, Sri Lanka, Northern Province, form the pluralit ...

. Sri Lankan Americans settled largely in cities.

Demographics

The

New York City Metropolitan Area The New York metropolitan area, also called the Tri-State area and sometimes referred to as Greater New York, is the List of cities by GDP, largest metropolitan economy in the world, with a List of U.S. metropolitan areas by GDP, gross metropo ...

, including

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...

, and Central

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, contains the largest Sri Lankan community in the United States, receiving the highest legal permanent resident Sri Lankan immigrant population, followed by the

Los Angeles metropolitan area Greater Los Angeles is the most populous metropolitan area in the U.S. state of California, encompassing five counties in Southern California extending from Ventura County in the west to San Bernardino County and Riverside County in the east, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

has the highest number of Sri Lankans of any U.S. state at 14,008. Meanwhile,

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

has the highest share of Sri Lankans at 0.07%. Little Sri Lanka, in the

Tompkinsville Tompkinsville may refer to: *Tompkinsville, Kentucky *Tompkinsville, Maryland *Tompkinsville, Staten Island, New York ** Tompkinsville (Staten Island Railway station) {{geodis ...

neighborhood of

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is the southernmost of the boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County and situated at the southernmost point of New York (state), New York. The borough is separated from the ad ...

, New York, is one of the largest Sri Lankan communities outside of the country of Sri Lanka itself. As of 2019, Sri Lankans were coalescing there. Staten Island alone has been estimated as home to more than 5,000 Sri Lankan Americans. Other communities with Sri Lankans include

Queens, New York Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

;

Garden City Park, New York Garden City Park is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located in the Town of North Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, on Long Island. It's a suburb located approximately from Midtown Manhattan. The population was 7,806 at the 2010 ce ...

;

Sewaren, New Jersey Sewaren (pronounced SEE-waren) is an Local government in New Jersey#Unincorporated communities, unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) within Woodbridge Township, New Jersey, Woodbridge Township, Middlesex County, New Jersey ...

;

Gaithersburg, Maryland Gaithersburg ( ) is a city in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. At the time of the 2020 United States census, Gaithersburg had a population of 69,657, making it the third-largest incorporated city and the ninth-most populous communit ...

;

Kensington, Maryland Kensington is a town in Montgomery County, Maryland, Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. The population was 2,122 at the 2020 United States census. Greater Kensington encompasses the entire 20895 ZIP Code, ZIP code, with a population of 1 ...

; and

Fishers, Indiana Fishers is a city in the Fall Creek Township, Hamilton County, Indiana, Fall Creek and Delaware Township, Hamilton County, Indiana, Delaware townships in Hamilton County, Indiana, Hamilton County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2020 United Sta ...

. In Los Angeles there is a large presence in the West

San Fernando Valley The San Fernando Valley, known locally as the Valley, is an urbanized valley in Los Angeles County, Los Angeles County, California. Situated to the north of the Los Angeles Basin, it comprises a large portion of Los Angeles, the Municipal corpo ...

, in particular in Reseda and Tarzana. According to the Statistical Atlas there are over 1,000 individuals with Sri Lankan ancestry in the West San Fernando Valley. Around 40% of Sri Lankan Americans were born in the United States, while only a half are U.S. citizens. The Top 10 cities with the most residents reporting Sri Lankan ancestry or origin are as follows:

Socioeconomics

Sri Lankan Americans are generally educated and affluent. With a median income of $74,000, Sri Lankan Americans are the third most successful Asian American group (tied with

Japanese Americans are Americans of Japanese ancestry. Japanese Americans were among the three largest Asian Americans, Asian American ethnic communities during the 20th century; but, according to the 2000 United States census, 2000 census, they have declined in ...

) in regards to income. Additionally, 57% of Sri Lankan Americans over the age of 25 have a bachelor's degree or more.

Organizations

* Association of Sri Lankans in America (AHRCL) * Friends of Sri Lanka in the United States * Sri Lanka America Association of Southern California (SLAASC) * Sri Lanka Association of New England (SLANE) * Sri Lanka Foundation * Sri Lankan American Association of Houston * Sri Lankan American Cultural Association (SLACA) * Sri Lankan Youth Organization (SLYO) *The Association of Sri Lankan Muslims in North America (TASMiNA)

Notable people

Notes and references

External links

Sri Lankan Americans

US Census 2000 foreign born population by country

Sri Lanka: Background and U.S. Relations
{{Authority control Asian diaspora in the United States Sri Lankan diaspora South Asian diaspora in the United States