Nigerian Americans

Immigration Patterns

Nigerians have been arriving since about 1926, as students, travelers, or businessmen. Since then, the number of immigrants from Nigeria has slowly increased. Nigeria's oil boom and bust during the 1970s marked a significant period for Nigerian immigration to the United States. During this decade, the elite, the upwardly mobile working class, and students immigrated to the United States. Reasons included political instability and economic problems. While many return-migrated in the following decade, others obtained citizenship and sponsored their relatives to migrate to the United States.

According to Immigration and Naturalization statistics, about 35,000 Nigerians immigrated to the United States between 1981 and 1990. Nigerian immigrants during the 1990s arrived mostly as part of the Diversity Program (part of the 1990 Immigration Act that grants additional visas for immigrants who were underrepresented in the past) as well as family reunification programs.

Contemporary Community

In recent years, people from Nigeria have sought permanent residency and refugee status and completed the naturalization process to become citizens. From 1997 through 2006, about 8,700 Nigerians immigrated to the United States annually. The number of refugees arriving has varied greatly since 1997. One thousand two hundred twenty-four Nigerian refugees arrived from 1997 to 2006, with 625 refugees arriving in 1999 alone. Over 51,000 Nigerian Americans have become naturalized citizens since 1997.

Many Nigerian Americans are employed in management or professional occupations. In addition, according to the 2000 census, more than 30% reported working in the educational, health, and social services industry. Their median family income was $52,586, compared with $50,890 for the nation as a whole.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey, there were 188,076 people of Nigerian national origin in the United States. Nigerian communities can be found in New York City; Newark; Washington, D.C.; Chicago; Atlanta; and Los Angeles. In terms of geographic distribution, the top five states were Texas, New York, Maryland, California, and New Jersey.