Turkish Americans

Present-Day Population

The 2000 census estimated there are 117,575 persons of Turkish ancestry living in the United States, of which 78,380 were born in Turkey. The Turkish American population was broadly dispersed across the United States, with the largest concentrations in the states of New York (23,674), California (15,104), New Jersey (12,396), Florida (9,615), and Texas (4,711). Ethnic Turks were concentrated in major metropolitan areas, with 56.4% living in ten consolidated metropolitan statistical areas (CMSAs) with the following distribution: New York City (32,658); Los Angeles (7,488); Washington, D.C. (6,655); San Francisco (4,018); Chicago (3,861); Boston (3,730); Philadelphia (3,303); Detroit (1,648); Houston (1,594); and Dallas (1,414). Among the population over the age of 25, 48.4% had attained bachelor's degrees or higher, and 47.8% of households lived in owner-occupied dwellings.

In recent years, there has been modest legal immigration from Turkey. Between 1996 and 2005, only 32,360 documented immigrants arrived, with annual variation ranging from a low of 2,215 in 1999 to a high of 4,614 in 2005. These numbers have been augmented by an increasing number of Turkish students coming to the United States, some of whom undoubtedly will remain here.

Data from the 2000 census indicate that approximately two-thirds of Turks in the United States are foreign born, and approximately 45% of immigrants have become naturalized citizens. Among Turks who came to this country before 1980, 86.2% are naturalized citizens. Citizenship rates for later immigrants are much lower—59% for 1980s arrivals and 11% for 1990s arrivals. The immigrant population is relatively old—in 2000, their median age was 38.4, and nearly 94% were older than 18 years of age. Males constituted 55% of the immigrant population and females 45%.

Turkish immigrants are relatively well educated: In 2000, 19.6% had bachelor's degrees, and 23.1% had graduate or professional degrees. Approximately 47% of the civilian employed population older than 16 years worked at managerial, professional, or related occupations. Per capita income was $29,120, median male and female full-time employed earnings were $42,361 and $31,843, respectively, and median family income was $51,826.

Periods of Immigration

There have been three waves of Turkish Immigration to the United States—before World War I, between 1950 and 1980, and post-1980. Each of these waves of immigration is characterized by a different type of [Page 1337]immigrant population and different life experiences in this country.

The first period of migration consisted mainly of Ottoman Empire minority populations—Armenians, Greeks, and Jews who fled the empire to escape oppression. This was particularly true for Armenians. Most of these immigrants did not identify themselves as Turks even if they spoke Turkish fluently. Among the ethnic Turks who came to this country before the 1950s, some settled in large cities such as New York, but many settled in a few small enclaves, such as the one in Whiting, Indiana, and worked as laborers. Over the years, these immigrants and their descendants have assimilated into the larger population and lost their Turkish identity. During the 1960s, Turkish consular officials attempting to contact these immigrants or their heirs regarding the inheritance of property in Turkey found it difficult or, in many cases, impossible to locate them.

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