FACTS ABOUT VIRGINIA
Virginia is home to a growing number of Arab Americans, with the vast majority residing in the northern suburbs. Descendants of the first wave of Lebanese immigrants also live in the Tidewater and Richmond areas. North Africans are settling in Virginia and have doubled in ancestry identification since the last census.
| Growth Trends The population who identified an Arabic-speaking ancestry in the Census grew by more than 80% between 1990 and 2000, one of the largest in the country. The number of Virginians who claim Arab ancestry has increased four fold since the census of 1980. It is estimated that the statewide population, adjusting for underreporting,* is close to 135,000. |
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| Immigration Based on a sample year of 1997, the largest number of new Arab immigrants to Virginia came from Egypt, Lebanon, and Jordan. A growing number of Moroccan immigrants are settling in the state. Immigrants from the Gulf region originate from Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. The Maghreb region includes Algeria, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia. |
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| Arab Americans reside in 114 out of all 135 counties in the state of Virginia. Approximately three out of four live in the northern suburbs near Washington D.C. |
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FACTS ABOUT WASHINGTON
Washington Encompasses more than 250,000 Arab American
living mainly in the following areas:
| Fairfax County Fairfax City City of Herndon City of Vienna City of Falls Church Fredericksburg |
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