Ethiopia: Immigrant Stories
Ethiopian Immigrants in the United States
According to the 2019–2023 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year dataset, an estimated 283,075 Ethiopian immigrants live in the United States, representing 0.6 percent of the total immigrant population of 46,134,671. The top three states with the largest percentage of Ethiopian immigrants as a percentage of the total foreign-born population include South Dakota (6.7%), District of Columbia (6.6%), and Minnesota (5.1%).
The median age among Ethiopian immigrants living in the United States is 40 years old and the median year of immigration to the United States for immigrants from Ethiopia is 2008. More than two-thirds (67%) of Ethiopian immigrants are naturalized U.S. citizens and 61 percent of Ethiopian immigrants are proficient in English. Ethiopian immigrants have high employment rates (93%), and 12 percent are self-employed or business owners.
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JAMBO MERHATSEDEK WOLDYOHANNIS moved to Colorado twenty-five years ago when he was 22 years old. From a very young age growing up in Ethiopia’s capital Adis Ababa, he said, “I saw that my family was struggling financially. I always wished to grow up and support my family.” Moving to the United States to start a business was his opportunity to fulfill this goal.