Burmese Americans

The first Burmese to study in the United States was Maung Shaw Loo, of Mon descent, who came in 1858 to study at the University at Lewisburg (now Bucknell University) in Pennsylvania. He graduated with a medical degree in 1867 and returned to Burma the following year.[5]

The first major wave of immigrants from Burma (now Myanmar) occurred from the 1960s to the late 1970s, after Ne Win established military rule in 1962, following the 1962 Burmese coup d'état.[6] Most immigrants were primarily of Sino-Burmese descent, who arrived in increasing numbers following the 1967 anti-Chinese riots.[7] The Burmese Chinese were the first major group of Theravada Buddhists to immigrate to the United States and were largely educated professionals, business entrepreneurs and technically skilled workers.[7][6] A minority were of Anglo-Burmese and Indian descent. Some Burmese immigrated to the United States after the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 abolished the previously existing quota on Asian immigrants.[8]

A second wave occurred from the late 1980s to the early 1990s after the national uprising in 1988.[6] This wave was more diverse, including Bamars, Karens, and those from other ethnic minorities, including political refugees involved in the 8888 Uprising.[6] They are concentrated in Fort Wayne, Indiana.[9] Between 1977 and 2000, 25,229 Burmese immigrated to the United States, although the figure is inaccurate because it does not include Burmese who immigrated via other channels or through other third countries.[10]

A third wave of immigration, from 2006 to date, has been primarily of ethnic minorities in Myanmar, in particular Karen refugees from the Thai-Burmese border.[8][10] From October 2006 to August 2007, 12,800 Karen refugees resettled in the United States.[10]

Burmese in far smaller numbers continue to immigrate to the United States today mainly through family sponsorships and the "green card lottery". Thousands of Burmese each year apply for a Diversity Immigrant Visa (previously known as "OP" and now called "DV"), a lottery-based program that grants visas to those who wish to reside in the United States.

The Burmese American population has significantly increased since the beginning of the 21st century, due to an ongoing wave of immigration, and changes in self-identification.

According to the 2010 United States Census, 100,200 persons of Burmese descent resided in the United States, an increase of 499% over the previous census, which recorded 16,720 individuals of Burmese descent.[11] In the lead-up to the 2010 census, an awareness campaign was conducted by the Burmese Complete Count Committee, which consisted of Burmese American organizations, to convince Burmese Americans to self-identify as "Burmese" on their census forms.[12] Following the 2010 census, "Burmese" became a discrete racial category (previously they were categorized as "other Asians").[13]

Drummers of the Rakhine minority performing on the Burmese New Year, Thingyan, in New York City

Most Burmese Americans live in metropolitan areas with large immigrant populations. In 2019, the top ten metropolitan areas with Burmese populations included:[4]

Other communities with significant Burmese populations include Minneapolis (with 5,000), Buffalo (with 4,000), and Washington (with 4,000), Tulsa, Oklahoma; Chicago; San Diego; and Florida.[14][15]

Below are additional nuances with respect to the diverse Burmese populations inhabiting various regions in the United States:

• Minneapolis, Minnesota – Most of Minnesota's 2,500+ Karen live in the Twin Cities.[16]
• Milwaukee, Wisconsin - "has the largest Rohingya community in the United States with a population likely over 3,000 individuals."[17][18]
• Chicago, Illinois - The West Ridge Community Area alone is home to over 2000 Rohingya refugees and may have the highest concentration of that ethnic group in the USA.[19]
• Fort Wayne, Indiana[15][20] – Home to 6,000 Burmese,[21] some sources claim this to be the largest Burmese community in U.S.
• Tulsa, Oklahoma – Home to 5,000 Chin,[22] considered the largest concentration of Chin people in the U.S.
• Battle Creek, Michigan – Approximately 1,800 Burmese, primarily Chin.[23][24]
• Dallas – A community of Chin refugees is concentrated in Lewisville.[25]
• New York City – Queens, Brooklyn, and Northern New Jersey
• Bay Area – Daly City, Fremont, San Francisco, and San Jose
• Atlanta – DeKalb County, Georgia is home to 2,180 Burmese, primarily in Clarkston.
• Indianapolis, Indiana – specifically Perry Township Considered to be the largest Burmese American community in the nation with 24,000 residents [26]
• Buffalo, New York – Upper West Side
• Washington, D.C. – Northern Virginia and Maryland, throughout Maryland but especially in Frederick County.
• Baltimore, Maryland – Large numbers of Burmese refugees, especially Chin, in Baltimore and Howard Counties
• Des Moines, Waterloo, Cedar Rapids, and Dubuque, Iowa – Iowa is home to at least 8,000 Burmese residents.[27]
• Salt Lake City, Utah – About 900 Burmese residents live in Salt Lake County.
• Bowling Green, Kentucky – Over 1000 Burmese refugees have settled in Bowling Green in recent years.[28] 1,200 Burmese immigrants in Warren County, Kentucky as estimated by the American Community Survey for 2015–2019.[29]
• Kansas City Metropolitan Area - The Kansas City Metropolitan Area is home to 3,000 Burmese people.
• Nashville, Tennessee - The city has a significant Zomi refugee population largely living in South Nashville.[30] As of 2015-2019 according to estimates from the American Community Survey, Davidson County has estimated Burmese immigrant population of 1,800 which ranks 21st nationally.
• Syracuse, New York – Northside
• Albany, New York
• Utica, New York
• Ithaca, New York
• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Hartford, Connecticut
• Chicago and Aurora, Illinois
• Omaha, Nebraska
• Cleveland, Ohio[31]
• Houston, Texas[32]
• Raleigh, North Carolina
• Lowell, Massachusetts
• Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, Washington
• Spokane, Washington
• Tri-Cities, Washington
• Portland, Oregon
• Phoenix, Arizona – There are 2,500 people of Burmese descent that reside in the metro area.[33]

This is a list of notable Burmese Americans including both Burmese immigrants who obtained American citizenship, as well as their American descendants.

• Abraham Sofaer: actor
• Adrian Zaw: actor
• Aung La Nsang: mixed martial arts fighter
• Aung San Oo: brother of Aung San Suu Kyi
• Alex Wagner: journalist and television anchor[8]
• Edward Michael Law-Yone: journalist
• Ezra Solomon: economist
• Julie Chen Moonves, journalist[8]
• Kyaw Kyaw Naing: hsaing waing musician
• Kyi Aye: poet and novelist
• Maung Gyi: Martial arts teacher who introduced bando in America
• Michael Aung-Thwin: historian and academic
• Moethee Zun: prominent leader in 1988 pro-democracy movement
• Moe Z. Win: professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Natalise: singer
• Louisa Benson Craig: activist
• Rich Cho: sports executive
• MiMi Aung: NASA engineer and project manager at Jet Propulsion Laboratory
• Dr. Miemie Winn Byrd: retired US Army Lieutenant colonel and Professor
• Robert Findlay: economist and academic
• Thant Myint-U: academic, grandson of U Thant
• Tin Moe: poet
• Wendy Law-Yone: writer[8]

• Fresno Buddhist Temple (Mrauk Oo Dhamma)
• Vipassana movement & Vipassana Research Institute
• Demographics of Myanmar
• Asian Americans
• Myanmar–United States relations

• Cooper, Amy. "Burmese Americans." Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America, edited by Thomas Riggs, (3rd ed., vol. 1, Gale, 2014), pp. 373–380. online

• Center for Burma Studies at Northern Illinois University
• Burmese American Democratic Alliance (BADA)