This map of the United States shown above corresponds to the foreign ancestry of each U.S. state, distributed by county.
Germans are among the prominent influences in the Land of the Free; they are indicated on the American ethnicity map in blue. Their ancestry spreads within:
- the northern and central parts of the country
- select parts of California, New Mexico, Texas, Florida, Alabama, and Alaska
Shown on the ethnic map in red, English heritage is also largely evident in the following areas:
- most western and southeastern states
- some states in the northeast
- parts of Texas, Michigan, Alaska
Mexican influence (gray) is also quite popular, especially in these U.S. states:
- California
- Nevada
- Idaho
- Arizona
- New Mexico
- Texas
- Kansas
- Oklahoma
African American societies (violet), meanwhile, are present in:
- parts of the southeastern U.S.
- select counties in northeastern states
The Native American (dark red) communities are dominant in some counties of the following states:
- Washington
- Montana
- North Dakota
- South Dakota
- Nebraska
- Wisconsin
- Utah
- Arizona
- New Mexico
- Oklahoma
- North Carolina
- Alaska
Scandinavian influence (light green) is evident in northern U.S. states, including:
- Montana
- North Dakota
- Minnesota
- Wisconsin
- Michigan
- Iowa
The influence of the Irish (green) is focused in some eastern states. In addition, one county in each of these states also report an Irish-dominant community:
- California
- Texas
- Missouri
- Kentucky
French heritage (yellow) is present in some northeastern and southern states, such as:
- New York
- Vermont
- New Hampshire
- Maine
- Connecticut
- Louisiana
- Mississippi
The Italians (pink) have left their mark in these states:
- New York
- Rhode Island
- Connecticut
- New Jersey
- Florida
A few counties of the states of Iowa and Michigan have Dutch ethnicity (orange).
One county in Florida has a Cuban community (purple). Alaska is the only state with an Inuit ancestry (white), while all of Hawaii has Japanese influence (golden yellow).
In total, there are 13 ancestral groups that have left their heritages in the United States.
Know more about the communities that influenced today’s Americans by checking out these reads:
- Finding Octave: The Untold Story of Two Creole Families and Slavery in Louisiana
- Ancestral Mounds: Vitality and Volatility of Native America
- Homelands: Four Friends, Two Countries, and the Fate of the Great Mexican-American Migration
- World of Our Fathers: The Journey of the East European Jews to America and the Life They Found and Made
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