Scandinavian American

Scandinavian Americans

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Total population
Scandinavian 11,269,320 Americans 3.8% of the US population
Regions with significant populations
Minnesota 1,580,776 California 1,224,541 Washington 739,043 Wisconsin 728,248 Illinois 575,991 Michigan 403,888 Florida 355,458 Oregon 339,031 Iowa 338,161 Utah 333,405
Languages
English, Scandinavian languages
Religion
Predominantly Lutheran; other Protestant denominations, Catholic, Mormon
Related ethnic groups
Scandinavians, Scandinavian Canadians, German Americans, Austrian Americans, Dutch Americans, English Americans

Scandinavian Americans are Americans with ancestral roots in Scandinavia (note that "Scandinavia" as a geographic region has varying definitions). However, they generally include:

• Danish Americans
• Faroese Americans
• Finnish American
• Icelandic Americans
• Norwegian Americans
• Swedish Americans

Americans of Sami descent can be classed as either Norwegian, Finnish or Swedish, however, the Sami are not linguistically Indo-European, and the Finnish are not Scandinavian. Likewise, despite originating outside of Europe, Greenlandic Americans can be classed as Scandinavian American due to close historical ties with Scandinavia, and because Greenland is linked to Denmark.

Scandinavians immigrated initially to the northmost states of US, and found employment in agriculture, forestry and mining. They urbanized very soon, and many Scandinavian Americans are highly educated. The median income of Scandinavian Americans is significantly higher than the median of other White Americans.

The highest concentration of Scandinavian Americans is in the Upper Midwest, especially Minnesota. Other large concentrated areas are in the North-Central states, the Pacific Northwest, Utah and Alaska.

There are nearly 12 million Americans of Scandinavian, or part-Scandinavian, descent in the United States, or 3.9% of the total population of the country.

Scandinavian Americans by state

State Rank	State	Scandinavian Americans	Percent Scandinavian Americans
-	United States	11,269,320	3.8%
1	Minnesota	1,580,776	32.1%
2	California	1,510,541	3.6%
3	Washington	739,043	12.5%
4	Wisconsin	728,248	13.5%
5	Illinois	575,991	4.6%
6	Michigan	403,888	4.0%
7	Texas	359,360	1.4%
8	Florida	355,458	2.1%
9	Oregon	339,031	9.9%
10	Iowa	338,161	11.5%
11	Utah	333,405	14.9%
12	Colorado	291,488	5.9%
13	Arizona	281,388	4.3%
14	New York	254,474	1.3%
15	North Dakota	231,875	36.1%
16	Massachusetts	182,339	2.8%
17	Nebraska	177,522	9.9%
18	South Dakota	172,941	21.5%
19	Pennsylvania	169,294	1.3%
20	Ohio	146,369	1.2%
21	Montana	136,688	14.1%
22	Idaho	136,620	8.9%
23	Missouri	135,340	2.2%
24	Virginia	130,099	1.6%
25	Kansas	124,017	4.4%
26	New Jersey	119,267	1.3%
27	Indiana	118,989	1.8%
28	North Carolina	110,362	1.1%
29	Nevada	102,638	3.9%
30	Connecticut	100,530	2.8%
31	Georgia (U.S. state)	97,209	1.0%
32	Maryland	79,656	1.4%
33	Tennessee	75,615	1.2%
34	Oklahoma	62,145	1.7%
35	Alaska	61,259	8.9%
36	Wyoming	51,755	9.7%
37	New Hampshire	47,955	3.6%
38	Maine	44,955	3.4%
39	Alabama	43,899	0.9%
40	South Carolina	43,306	0.9%
41	New Mexico	41,073	2.0%
42	Arkansas	38,308	1.3%
43	Kentucky	34,592	0.8%
44	Hawaii	30,976	2.4%
45	Louisiana	29,175	0.6%
46	Rhode Island	26,476	2.5%
47	Mississippi	19,501	0.6%
48	Vermont	18,378	2.9%
49	West Virginia	14,519	0.8%
50	Delaware	11,232	1.2%
-	District of Columbia	7,523	1.3%
-	Puerto Rico	641	0.0%

Scandinavian languages by state

State Rank	State	Total	Percent
-	United States	200,630	0.0%
1	California	32,745	0.1%
2	Minnesota	17,998	0.3%
3	Florida	14,628	0.0%
4	New York	13,543	0.0%
5	Washington	12,524	0.2%
6	Michigan	8,825	0.0%
7	Texas	7,849	0.0%
8	Illinois	7,528	0.0%
9	Wisconsin	6,929	0.1%
10	Massachusetts	6,599	0.0%
11	New Jersey	5,518	0.0%
12	Oregon	4,510	0.1%
13	Utah	3,838	0.1%
14	North Dakota	3,364	0.5%
15	Iowa	2,407	0.0%

See also

• Nordic countries
• Baltic Americans
• Vinland
• New Sweden