Swiss Americans facts for kids
Schweizamerikaner (German) Suisses américains (French) Svizzero americano (Italian) Svizer american (Romansh) |
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Total population | |
c. 0.9 million (2013) 0.3% of the U.S. population | |
Regions with significant populations | |
New York, Pennsylvania, California, Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin, Colorado, Indiana, Missouri, Washington, Arizona, Utah, Texas and Oregon | |
Languages | |
English · French · German • Italian • Romansh | |
Religion | |
mostly Christianity (Reformed, Catholic and Lutheran) | |
Related ethnic groups | |
Swiss people, Swiss diaspora; European Americans |
Swiss Americans are Americans of Swiss descent. Swiss emigration to America predates the formation of the United States, often as the result of the persecution of Anabaptism during the Swiss Reformation and the formation of the Amish community. In the 19th century, there was lots of immigration of Swiss farmers, who preferred rural settlements in the Midwest. Swiss immigration slowed down after 1930, although limited immigration continues. The number of Americans of Swiss descent is nearly one million. The Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs reported the permanent residency of Swiss people in the United States as 80,218 in 2015.
Images for kids
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Swiss emigrants to the USA totaled 104,000 according to the 1890 census.
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Distribution of Swiss Americans according to the 2000 Census