The Size of the Israeli-American Jewish Population, 2023
This paper utilizes American Community Survey data to estimate the Jewish Israeli-American population at approximately 400,000 (5% of American Jews), a figure that contradicts higher non-scientific estimates and aligns with recent scientific studies and immigration records.
Original paper licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). This is an AI-generated explanation of the paper below. It is not written or endorsed by the authors. For technical accuracy, refer to the original paper. Read full disclaimer
Counting people who have moved from one country to another is often more complicated than it seems. When researchers try to determine how many people from a specific nation live in the United States, they usually rely on three standard questions asked in large government surveys: where a person was born, what their family's ancestral background is, and what language they speak at home. For most groups, these answers provide a clear picture. However, for people with connections to Israel, the picture is often blurry. Many individuals who identify as Israeli were not born there, perhaps having moved to Israel from another country before coming to America. Others might have been born in Israel but speak a different language at home or no longer claim Israeli heritage. This ambiguity has led to a long-standing debate about the true size of the Israeli-American community, with some estimates ranging wildly from a few hundred thousand to over a million. The question matters because community leaders, policymakers, and the people themselves need accurate numbers to understand their population's needs and history, rather than relying on guesses or emotional assumptions.
Two researchers, Ira Sheskin from the University of Miami and Joshua Comenetz from the United States Census Bureau, set out to solve this puzzle using the most comprehensive data available. They analyzed information from the American Community Survey, a massive annual study that asks millions of Americans about their lives. Instead of looking at just one factor, they combined three specific variables: place of birth, ancestry, and the language spoken at home. By cross-referencing these three pieces of information, they could identify people who might otherwise slip through the cracks of a single-question survey. For instance, a person born in Israel who speaks Hebrew at home is clearly counted, but so is someone born in Russia who moved to Israel, lived there for years, and then moved to the United States, provided they still identify as Israeli or speak Hebrew. This method allowed them to build a much more complete map of who belongs to this group.
The researchers found that the popular estimates circulating in the media, which sometimes suggest there are up to one million Israeli-Americans, are not supported by the data. Those higher numbers often come from non-scientific sources or organizations that may have an interest in making the community appear larger. In contrast, the scientific approach used in this study points to a much smaller, yet still significant, population. After carefully adjusting for people who might have skipped certain survey questions or who are under five years old and thus not asked about language, the researchers calculated that there are approximately 400,000 Jewish Israeli-Americans living in the United States as of 2023. This number represents about 5 percent of the total American Jewish population. The study also noted that this population has remained relatively stable over the last two decades, showing no dramatic increase or decrease before the major geopolitical events of late 2023.
The study also looked at where these people live and who they are. The population is not spread evenly across the country; it is heavily concentrated in four states: California, New York, Florida, and New Jersey. These four states are home to two-thirds of all Israeli-Americans. California, in particular, has seen a rapid rise in this population, a trend the researchers link to the tech industry in Silicon Valley and the entertainment sector in Southern California. In contrast, the population in New York has grown very little since 1990. The researchers also took care to distinguish between Jewish and non-Jewish Israelis. While Israel's own population includes a significant number of non-Jewish residents, the data suggests that the share of non-Jewish people among Israeli-Americans is much smaller, likely around 7 percent. This means the core estimate of 400,000 refers specifically to those who identify as Jewish.
One of the most interesting aspects of the paper is how it addresses the emotional weight of these numbers. The authors acknowledge that counting people who have left their home country can be a sensitive topic. Some people who have moved to the United States might prefer a higher number to validate their decision to leave, while others worry that a large exodus suggests something is wrong with the country they left. The researchers found that many Israeli-Americans have mixed feelings, often viewing their time in the United States as temporary or feeling a strong emotional tie to Israel despite living abroad. The study concludes that while the number of people leaving Israel has not exploded in recent years, the data provides a necessary baseline. By replacing speculation with a carefully calculated figure of 400,000, the researchers offer a clear foundation for understanding this community, ensuring that future discussions and community planning are based on reality rather than hope or fear.
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