They are part of the broader Hispanic and Latino American category, and make up a scant 0.1% of the U.S. population, compared to larger Hispanic American groups such as Mexican American (11%) and Stateside Puerto Ricans (2%). Argentine immigration increased after the Dirty War in the 1970s, and many took up residence in states such as California, Florida, and New York.
History
Until the 1970s, the Argentines that emigrated to the United States were included in the category of "Other".[citation needed] Thus, the number of Argentines who emigrated to the United States up to that moment is unknown, due to the inexistence of statistics about the groups that formed that category.[citation needed]
In any case, it seems that the first Argentines who arrived in the United States did so during the 1950s and 1960s, seeking better economic conditions. A wave of Argentine immigrants came to Las Vegas, Nevada in the 1950s.[6] Most these arrivals had achieved higher education in Argentina. For example, many were scientists. However, immigrants in the late 1970s arrived fleeing the political repression of the Dirty War.[7] They numbered 44,803 people.[7] Then, a few decades later, large waves of immigrants left the country after its economic crash in 2001 and economic decline in 2014. As a result, according to "Latinx Immigrants" from the International and Cultural Psychology book series, as of 2018 there were over a million Argentines living abroad.[8] Approximately 60% of Argentineans now living in the United States arrived after 1990. This influx in immigrants was especially dramatic between the years 2000 and 2005, with many hoping to escape financial loss in their home country.[8]
This new immigrant group had an educational level lower than earlier immigrants. The majority of Argentine immigrants headed to metropolitan areas, especially New York City, where 20 percent of them lived in the 1970s. In the 1980s, that percentage increased to just over 23 percent, and the 1990 U.S. Census recorded that New York City had 17,363 Argentine Americans and Los Angeles, 15,115.[7]
Immigration to New York City was popular because of the existing Argentine and Italian communities, as many Argentines are of Italian origin. With the goal of helping its Argentine population, the government of the city created several organizations such as the Argentine-American Chamber of Commerce, which that established relations between Argentina and the United States. The 1990 U.S. Census recorded 92,563 Argentines, evidencing that nearly half of the Argentine immigrants arrived in the last two decades alone.[7]
After the 1990s, Southern California and Florida became leading destinations for new immigrants from Argentina. According to the 2010 Census, out of the over 200,000 Argentine Americans recorded, it is estimated that Los Angeles and Miami have over 50,000 Argentine Americans each, followed by the New York area.[7] According to data from the Pew Research Center, in 2017 about 29% of Argintine Americans resided in Florida. Meanwhile, 18% lived in California and 10% in New York. [9]
Socioeconomics
The profile of the Argentine American population is generally similar to the overall U.S. population's. Among the key differences, however, is educational attainment. Argentine Americans exhibit a rate of 39.5% of holders of bachelor's, graduate, or professional degrees, contrasted with the 27.5% of the overall U.S. population. The difference is more marked among women: 40.2% for Argentine American females, and 26.7% for all U.S. females.[10] Another major difference is that 69.1% of Argentine Americans are immigrants, which contrasts sharply with 12.6% of the overall U.S. population.[10]
Only data for immigrant Argentine Americans are available. The twenty U.S. communities of 500 or more people which have the highest percentages of Argentine immigrants are:[12]
Ariel Dorfman is a famous Argentine-American author and playwright. Dorfman is best known for his prolific academic criticism and fiction. His memoir Heading South, Looking North: A Bilingual Journey (1998) best exemplifies his internal struggles in coming to terms with his multifaceted identity. Dorfman was born in Buenos Aires in 1942 and moved with his family to New York City at age five. At age fifteen he and his family moved to Chile and Dorfman lived there until he exiled himself to the United States after the fall of socialist president Salvador Allende in 1973. Dorfman is now a Professor of Literature and Professor of Latin American Studies at Duke University.[13]
Sergio Waisman, Author of the novel Leaving, originally published in Argentina as Irse. He is now Professor of Spanish and International Affairs, Affiliated Faculty of Judaic Studies at George Washington University.[14]
Fabian Nicieza, born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was four years old when his family moved to New Jersey. He attended Madison Central High School, from which he graduated in 1979, and later studied at Rutgers University. He is a writer and editor best known for his work on Marvel titles and the creator of Deadpool.
Media
David Pakman, born in Buenos Aires, is the host of YouTube talk radio program The David Pakman Show, a multi-platform social-democratic politics and news talk show currently airing on television, radio, and the Internet. The show focuses on modern American politics and society, with frequent discussion of economics, science, religion in public life, culture, reason, gay rights, capital punishment and crime, policing, the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, North-American foreign policy, technology, and other topical issues. David occasionally speaks Spanish on the show, but the show is mostly presented in English.
Anya Taylor-Joy, internationally renowned leading actress who works primarily in films. Taylor-Joy lived with her family in Buenos Aires and attended Northlands School until age six, when the family relocated to the Victoria area of London.[15][16] She considers herself first and foremost as an Argentinian,[17] and is fluent in both Spanish and English and holds triple British, American, and Argentine citizenship.
Rodriguez, Julio. "Argentinean Americans." Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America, edited by Thomas Riggs, (3rd ed., vol. 1, Gale, 2014), pp. 141-150. online
