Where are the Karen in the U.S.?

As noted in the Karen Konnection webpage titled "How do the Karen get to America?", the location Karen refugees are sent in the U.S. is largely determined by the National Voluntary Agency that takes on a Karen individual or family case. Some effort is being made to keep Karen families together and locate them in proximity to each other, but there is no overall plan as to where the Karen will end up in America. Consequently, the Karen resettled here are being spread throughout the continental United States.

It is generally agreed that St. Paul, Minnesota has the largest Karen community; and Utica, New York, the second largest. These cities began receiving Karen five or six years ago or more. At that time, the Karen who were living in Thai cities such as Bangkok, or in a special camp in Thailand called Manee Loi, were allowed to come to the U.S. Now, the U.S. government is opening the door wider, allowing Karen from various Thailand refugee camps the option of coming to the U.S.

Click here to see the "IM/MM/OGS" list of church connections for refugees from Burma and other areas we know about

This list is sorted by U.S. states and cities, where an ‘X’ in an ethnic group column indicates the presence of that group in a particular location, but we aren’t sure of the exact number who are living there. Any help in providing the numbers of an ethnic group in a particular location, or any other corrections or new information for this list, will be greatly appreciated. Please click on the button below to send an email to Karen Konnection with this information.

(Last updated 15 July 2009)