Shadows of group of people walking through the sunny streets with painted United States of America flag on the floor.

Where refugees in Colorado are arriving from

Written by:
September 9, 2024
Robsonphoto // Shutterstock

Where refugees in Colorado are arriving from

During the past five decades, the U.S. has resettled over 3 million refugees, making it one of the leading countries for finding new homes for people fleeing violence, persecution, and war.

In 2021, then-President Donald Trump lowered the annual cap of refugees that could be admitted into the country to 15,000. Even as the Biden administration has raised the ceiling to 125,000, the annual number of refugees arriving in the U.S. didn't immediately bounce back to pre-Trump administration levels. The numbers are increasing though, with over 25,000 refugees arriving in the U.S. in the 2022 fiscal year, twice the 2021 total.

Refugee arrivals during the 2023 fiscal year dramatically outpaced the prior two years, reaching over 60,000 from October 2022 to September 2023.

In August 2024, the greatest number of refugees admitted by the U.S. came from Venezeula, Afghanistan, and Congo. Each nation faces a unique set of circumstances that can make their citizens unsafe if they stay in their home country.

In Venezuela, over 7.5 million people have left the country due to extreme inflation, violence, food and medicine scarcity, and other factors. Most have resettled in Latin American and Caribbean countries. Afghan refugees have been fleeing to neighboring countries for decades, especially to Pakistan and Iran, which combined host over 8 million Afghans. For the last three decades, Congo, also called the Democratic Republic of Congo, has been struggling with a series of civil wars and internal battles that have left millions of people displaced, both internally and externally, with many people fleeing to neighboring countries.

Stacker referenced data from the Refugee Processing Center to compile statistics on the number of refugees and their countries of origin resettled in Colorado in August 2024. Countries with only one refugee since October 2023 are not included.

August refugee statistics
Countries where refugees arrived from in August
To Colorado:
#1. Venezuela: 49
#2. Myanmar: 36
#3. Somalia: 15
#4. Nicaragua: 10
#5. Iraq: 9
#6. Afghanistan: 7
#6. Central African Republic: 7
#6. Guatemala: 7
#9. El Salvador: 6
#10. Colombia: 5
#10. Sudan: 5
#12. Ethiopia: 4
#13. Eritrea: 3
#14. Congo: 1

To the U.S. as a whole:
#1. Venezuela: 2,310
#2. Congo: 1,503
#3. Afghanistan: 1,460
#4. Syria: 695
#5. Guatemala: 655

States that accepted the most refugees in August:
#1. Texas: 1,213
#2. California: 808
#3. Florida: 527
#4. New York: 514
#5. Washington: 507

Read on to see the countries that Colorado has accepted the most refugees from since the start of the fiscal year in October 2023.

Afghan women in burkas pass by a man outside a market
1 / 30
Canva

#1. Afghanistan

Refugees that arrived from Afghanistan since October 2023
To Colorado: 292

To the U.S. as a whole: 12,634
Top states receiving refugees from Afghanistan
#1. California: 2,611
#2. Texas: 1,299
#3. Virginia: 1,042
#4. Washington: 777
#5. New York: 582

Woman carries basket through street in Bukavu
2 / 30
Katja Tsvetkova // Shutterstock

#2. Congo

Refugees that arrived from Congo since October 2023
To Colorado: 276

To the U.S. as a whole: 17,626
Top states receiving refugees from Congo
#1. Texas: 1,574
#2. Kentucky: 1,505
#3. Ohio: 1,217
#4. Arizona: 1,196
#5. New York: 1,112

A horse-drawn taxi passes through a busy shopping area
3 / 30
Chantal de Bruijne // Shutterstock

#3. Myanmar

Refugees that arrived from Myanmar since October 2023
To Colorado: 255

To the U.S. as a whole: 5,891
Top states receiving refugees from Myanmar
#1. Texas: 666
#2. New York: 605
#3. Illinois: 569
#4. Wisconsin: 453
#5. Georgia: 415

An aerial view of caracas, Venezuela.
4 / 30
Canva

#4. Venezuela

Refugees that arrived from Venezuela since October 2023
To Colorado: 170

To the U.S. as a whole: 9,225
Top states receiving refugees from Venezuela
#1. Texas: 1,488
#2. Florida: 1,425
#3. Illinois: 522
#4. New York: 379
#5. Georgia: 362

People buying spices at a street market in Damascus
5 / 30
hanohiki // Shutterstock

#5. Syria

Refugees that arrived from Syria since October 2023
To Colorado: 142

To the U.S. as a whole: 9,689
Top states receiving refugees from Syria
#1. New York: 972
#2. Michigan: 964
#3. Pennsylvania: 808
#4. Texas: 581
#5. California: 552

Men gathered in the streets with motorcycles in Juba
6 / 30
punghi // Shutterstock

#6. Republic of South Sudan

Refugees that arrived from Republic of South Sudan since October 2023
To Colorado: 66

To the U.S. as a whole: 1,135
Top states receiving refugees from Republic of South Sudan
#1. Nebraska: 122
#2. Texas: 107
#3. New York: 91
#4. Colorado: 66
#4. Arizona: 66

Woman crossing road by Medlar Market in Asmara
7 / 30
Dave Primov // Shutterstock

#7. Eritrea

Refugees that arrived from Eritrea since October 2023
To Colorado: 65

To the U.S. as a whole: 1,908
Top states receiving refugees from Eritrea
#1. Texas: 209
#2. Washington: 204
#3. lowa: 135
#4. North Carolina: 116
#5. Ohio: 113

People walking by a Cathedral in Granada, Nicaragua
8 / 30
Milosz Maslanka // Shutterstock

#8. Nicaragua

Refugees that arrived from Nicaragua since October 2023
To Colorado: 60

To the U.S. as a whole: 2,776
Top states receiving refugees from Nicaragua
#1. Florida: 331
#2. Texas: 256
#3. California: 225
#4. Minnesota: 124
#5. Arizona: 108

Group of children playing soccer on a rural road
9 / 30
sandis sveicers // Shutterstock

#9. Central African Republic

Refugees that arrived from Central African Republic since October 2023
To Colorado: 56

To the U.S. as a whole: 797
Top states receiving refugees from Central African Republic
#1. Missouri: 80
#2. Texas: 75
#3. Georgia: 60
#4. Colorado: 56
#5. Michigan: 55

Muslim woman in hijab waking on streets of Hargeisa
10 / 30
Dave Primov // Shutterstock

#10. Somalia

Refugees that arrived from Somalia since October 2023
To Colorado: 51

To the U.S. as a whole: 3,940
Top states receiving refugees from Somalia
#1. Minnesota: 1,118
#2. New York: 278
#3. Ohio: 261
#4. Missouri: 224
#5. Arizona: 214

Elevated view of Baghdad street scene
11 / 30
Focus and Blur // Shutterstock

#11. Iraq

Refugees that arrived from Iraq since October 2023
To Colorado: 45

To the U.S. as a whole: 1,897
Top states receiving refugees from Iraq
#1. California: 283
#2. Michigan: 219
#3. Texas: 173
#4. Nebraska: 127
#5. Washington: 114

Daily scene of tuktuks, street stalls and motorbikes in San Pedro
12 / 30
Lauren Squire // Shutterstock

#12. Guatemala

Refugees that arrived from Guatemala since October 2023
To Colorado: 35

To the U.S. as a whole: 4,320
Top states receiving refugees from Guatemala
#1. California: 631
#2. Texas: 492
#3. Florida: 235
#4. North Carolina: 230
#5. New York: 187

Woman carrying child to Lviv train station on snowy day
13 / 30
Ruslan Lytvyn // Shutterstock

#13. Ukraine

Refugees that arrived from Ukraine since October 2023
To Colorado: 27

To the U.S. as a whole: 1,346
Top states receiving refugees from Ukraine
#1. Washington: 507
#2. California: 226
#3. New York: 81
#4. Florida: 66
#5. Ohio: 54

Pedestrians on a street in Bogota, Columbia
14 / 30
Matyas Rehak // Shutterstock

#14. Colombia

Refugees that arrived from Colombia since October 2023
To Colorado: 26

To the U.S. as a whole: 1,242
Top states receiving refugees from Colombia
#1. Florida: 135
#2. Texas: 104
#3. New York: 95
#4. North Carolina: 93
#5. Washington: 89

Many people on a dirt street in Shendi
15 / 30
Matyas Rehak // Shutterstock

#15. Sudan

Refugees that arrived from Sudan since October 2023
To Colorado: 20

To the U.S. as a whole: 1,902
Top states receiving refugees from Sudan
#1. New York: 188
#2. Texas: 158
#3. Ohio: 130
#4. Pennsylvania: 120
#5. Missouri: 117

An aerial view of El Salvador.
16 / 30
Canva

#16. El Salvador

Refugees that arrived from El Salvador since October 2023
To Colorado: 19

To the U.S. as a whole: 1,176
Top states receiving refugees from El Salvador
#1. Texas: 169
#2. California: 149
#3. Maryland: 112
#4. Virginia: 80
#5. North Carolina: 79

Aerial drone shot of Conakry, Guinea.
17 / 30
Flightseeing-Germany // Shutterstock

#17. Guinea

Refugees that arrived from Guinea since October 2023
To Colorado: 15

To the U.S. as a whole: 75
Top states receiving refugees from Guinea
#1. Colorado: 15
#2. Georgia: 9
#3. North Carolina: 7
#4. Arizona: 5
#4. Michigan: 5

People walking on the street in Aksum
18 / 30
Artush // Shutterstock

#17. Ethiopia

Refugees that arrived from Ethiopia since October 2023
To Colorado: 15

To the U.S. as a whole: 376
Top states receiving refugees from Ethiopia
#1. Minnesota: 111
#2. Washington: 31
#2. Texas: 31
#4. Ohio: 27
#5. Georgia: 26

A panoramic view of Minsk, Belarus.
19 / 30
karp5 // Shutterstock

#19. Belarus

Refugees that arrived from Belarus since October 2023
To Colorado: 9

To the U.S. as a whole: 348
Top states receiving refugees from Belarus
#1. Washington: 91
#2. California: 57
#3. Massachusetts: 28
#4. New York: 27
#5. Pennsylvania: 24

A distant view of homes on a hillside in Haiti.
20 / 30
Canva

#19. Haiti

Refugees that arrived from Haiti since October 2023
To Colorado: 9

To the U.S. as a whole: 226
Top states receiving refugees from Haiti
#1. Pennsylvania: 37
#2. Florida: 31
#3. Texas: 16
#4. Georgia: 15
#5. Missouri: 12

People walking through the Chitta Gate in the old town area of Lahore
21 / 30
W_NAMKET // Shutterstock

#21. Pakistan

Refugees that arrived from Pakistan since October 2023
To Colorado: 7

To the U.S. as a whole: 780
Top states receiving refugees from Pakistan
#1. Pennsylvania: 110
#2. Texas: 77
#3. Virginia: 62
#4. New York: 51
#5. Illinois: 49

Cars, people and mopeds on the streets of Kinshasa.
22 / 30
Katja Tsvetkova // Shutterstock

#21. Republic of Congo

Refugees that arrived from Republic of Congo since October 2023
To Colorado: 7

To the U.S. as a whole: 352
Top states receiving refugees from Republic of Congo
#1. Missouri: 32
#2. Pennsylvania: 28
#3. Wisconsin: 26
#4. New York: 25
#4. Illinois: 25

People shopping at Pieta Central market in Chisinau
23 / 30
JackKPhoto // Shutterstock

#23. Moldova

Refugees that arrived from Moldova since October 2023
To Colorado: 5

To the U.S. as a whole: 360
Top states receiving refugees from Moldova
#1. Washington: 114
#2. California: 105
#3. Florida: 24
#3. Oregon: 24
#5. Minnesota: 17

A distant view of Mount Victoria in Cameroon.
24 / 30
Canva

#23. Cameroon

Refugees that arrived from Cameroon since October 2023
To Colorado: 5

To the U.S. as a whole: 105
Top states receiving refugees from Cameroon
#1. Texas: 13
#1. Pennsylvania: 13
#3. Nevada: 8
#4. Maryland: 7
#4. California: 7

People selling bananas at a street market in Huye
25 / 30
Oscar Espinosa // Shutterstock

#25. Rwanda

Refugees that arrived from Rwanda since October 2023
To Colorado: 4

To the U.S. as a whole: 216
Top states receiving refugees from Rwanda
#1. Texas: 49
#2. Arizona: 16
#3. South Carolina: 12
#3. Kentucky: 12
#5. Illinois: 11

Fishermen sorting nets on wooden boat at beach in Robertsport
26 / 30
Fabian Plock // Shutterstock

#25. Liberia

Refugees that arrived from Liberia since October 2023
To Colorado: 4

To the U.S. as a whole: 31
Top states receiving refugees from Liberia
#1. New York: 16
#2. Arkansas: 8
#3. Colorado: 4
#4. Kansas: 3

An aerial view of Stone Town in Zanzibar, Tanzania.
27 / 30
Marius Dobilas // Shutterstock

#25. Tanzania

Refugees that arrived from Tanzania since October 2023
To Colorado: 4

To the U.S. as a whole: 6
Top states receiving refugees from Tanzania
#1. Colorado: 4
#2. New York: 2

Women beside fishing boats on the beaches of Yoff
28 / 30
Salvador Aznar // Shutterstock

#28. Senegal

Refugees that arrived from Senegal since October 2023
To Colorado: 2

To the U.S. as a whole: 60
Top states receiving refugees from Senegal
#1. Massachusetts: 16
#2. Georgia: 9
#3. Texas: 8
#4. Ohio: 5
#4. South Carolina: 5

People crossing a busy street near Moscow’s business center
29 / 30
YuryKara // Shutterstock

#28. Russia

Refugees that arrived from Russia since October 2023
To Colorado: 2

To the U.S. as a whole: 335
Top states receiving refugees from Russia
#1. Washington: 83
#2. California: 75
#3. Oregon: 43
#4. Minnesota: 22
#4. North Carolina: 22

An aerial view of Kingston, Jamaica.
30 / 30
Canva

#28. Jamaica

Refugees that arrived from Jamaica since October 2023
To Colorado: 2

To the U.S. as a whole: 12
Top states receiving refugees from Jamaica
#1. California: 2
#1. Colorado: 2
#1. Connecticut: 2
#1. Michigan: 2
#1. North Carolina: 2

This story features data reporting and writing by Emma Rubin and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 48 states.

Trending Now