Where Refugees in Massachusetts Are Arriving From

Robsonphoto // Shutterstock

Where refugees in Massachusetts 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 September 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 Massachusetts in September 2024. Countries with only one refugee since October 2023 are not included.

September refugee statistics
Countries where refugees arrived from in September
To Massachusetts:
#1. Venezuela: 110
#2. Syria: 86
#3. Congo: 63
#4. Afghanistan: 41
#5. Guatemala: 28
#6. Sudan: 23
#7. Iraq: 20
#8. Eritrea: 16
#9. Nicaragua: 11
#10. Somalia: 9
#10. Myanmar: 9
#12. Central African Republic: 8
#13. Belarus: 6
#14. Republic of South Sudan: 5
#15. Cuba: 4
#15. El Salvador: 4
#17. Honduras: 3
#18. Ethiopia: 2

To the U.S. as a whole:
#1. Venezuela: 3,653
#2. Congo: 2,296
#3. Afghanistan: 2,068
#4. Syria: 1,585
#5. Myanmar: 1,455

States that accepted the most refugees in September:
#1. Texas: 1,702
#2. California: 1,550
#3. New York: 918
#4. Florida: 768
#5. Illinois: 750

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

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People buying spices at a street market in Damascus

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hanohiki // Shutterstock

#1. Syria

Refugees that arrived from Syria since October 2023
To Massachusetts: 434

To the U.S. as a whole: 11,274
Top states receiving refugees from Syria
#1. Michigan: 1,186
#2. New York: 1,112
#3. Pennsylvania: 954
#4. California: 763
#5. Texas: 676

Woman carries basket through street in Bukavu

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Katja Tsvetkova // Shutterstock

#2. Congo

Refugees that arrived from Congo since October 2023
To Massachusetts: 424

To the U.S. as a whole: 19,922
Top states receiving refugees from Congo
#1. Texas: 1,791
#2. Kentucky: 1,735
#3. Ohio: 1,343
#4. New York: 1,295
#5. Arizona: 1,274

Afghan women in burkas pass by a man outside a market

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#3. Afghanistan

Refugees that arrived from Afghanistan since October 2023
To Massachusetts: 358

To the U.S. as a whole: 14,707
Top states receiving refugees from Afghanistan
#1. California: 3,171
#2. Texas: 1,574
#3. Virginia: 1,257
#4. Washington: 889
#5. New York: 658

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#4. Venezuela

Refugees that arrived from Venezuela since October 2023
To Massachusetts: 255

To the U.S. as a whole: 12,878
Top states receiving refugees from Venezuela
#1. Texas: 2,039
#2. Florida: 1,883
#3. Illinois: 664
#4. New York: 514
#5. Georgia: 512

Daily scene of tuktuks, street stalls and motorbikes in San Pedro

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Lauren Squire // Shutterstock

#5. Guatemala

Refugees that arrived from Guatemala since October 2023
To Massachusetts: 146

To the U.S. as a whole: 5,017
Top states receiving refugees from Guatemala
#1. California: 794
#2. Texas: 551
#3. Florida: 257
#4. North Carolina: 255
#5. New York: 219

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Matyas Rehak // Shutterstock

#6. Sudan

Refugees that arrived from Sudan since October 2023
To Massachusetts: 97

To the U.S. as a whole: 2,180
Top states receiving refugees from Sudan
#1. New York: 194
#2. Texas: 170
#3. Ohio: 146
#4. Pennsylvania: 132
#5. Missouri: 124

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Focus and Blur // Shutterstock

#7. Iraq

Refugees that arrived from Iraq since October 2023
To Massachusetts: 87

To the U.S. as a whole: 2,278
Top states receiving refugees from Iraq
#1. California: 364
#2. Michigan: 260
#3. Texas: 189
#4. Nebraska: 136
#5. Illinois: 122

Muslim woman in hijab waking on streets of Hargeisa

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Dave Primov // Shutterstock

#8. Somalia

Refugees that arrived from Somalia since October 2023
To Massachusetts: 73

To the U.S. as a whole: 4,801
Top states receiving refugees from Somalia
#1. Minnesota: 1,267
#2. New York: 366
#3. Ohio: 326
#4. Arizona: 280
#5. Missouri: 257

A horse-drawn taxi passes through a busy shopping area

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Chantal de Bruijne // Shutterstock

#9. Myanmar

Refugees that arrived from Myanmar since October 2023
To Massachusetts: 57

To the U.S. as a whole: 7,347
Top states receiving refugees from Myanmar
#1. Texas: 882
#2. Illinois: 761
#3. New York: 736
#4. Wisconsin: 570
#5. Georgia: 462

Woman crossing road by Medlar Market in Asmara

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Dave Primov // Shutterstock

#10. Eritrea

Refugees that arrived from Eritrea since October 2023
To Massachusetts: 54

To the U.S. as a whole: 2,410
Top states receiving refugees from Eritrea
#1. Texas: 286
#2. Washington: 253
#3. lowa: 162
#4. North Carolina: 141
#5. Maryland: 129

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People walking by a Cathedral in Granada, Nicaragua

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Milosz Maslanka // Shutterstock

#11. Nicaragua

Refugees that arrived from Nicaragua since October 2023
To Massachusetts: 47

To the U.S. as a whole: 3,299
Top states receiving refugees from Nicaragua
#1. Florida: 382
#2. Texas: 313
#3. California: 259
#4. North Carolina: 139
#5. Minnesota: 135

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#11. El Salvador

Refugees that arrived from El Salvador since October 2023
To Massachusetts: 47

To the U.S. as a whole: 1,331
Top states receiving refugees from El Salvador
#1. California: 187
#2. Texas: 174
#3. Maryland: 119
#4. Virginia: 99
#5. North Carolina: 83

Group of children playing soccer on a rural road

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sandis sveicers // Shutterstock

#13. Central African Republic

Refugees that arrived from Central African Republic since October 2023
To Massachusetts: 46

To the U.S. as a whole: 864
Top states receiving refugees from Central African Republic
#1. Missouri: 89
#2. Texas: 82
#3. Michigan: 63
#4. Georgia: 60
#5. Colorado: 56

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karp5 // Shutterstock

#14. Belarus

Refugees that arrived from Belarus since October 2023
To Massachusetts: 34

To the U.S. as a whole: 391
Top states receiving refugees from Belarus
#1. Washington: 91
#2. California: 89
#3. Massachusetts: 34
#4. New York: 27
#5. Pennsylvania: 24

Burundian people gather at an outside market

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Rostasedlacek // Shutterstock

#15. Burundi

Refugees that arrived from Burundi since October 2023
To Massachusetts: 29

To the U.S. as a whole: 588
Top states receiving refugees from Burundi
#1. Texas: 79
#2. Arizona: 50
#3. Pennsylvania: 44
#4. New York: 43
#5. lowa: 37

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Cars, people and mopeds on the streets of Kinshasa.

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Katja Tsvetkova // Shutterstock

#16. Republic of Congo

Refugees that arrived from Republic of Congo since October 2023
To Massachusetts: 21

To the U.S. as a whole: 353
Top states receiving refugees from Republic of Congo
#1. Missouri: 32
#2. Pennsylvania: 28
#3. Wisconsin: 26
#4. New York: 25
#4. Illinois: 25

Woman and child on busy market street of Copan

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amnat30 // Shutterstock

#17. Honduras

Refugees that arrived from Honduras since October 2023
To Massachusetts: 18

To the U.S. as a whole: 901
Top states receiving refugees from Honduras
#1. Texas: 144
#2. Florida: 108
#3. New York: 62
#4. California: 48
#5. Georgia: 44

Men gathered in the streets with motorcycles in Juba

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punghi // Shutterstock

#18. Republic of South Sudan

Refugees that arrived from Republic of South Sudan since October 2023
To Massachusetts: 17

To the U.S. as a whole: 1,320
Top states receiving refugees from Republic of South Sudan
#1. Nebraska: 151
#2. Texas: 122
#3. New York: 94
#4. lowa: 88
#5. Colorado: 68

Women beside fishing boats on the beaches of Yoff

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Salvador Aznar // Shutterstock

#19. Senegal

Refugees that arrived from Senegal since October 2023
To Massachusetts: 16

To the U.S. as a whole: 84
Top states receiving refugees from Senegal
#1. Massachusetts: 16
#2. South Carolina: 15
#3. Florida: 9
#3. Georgia: 9
#5. Texas: 8

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Artush // Shutterstock

#20. Ethiopia

Refugees that arrived from Ethiopia since October 2023
To Massachusetts: 11

To the U.S. as a whole: 501
Top states receiving refugees from Ethiopia
#1. Minnesota: 152
#2. Washington: 46
#3. Texas: 38
#4. Ohio: 33
#5. Georgia: 29

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People shopping at Pieta Central market in Chisinau

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JackKPhoto // Shutterstock

#21. Moldova

Refugees that arrived from Moldova since October 2023
To Massachusetts: 10

To the U.S. as a whole: 366
Top states receiving refugees from Moldova
#1. Washington: 114
#2. California: 107
#3. Florida: 24
#3. Oregon: 24
#5. Minnesota: 17

Woman carrying child to Lviv train station on snowy day

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Ruslan Lytvyn // Shutterstock

#22. Ukraine

Refugees that arrived from Ukraine since October 2023
To Massachusetts: 9

To the U.S. as a whole: 1,447
Top states receiving refugees from Ukraine
#1. Washington: 524
#2. California: 248
#3. New York: 90
#4. Florida: 74
#5. South Carolina: 61

Pedestrians and traffic on the streets of Almaty

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Omri Eliyahu // Shutterstock

#23. Kazakhstan

Refugees that arrived from Kazakhstan since October 2023
To Massachusetts: 8

To the U.S. as a whole: 111
Top states receiving refugees from Kazakhstan
#1. Washington: 43
#2. California: 19
#2. Pennsylvania: 19
#4. Oregon: 10
#5. Massachusetts: 8

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#23. Nigeria

Refugees that arrived from Nigeria since October 2023
To Massachusetts: 8

To the U.S. as a whole: 111
Top states receiving refugees from Nigeria
#1. Illinois: 16
#2. Missouri: 14
#3. Arizona: 13
#3. North Carolina: 13
#5. Texas: 11

Pedestrians on a street in Bogota, Columbia

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Matyas Rehak // Shutterstock

#23. Colombia

Refugees that arrived from Colombia since October 2023
To Massachusetts: 8

To the U.S. as a whole: 1,382
Top states receiving refugees from Colombia
#1. Florida: 137
#2. Texas: 117
#3. New York: 114
#4. Washington: 95
#5. North Carolina: 93

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People standing in front of shops by roadside

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Beata Tabak // Shutterstock

#26. Ivory Coast

Refugees that arrived from Ivory Coast since October 2023
To Massachusetts: 7

To the U.S. as a whole: 66
Top states receiving refugees from Ivory Coast
#1. Pennsylvania: 10
#2. Minnesota: 8
#3. Massachusetts: 7
#4. Arkansas: 6
#5. Florida: 4

A distant view of Mount Victoria in Cameroon.

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#27. Cameroon

Refugees that arrived from Cameroon since October 2023
To Massachusetts: 6

To the U.S. as a whole: 120
Top states receiving refugees from Cameroon
#1. Pennsylvania: 13
#1. Texas: 13
#3. Minnesota: 9
#4. Nevada: 8
#5. Maryland: 7

Woman walking on busy street in Kampala with basket of mangos

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Vlad Karavaev // Shutterstock

#27. Uganda

Refugees that arrived from Uganda since October 2023
To Massachusetts: 6

To the U.S. as a whole: 46
Top states receiving refugees from Uganda
#1. Missouri: 12
#2. Massachusetts: 6
#3. Michigan: 5
#3. Ohio: 5
#5. Washington: 4

A distant view of homes on a hillside in Haiti.

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#27. Haiti

Refugees that arrived from Haiti since October 2023
To Massachusetts: 6

To the U.S. as a whole: 256
Top states receiving refugees from Haiti
#1. Pennsylvania: 41
#2. Florida: 31
#3. Nevada: 16
#3. Texas: 16
#5. Georgia: 15

A distant view of the Havana skyline in Cuba.

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#27. Cuba

Refugees that arrived from Cuba since October 2023
To Massachusetts: 6

To the U.S. as a whole: 255
Top states receiving refugees from Cuba
#1. Florida: 98
#2. Texas: 33
#3. New York: 12
#3. Maryland: 12
#5. Tennessee: 10

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People walking through the Chitta Gate in the old town area of Lahore

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W_NAMKET // Shutterstock

#31. Pakistan

Refugees that arrived from Pakistan since October 2023
To Massachusetts: 5

To the U.S. as a whole: 856
Top states receiving refugees from Pakistan
#1. Pennsylvania: 120
#2. Texas: 88
#3. Virginia: 62
#4. Illinois: 57
#5. North Carolina: 56