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Where refugees in Pennsylvania are arriving from

Written by:
November 16, 2023
Robsonphoto // Shutterstock

Where refugees in Pennsylvania 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 October 2023, the greatest number of refugees admitted by the U.S. came from Congo, Syria, and Afghanistan. Each nation faces a unique set of circumstances that can make their citizens unsafe if they stay in their home country.

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. Syria has seen more than 5 million refugees flee to neighboring nations since 2011 while a longstanding civil war rages, with an additional 6.8 million people forced from their homes and seeking refuge elsewhere in the country. Afghan refugees have been fleeing to neighboring countries for decades, especially to Pakistan and Iran, which combined host over 8 million Afghans.

Stacker referenced data from the Refugee Processing Center to compile statistics on the number of refugees and their countries of origin resettled in Pennsylvania in October 2023.

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 Pennsylvania: 124

To the U.S. as a whole: 1,907
Top states receiving refugees from Syria
#1. Michigan: 277
#2. California: 152
#3. New York: 129
#4. Pennsylvania: 124
#5. Illinois: 105

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 Pennsylvania: 89

To the U.S. as a whole: 1,920
Top states receiving refugees from Congo
#1. Kentucky: 305
#2. Arizona: 121
#3. Texas: 119
#4. lowa: 109
#5. Michigan: 104

Afghan women in burkas pass by a man outside a market
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Canva

#3. Afghanistan

Refugees that arrived from Afghanistan since October 2023
To Pennsylvania: 26

To the U.S. as a whole: 744
Top states receiving refugees from Afghanistan
#1. Virginia: 122
#2. California: 103
#3. Illinois: 56
#4. New York: 50
#5. Georgia: 46

An aerial view of caracas, Venezuela.
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Canva

#4. Venezuela

Refugees that arrived from Venezuela since October 2023
To Pennsylvania: 18

To the U.S. as a whole: 357
Top states receiving refugees from Venezuela
#1. Florida: 77
#2. Texas: 28
#2. Tennessee: 28
#4. North Carolina: 20
#5. Washington: 19

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

#5. Colombia

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

To the U.S. as a whole: 131
Top states receiving refugees from Colombia
#1. Florida: 19
#2. New York: 17
#3. Texas: 10
#3. Maine: 10
#3. Washington: 10

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

#5. Eritrea

Refugees that arrived from Eritrea since October 2023
To Pennsylvania: 8

To the U.S. as a whole: 110
Top states receiving refugees from Eritrea
#1. Maryland: 15
#2. Washington: 12
#3. Michigan: 11
#4. Pennsylvania: 8
#5. Kentucky: 7

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

#5. Haiti

Refugees that arrived from Haiti since October 2023
To Pennsylvania: 8

To the U.S. as a whole: 26
Top states receiving refugees from Haiti
#1. Pennsylvania: 8
#2. California: 3
#2. Connecticut: 3
#2. New York: 3
#5. Georgia: 2

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

#5. Belarus

Refugees that arrived from Belarus since October 2023
To Pennsylvania: 8

To the U.S. as a whole: 26
Top states receiving refugees from Belarus
#1. California: 12
#2. Pennsylvania: 8
#3. Washington: 6

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

#9. Pakistan

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

To the U.S. as a whole: 59
Top states receiving refugees from Pakistan
#1. New Jersey: 15
#2. Maryland: 7
#2. Pennsylvania: 7
#4. Arizona: 5
#4. Wisconsin: 5

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

#10. Nicaragua

Refugees that arrived from Nicaragua since October 2023
To Pennsylvania: 6

To the U.S. as a whole: 122
Top states receiving refugees from Nicaragua
#1. Florida: 35
#2. North Carolina: 19
#3. Washington: 9
#3. California: 9
#5. Minnesota: 8

An aerial view of El Salvador.
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Canva

#11. El Salvador

Refugees that arrived from El Salvador since October 2023
To Pennsylvania: 5

To the U.S. as a whole: 106
Top states receiving refugees from El Salvador
#1. Virginia: 18
#2. North Carolina: 15
#3. Maryland: 14
#4. Arkansas: 7
#4. New Jersey: 7

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

#12. Iraq

Refugees that arrived from Iraq since October 2023
To Pennsylvania: 3

To the U.S. as a whole: 137
Top states receiving refugees from Iraq
#1. Michigan: 23
#2. Virginia: 20
#3. California: 19
#4. Washington: 13
#5. Texas: 12

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

#13. Guinea

Refugees that arrived from Guinea since October 2023
To Pennsylvania: 2

To the U.S. as a whole: 5
Top states receiving refugees from Guinea
#1. Michigan: 2
#1. Pennsylvania: 2
#3. Illinois: 1

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

#13. Sudan

Refugees that arrived from Sudan since October 2023
To Pennsylvania: 2

To the U.S. as a whole: 92
Top states receiving refugees from Sudan
#1. Maryland: 22
#2. Tennessee: 16
#3. Missouri: 6
#4. Arizona: 5
#4. Texas: 5

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

#15. Somalia

Refugees that arrived from Somalia since October 2023
To Pennsylvania: 1

To the U.S. as a whole: 232
Top states receiving refugees from Somalia
#1. Minnesota: 95
#2. Ohio: 17
#2. Arizona: 17
#4. Illinois: 12
#4. Washington: 12

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

#15. Burma

Refugees that arrived from Burma since October 2023
To Pennsylvania: 1

To the U.S. as a whole: 309
Top states receiving refugees from Burma
#1. Illinois: 59
#2. Wisconsin: 37
#3. New York: 30
#4. Arizona: 20
#4. Indiana: 20

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

#15. Ukraine

Refugees that arrived from Ukraine since October 2023
To Pennsylvania: 1

To the U.S. as a whole: 109
Top states receiving refugees from Ukraine
#1. Washington: 47
#2. Ohio: 15
#3. California: 13
#4. Illinois: 7
#5. Alaska: 6

Woman and child on busy market street of Copan
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amnat30 // Shutterstock

#15. Honduras

Refugees that arrived from Honduras since October 2023
To Pennsylvania: 1

To the U.S. as a whole: 71
Top states receiving refugees from Honduras
#1. Texas: 22
#2. New York: 11
#3. North Carolina: 8
#3. Washington: 8
#5. Maryland: 6

This story features data reporting and writing by Emma Rubin and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 37 states.

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