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Where refugees in Pennsylvania are arriving from

Written by:
October 9, 2024
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 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 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania:
#1. Syria: 146
#2. Afghanistan: 121
#3. Venezuela: 119
#4. Congo: 114
#5. Somalia: 52
#6. Nicaragua: 20
#7. Eritrea: 18
#8. Guatemala: 13
#9. Sudan: 12
#10. Pakistan: 10
#11. Iraq: 7
#12. Burundi: 6
#13. Honduras: 5
#14. Ukraine: 4
#14. Haiti: 4
#14. Myanmar: 4
#17. Iran: 3
#17. Colombia: 3
#19. Republic of South Sudan: 2
#19. Cuba: 2
#21. Yemen: 1

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 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania: 954

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 Pennsylvania: 930

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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Canva

#3. Afghanistan

Refugees that arrived from Afghanistan since October 2023
To Pennsylvania: 606

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

An aerial view of caracas, Venezuela.
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#4. Venezuela

Refugees that arrived from Venezuela since October 2023
To Pennsylvania: 447

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

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Chantal de Bruijne // Shutterstock

#5. Myanmar

Refugees that arrived from Myanmar since October 2023
To Pennsylvania: 185

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

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

#6. Guatemala

Refugees that arrived from Guatemala since October 2023
To Pennsylvania: 150

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

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

#7. Somalia

Refugees that arrived from Somalia since October 2023
To Pennsylvania: 149

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

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

#8. Sudan

Refugees that arrived from Sudan since October 2023
To Pennsylvania: 132

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

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: 120

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

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: 119

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

#11. Eritrea

Refugees that arrived from Eritrea since October 2023
To Pennsylvania: 93

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

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

#12. Colombia

Refugees that arrived from Colombia since October 2023
To Pennsylvania: 76

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

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

#13. Ukraine

Refugees that arrived from Ukraine since October 2023
To Pennsylvania: 49

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

Burundian people gather at an outside market
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Rostasedlacek // Shutterstock

#14. Burundi

Refugees that arrived from Burundi since October 2023
To Pennsylvania: 44

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

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

#15. Haiti

Refugees that arrived from Haiti since October 2023
To Pennsylvania: 41

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

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sandis sveicers // Shutterstock

#15. Central African Republic

Refugees that arrived from Central African Republic since October 2023
To Pennsylvania: 41

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

An aerial view of El Salvador.
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#17. El Salvador

Refugees that arrived from El Salvador since October 2023
To Pennsylvania: 39

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

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 Pennsylvania: 32

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

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

#19. Republic of Congo

Refugees that arrived from Republic of Congo since October 2023
To Pennsylvania: 28

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

An aerial drone view of niarela Bakamo, Mali
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#20. Mali

Refugees that arrived from Mali since October 2023
To Pennsylvania: 27

To the U.S. as a whole: 185
Top states receiving refugees from Mali
#1. Pennsylvania: 27
#2. New York: 24
#3. South Carolina: 23
#4. Missouri: 16
#5. Connecticut: 13

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

#21. Belarus

Refugees that arrived from Belarus since October 2023
To Pennsylvania: 24

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

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

#22. Iraq

Refugees that arrived from Iraq since October 2023
To Pennsylvania: 20

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

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 Pennsylvania: 19

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

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

#24. Honduras

Refugees that arrived from Honduras since October 2023
To Pennsylvania: 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

A distant view of Mount Victoria in Cameroon.
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#25. Cameroon

Refugees that arrived from Cameroon since October 2023
To Pennsylvania: 13

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

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

#25. Russia

Refugees that arrived from Russia since October 2023
To Pennsylvania: 13

To the U.S. as a whole: 347
Top states receiving refugees from Russia
#1. Washington: 83
#2. California: 78
#3. Oregon: 43
#4. Minnesota: 22
#4. North Carolina: 22

People standing in front of shops by roadside
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Beata Tabak // Shutterstock

#27. Ivory Coast

Refugees that arrived from Ivory Coast since October 2023
To Pennsylvania: 10

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

The skyline of Tripoli, Lybia.
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#28. Libya

Refugees that arrived from Libya since October 2023
To Pennsylvania: 9

To the U.S. as a whole: 49
Top states receiving refugees from Libya
#1. Michigan: 9
#1. Pennsylvania: 9
#1. Texas: 9
#4. Utah: 8
#5. lowa: 7

An aerial view of Osh, Kyrgyzstan.
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#29. Kyrgyzstan

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

To the U.S. as a whole: 80
Top states receiving refugees from Kyrgyzstan
#1. New York: 37
#2. Minnesota: 15
#3. Oregon: 8
#3. Pennsylvania: 8
#5. Illinois: 7

A cityscape of Beirut, Lebanon.
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#30. Lebanon

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

To the U.S. as a whole: 6
Top states receiving refugees from Lebanon
#1. Pennsylvania: 6

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

#31. Guinea

Refugees that arrived from Guinea since October 2023
To Pennsylvania: 5

To the U.S. as a whole: 78
Top states receiving refugees from Guinea
#1. Colorado: 15
#2. Georgia: 9
#3. North Carolina: 7
#4. Michigan: 6
#5. Arizona: 5

A distant view of Ikoyi Lagos, Nigeria.
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#32. Nigeria

Refugees that arrived from Nigeria since October 2023
To Pennsylvania: 4

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

Presidential palace in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan
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JoostP // Shutterstock

#32. Turkmenistan

Refugees that arrived from Turkmenistan since October 2023
To Pennsylvania: 4

To the U.S. as a whole: 7
Top states receiving refugees from Turkmenistan
#1. Pennsylvania: 4
#2. Oregon: 3

An arial view of Tbilisi, Georgia.
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#32. Georgia

Refugees that arrived from Georgia since October 2023
To Pennsylvania: 4

To the U.S. as a whole: 34
Top states receiving refugees from Georgia
#1. Washington: 23
#2. Pennsylvania: 4
#3. California: 3
#4. Indiana: 2
#4. New York: 2

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

#35. Rwanda

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

To the U.S. as a whole: 220
Top states receiving refugees from Rwanda
#1. Texas: 49
#2. Arizona: 19
#3. Kentucky: 13
#4. South Carolina: 12
#5. Illinois: 11

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

#35. Senegal

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

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

People gather in a urban park on the streets of Tehran
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Andrew V Marcus // Shutterstock

#35. Iran

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

To the U.S. as a whole: 470
Top states receiving refugees from Iran
#1. California: 277
#2. Texas: 53
#3. Michigan: 17
#4. Washington: 14
#4. Georgia: 14

A distant view of the Havana skyline in Cuba.
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#35. Cuba

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

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

Wide view of traditional, older buildings on a hillside in Yemen.
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#39. Yemen

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

To the U.S. as a whole: 198
Top states receiving refugees from Yemen
#1. Michigan: 46
#2. New York: 26
#3. Georgia: 17
#4. Texas: 15
#5. North Carolina: 13

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

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