Where Refugees in Washington Are Arriving From

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Where refugees in Washington 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 Washington 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 Washington:
#1. Afghanistan: 112
#2. Venezuela: 95
#3. Eritrea: 49
#4. Congo: 41
#5. Syria: 40
#6. Guatemala: 32
#7. Somalia: 31
#8. Nicaragua: 24
#9. Sudan: 19
#10. Ukraine: 17
#11. Ethiopia: 15
#12. Pakistan: 11
#13. Iraq: 7
#13. Libya: 7
#15. Colombia: 6
#16. El Salvador: 5
#16. Myanmar: 5
#18. Kazakhstan: 2
#18. Republic of South Sudan: 2
#20. Iran: 1
#20. Cameroon: 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 Washington has accepted the most refugees from since the start of the fiscal year in October 2023.

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Afghan women in burkas pass by a man outside a market

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#1. Afghanistan

Refugees that arrived from Afghanistan since October 2023
To Washington: 889

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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Ruslan Lytvyn // Shutterstock

#2. Ukraine

Refugees that arrived from Ukraine since October 2023
To Washington: 524

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

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hanohiki // Shutterstock

#3. Syria

Refugees that arrived from Syria since October 2023
To Washington: 321

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

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#4. Venezuela

Refugees that arrived from Venezuela since October 2023
To Washington: 291

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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Dave Primov // Shutterstock

#5. Eritrea

Refugees that arrived from Eritrea since October 2023
To Washington: 253

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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Katja Tsvetkova // Shutterstock

#6. Congo

Refugees that arrived from Congo since October 2023
To Washington: 237

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

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Lauren Squire // Shutterstock

#7. Guatemala

Refugees that arrived from Guatemala since October 2023
To Washington: 171

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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Dave Primov // Shutterstock

#8. Somalia

Refugees that arrived from Somalia since October 2023
To Washington: 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

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Focus and Blur // Shutterstock

#9. Iraq

Refugees that arrived from Iraq since October 2023
To Washington: 121

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

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Chantal de Bruijne // Shutterstock

#10. Myanmar

Refugees that arrived from Myanmar since October 2023
To Washington: 120

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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JackKPhoto // Shutterstock

#11. Moldova

Refugees that arrived from Moldova since October 2023
To Washington: 114

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

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Milosz Maslanka // Shutterstock

#12. Nicaragua

Refugees that arrived from Nicaragua since October 2023
To Washington: 112

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

Pedestrians on a street in Bogota, Columbia

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Matyas Rehak // Shutterstock

#13. Colombia

Refugees that arrived from Colombia since October 2023
To Washington: 95

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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Matyas Rehak // Shutterstock

#14. Sudan

Refugees that arrived from Sudan since October 2023
To Washington: 94

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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karp5 // Shutterstock

#15. Belarus

Refugees that arrived from Belarus since October 2023
To Washington: 91

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

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YuryKara // Shutterstock

#16. Russia

Refugees that arrived from Russia since October 2023
To Washington: 83

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

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Artush // Shutterstock

#17. Ethiopia

Refugees that arrived from Ethiopia since October 2023
To Washington: 46

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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Omri Eliyahu // Shutterstock

#18. Kazakhstan

Refugees that arrived from Kazakhstan since October 2023
To Washington: 43

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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punghi // Shutterstock

#19. Republic of South Sudan

Refugees that arrived from Republic of South Sudan since October 2023
To Washington: 30

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

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W_NAMKET // Shutterstock

#20. Pakistan

Refugees that arrived from Pakistan since October 2023
To Washington: 25

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

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amnat30 // Shutterstock

#21. Honduras

Refugees that arrived from Honduras since October 2023
To Washington: 23

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

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#21. Georgia

Refugees that arrived from Georgia since October 2023
To Washington: 23

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

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#23. El Salvador

Refugees that arrived from El Salvador since October 2023
To Washington: 22

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

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Sebastian Castelier // Shutterstock

#24. Armenia

Refugees that arrived from Armenia since October 2023
To Washington: 21

To the U.S. as a whole: 319
Top states receiving refugees from Armenia
#1. California: 280
#2. Washington: 21
#3. South Carolina: 9
#4. Oregon: 5
#5. Ohio: 4

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Andrew V Marcus // Shutterstock

#25. Iran

Refugees that arrived from Iran since October 2023
To Washington: 14

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

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sandis sveicers // Shutterstock

#26. Central African Republic

Refugees that arrived from Central African Republic since October 2023
To Washington: 13

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 shot of Tashkent TV Tower in Uzbekistan at sunset.

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#27. Uzbekistan

Refugees that arrived from Uzbekistan since October 2023
To Washington: 12

To the U.S. as a whole: 53
Top states receiving refugees from Uzbekistan
#1. California: 17
#2. New York: 13
#3. Washington: 12
#4. Ohio: 6
#5. Oregon: 5

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#28. Cuba

Refugees that arrived from Cuba since October 2023
To Washington: 8

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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#29. Libya

Refugees that arrived from Libya since October 2023
To Washington: 7

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

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#30. Haiti

Refugees that arrived from Haiti since October 2023
To Washington: 5

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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Oscar Espinosa // Shutterstock

#30. Rwanda

Refugees that arrived from Rwanda since October 2023
To Washington: 5

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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#30. Guinea

Refugees that arrived from Guinea since October 2023
To Washington: 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

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A. Aleksandravicius // Shutterstock

#30. China

Refugees that arrived from China since October 2023
To Washington: 5

To the U.S. as a whole: 5
Top states receiving refugees from China
#1. Washington: 5

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Vlad Karavaev // Shutterstock

#34. Uganda

Refugees that arrived from Uganda since October 2023
To Washington: 4

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

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#35. Nigeria

Refugees that arrived from Nigeria since October 2023
To Washington: 3

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

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#35. Cameroon

Refugees that arrived from Cameroon since October 2023
To Washington: 3

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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#35. Sweden

Refugees that arrived from Sweden since October 2023
To Washington: 3

To the U.S. as a whole: 3
Top states receiving refugees from Sweden
#1. Washington: 3

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#35. Burundi

Refugees that arrived from Burundi since October 2023
To Washington: 3

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