Sikh Americans form the country's sixth-largest religious group. While the U.S. Census does not ask about religion, 70,697 Americans (or of the total population) declared Sikh as their ethnicity in the 2020 census. The U.S. Census Bureau cites the 2008 American Religious Identification Survey's estimate of the adult Sikh American population at 78,000. The Pew Research Center estimated the Sikh American adult population to be 140,000 and the total population at 200,000 in 2012 while the World Religion Database at Boston University estimated the Sikh American population to be at 280,000 in 2012. Sikh organizations like the Sikh Coalition and American Sikh Congressional Caucus estimate the Sikh American population to be as high as 1,000,000, but do not provide any sources for these figures; 500,000 nevertheless remains the most cited Sikh American population size. With 1% of Asian Americans being Sikh, and 90.7% of Sikh Americans being Asian American, the Sikh American population can be estimated at 200,000–300,000 in 2021. The largest Sikh populations in the U.S. are found in California (52%), New York (11%), and Washington (6%).
Sikhism is a religion, originating from medieval India (predominantly from the Punjab region of modern-day India and Pakistan) which was introduced into the United States during the 19th century. While most Sikh Americans are Punjabi, the United States also has a number of non-Punjabi converts to Sikhism. Sikh men are typically identifiable by their unshorn beards and turbans (head coverings), articles of their faith. Following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and subsequent other terrorism related activities by Islamic groups, Sikhs have often been mistaken as Muslims or Arabs, and have been subject to several hate crimes, including murders. Sikh temples have also been targets of violence due to being mistaken for mosques. A 2012 shooting at a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin garnered national and international attention, with President Obama ordering flags to be half-staffed at all federal buildings.
History
First immigrants
Sikhs have lived in the United States for more than 130 years. The first Sikh immigrants to the United States started to arrive in the second half of the 19th century, when poor economic conditions in British India drove many Indians to emigrate elsewhere. Most Sikh immigrants to the United States came from the province of Punjab and came to the U.S. to work on agricultural farms in California, travelling via Hong Kong to Angel Island.Passage From India - Asian Indian Immigrants in North America", Joan M. Jensen, Yale University Press, 1988.
In the years just after 1900, hundreds of Sikhs had arrived to work in the lumber mills of Bellingham, Washington. In 1907, 400–500 white men, predominantly members of the Asiatic Exclusion League, attacked the Sikhs' homes in what is now known as the Bellingham riots. This quickly drove the East Indian immigrants out of the town.
Some Sikhs worked in lumber mills of Oregon or in railroad construction and for some Sikhs it was on a railway line, which allowed other Sikhs who were working as migrant laborers to come into the town on festival days.
A big effect on Sikh migration to the western states occurred during World War I and World War II, where Sikhs were recruited by the British Indian Army to serve for them. Sikhs fought bravely during these wars and began to live in England after their serving period. Among the Sikhs who already lived in America prior to the wars, many Sikhs joined them, mainly during World Wars I and II. Among those who served in the US military include Bhagat Singh Thind in World War I.
The first Sikh gurdwara established in the U.S. was the Gurdwara Sahib Stockton, in Stockton, California, which was established in 1912 by Wasakha Singh Dadehar and Jawala Singh.Stockton Gurdwara, America, "Stockton California" 31 October 2006
21st century Rising discrimination
As a result of the September 11 attacks, some Sikh Americans have become subject to discrimination, often from individuals who mistakenly believe that they are Arab or Muslim.
Balbir Singh Sodhi, a gas station owner, was killed on September 15, 2001, due to being mistaken for a Muslim. In a 2011 report to the United States Senate, the Southern Poverty Law Center reported several assaults and incidents of arson at Sikh temples after September 11. All were labeled as hate crimes that resulted from the perpetrators' misconceptions that their targets were Muslim. In August 2012, a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, was the site of a shooting, leading to six Sikh individuals being killed. On May 7, 2013, an elderly Sikh man was attacked with an iron bar in Fresno, California, in a possible hate crime. On September 21, 2013, Prabhjot Singh, a Sikh professor was attacked in Harlem, New York, by a group of 20-30 men who branded him as "Osama bin Laden" and Terrorist".
A 2007 survey of Sikh students by the Sikh Coalition found that three out of four male students interviewed "had been teased or harassed on account of their religious identity." In 2014, the Sikh Coalition released a national report on the bullying of Sikh children in American schools. The report found that 55.8% of Sikh students surveyed in Indianapolis reported being bullied, while 54.5% of Sikh students surveyed in Fresno, California, reported being bullied. According to the surveys, Sikh students wearing turbans are twice as likely to be bullied as the average American child.
In 2011, two Sikh American grandfathers were killed while out for a morning walk in Elk Grove, California. This led to a national public outcry by the community, raising safety concerns for the city's 3,000 Sikh community members. The city completed the "Singh and Kaur Park" in 2021 to commemorate the lives of the slain men, and to raise awareness about the Sikh faith.
Historic firsts In 2019, the United States Senate unanimously passed a resolution recognizing the importance of Sikh history, and contributions to American society. In the same year, Snatam Kaur became the first Sikh American nominated for a Grammy Award with her album Beloved.
In 2009, Kash Gill made history as one of the first Indian mayors and the first Sikh to be elected mayor in the United States when he took office in Yuba City.Smith, Ken (October 24, 2013). "Sikhs of the Sacramento Valley". Chico News & Review (Chico, California). Additionally, the Charlottesville City Council (Virginia) appointed councilmember Satyendra Huja to the position of mayor in 2012, becoming the first turban-wearing Sikh to hold the position."Sikh Elected Mayor of Charlottesville, Virginia". News India-Times (New York, New York). January 27, 2012. p. 4. In 2020, Elk Grove elected Bobbie Allen-Singh as its new mayor, making her the first Sikh woman to hold the position of mayor in an American city.
Converts
In the 1960s, due to increased Indian immigration and rising interest in Indian spirituality in the American counterculture, a number of non-Punjabi Americans began to enter 3HO. Prominent in this trend was Yogi Bhajan, leader of the Sikh-related movement 3HO (Healthy, Happy, Holy Organization), whose Los Angeles temple was the first to introduce non-Punjabi Americans to Sikhism. Ethnicity of Sikhs in USA An organization, United Sikhs led a campaign to have U.S. Census Bureau recognize Sikhs as a separate ethnicity, which was successful on January 6, 2020. As a result, Sikhs are regarded as different from Asian Indian category.US Census '20 to include SIKHS as separate Ethnic Group, SikhNet, January 6, 2020, HISTORIC VICTORY: SIKHS TO BE COUNTED AS SEPARATE ETHNIC GROUP IN U.S. CENSUS 2020, 1/21/2020Sikhs to be counted as separate ethnic group in US census for first time, The Pluralism Project, Harvard University, January 15, 2020
In USA, the Sikhs term themselves Sikh Americans even though they are mostly of Indian descent.Resolution celebrating Sikh community passes Washington State Senate, March 14, 2025Shifting U.S. Racial and Ethnic Identities and Sikh American Activism, Prema Kurien, The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences, August 2018, 4 (5) 81-98; DOI: https://doi.org/10.7758/RSF.2018.4.5.04 In USA about 20% of the truck drivers are Sikh On The Road: Sikh American Truck Drivers, The Asian American Education ProjectAfter Sikh group lawsuit, California delays revocation of 17,000 truckers’ licenses, Jan 3, 2026, The Indian Panorama]
Demography Generation status Most Sikh Americans are immigrants. + Sikh American generation status (2020)Generation status2020 First generation 163,992 Second generation 100,638 Third generation or more 15,979 Total 280,329
Occupations
Bhagat Singh Thind v. United States
Sikhs have served in the United States military at least as far back as the early 20th century, when one Bhagat Singh Thind, who though not a citizen joined the United States Army and served in World War I. Thind requested citizenship at the end of the war, being granted and revoked twice, before finally being naturalized in 1936.Dawinder S. Sidhu, Neha Singh Gohil. Civil rights in wartime: the post-9/11 Sikh experience. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., 2009. , 9780754675532. Pg 137 Far larger numbers of Sikhs served in World War II, and all American wars following.
The ability of observant Sikhs to serve in the American military has, since 1985, been compromised by a discontinuation of exemptions to uniform standards which previously allowed Sikhs to maintain their religiously mandated beards and turbans while in uniform. As of 2010, a Sikh doctor, Kamaljeet S. Kalsi, and dentist, Tejdeep Singh Rattan, are the only Sikh officers to be permitted to serve in uniform with beard and turban. In addition, Simranpreet Lamba was permitted to enlist, with exemption to wear his turban and beard, in 2010 due to his knowledge of Punjabi and Hindi.
Military In the federal appeals court in Washington, a preliminary injunction allowed two Sikh men to enter the military recruit training wearing a turban as it was considered an article of religion. The military recruits Milaap Singh Chahal and Jaskirat Singh sued the Marine Corps in April 2022 due to violation of the first amendment which allows the freedom of religion. The branch that they were a part of declined full religious exemption.
Policing In 2016, the New York City Police Department (NYPD) began to allow turbans, subject to standards compatible with unimpeded performance of duty. In 2015, Sandeep Dhaliwal became the first Deputy Sheriff in Texas to wear a turban on duty (Harris County Sherriff's Office). He was shot and killed from behind in 2019 while conducting a routine traffic stop on the Copperbrook subdivision in Houston Texas.
In 2019, the Houston Police Department changed their rules to allow beards and turbans, joining 25 other law enforcement agencies.
Professionals Many Sikhs started life in America working in lumber mills, mines, and as farm laborers, with many eventually becoming landowners. Many early Sikh immigrants were restaurant owners. In 1956, Dalip Singh Saund became the first Asian Indian-born person to be elected to the United States House of Representatives.
Today, many Sikhs are well represented in white-collar positions such as lawyers, doctors, engineers, accountants, and businesspeople. They are considered to be a successful ethnic group in line with most of the Indian community. The community has a higher level of education, as over 53% have received a bachelor's degree compared to 40% of the general population. This is also reflected in terms of income as over 75% of the community earns over $50,000 and over two-thirds of the population have incomes over $100,000.
Elected officials Dalip Singh Saund served three terms in the United States House of Representatives between 1957 and 1963. He was the first Asian American and the first person of a non-Abrahamic faith to serve in Congress.