Jamaican Americans are an ethnic group of Caribbean Americans who have full or partial Jamaican ancestry. The 2020 United States census counted more than one million Jamaican Americans. The largest proportions of Jamaican Americans live in South Florida and New York City, both of which have been home to large Jamaican communities since the 1950s and the 1960s. There are also communities of Jamaican Americans residing in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, New Jersey, Georgia, Maryland, and California.N. Samuel Murell, "Jamaican Americans." in Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America, edited by Thomas Riggs, (3rd ed., vol. 2, Gale, 2014), pp. 523–536. Online
The vast majority of Jamaican Americans are of Afro-Caribbean descent, although smaller numbers are of full or partial Indian Jamaican, Chinese Jamaican, European and Lebanese descent.
Jamaican migration to the United States began in the 19th century and rose sharply during the 1960s. Jamaican Americans are represented in American music, sports, politics, and science.
Historical immigration After 1838, European colonies in the Caribbean with expanding sugar industries imported large numbers of immigrants to meet their acute labor shortage. Large numbers of Jamaicans were recruited to work in Panama and Costa Rica in the 1850s. After slavery was abolished in the United States in 1865, American planters imported temporary workers, called "swallow migrants", to harvest crops on an annual basis. These workers, many of them Jamaicans, returned to their countries after harvest. Between 1881 and the beginning of World War I, the United States recruited over 250,000 workers from the Caribbean, 90,000 of whom were Jamaicans, to work on the Panama Canal. During both world wars, the United States again recruited Jamaican men for service on various American bases in the region.
Significant immigration waves
Jamaican immigration to the U.S. increased during the civil rights era of the 1960s. As with many other sources of Caribbean immigration, Jamaica's geographic proximity to the U.S. increased the likelihood of migration. The economic attractiveness and general Jamaican perception of the U.S. as a land of opportunity explain continued migration flows despite economic downturn in America. Traditionally, Jamaican immigrants came to the United States through family preference immigration categories, which allowed the U.S. citizens sponsor their immediate family. Through this category, many Jamaican immigrants were able to enter mainly urban cities within the U.S that provided blue-collar work opportunities. Jamaican immigrants utilized employment opportunities despite the discriminatory policies that affected some Caribbean émigrés.Jones, Terry-Ann. Jamaican Immigrants in the United States and Canada: Race, Transnationalism, and Social Capital. New York, NY: LFB Scholarly Publishing LLC, 2008. 2–3; 160–3. Print.
Jamaicans comprise the largest nationality of U.S. immigrants from the English-speaking Caribbean. Because so many have assimilated into the black community, it is difficult to estimate their number. The 1990 U.S. census placed the number of documented Jamaican Americans at 435,025.
Demographics An estimated 554,897 Jamaican-born people lived in the U.S. in 2000.Immigrant America, p. 69 This represents 61% of the approximate 911,000 Americans of Jamaican ancestry. Many Jamaicans are second, third and descend from even older generations, as there have been Jamaicans in the U.S. as early as the early twentieth century. The regional composition is as follows: 59% live in the Northeast, mainly in New York; 4.8% in the Midwest; 30.6% in the South, particularly South Florida; and 5.6% on the West. The New York metropolitan area and South Florida have the largest number of Jamaican immigrants in the United States.
South Florida is home to the highest number of undocumented Jamaicans, whereas most documented immigrants tend to reside in Brooklyn. Jamaicans refer to Miami and Brooklyn colloquially as "Kingston 21" and "Little Jamaica" respectively. Jamaicans in the Miami metropolitan area mostly live in Broward County and Jamaicans in New York City have formed communities in Brooklyn, The Bronx and Queens. Especially Northern, Northwestern, Southern, Southwestern and Central Brooklyn, particularly Prospect Heights, Clinton Hill, Fort Greene, Bensonhurst, Gravesend, Park Slope, Flatbush, Brooklyn, Kensington, Midwood, Lefferts Gardens, East Flatbush, Crown Heights, Brooklyn, Bushwick, Bedford–Stuyvesant and Flatlands, parts of Eastern Brooklyn including Brownsville, East New York and especially Canarsie and the Northeast Bronx, particularly Wakefield and Williamsbridge neighborhoods holding the largest Jamaican populace.
Large communities of Jamaican immigrants have formed in New York City and the whole New York Metro Area, which includes Long Island and much of New Jersey and Connecticut, along with Florida (centered in and around the Miami/Broward County, Orlando and Tampa areas), which has the second largest Jamaican community in the U.S. In recent years, many Jamaicans have left New York City for its suburbs, and large Jamaican communities have also formed in many other major cities like Philadelphia (including Delaware and other parts of eastern Pennsylvania), Baltimore, Washington, D.C./Central Maryland, Atlanta, Boston, Western New York (Buffalo and Rochester) and Cleveland. Smaller numbers are in Chicago, Charlotte, Minneapolis, Houston, Denver, Seattle and Los Angeles.
U.S. states with large Jamaican populations According to the 2020 U.S. Census, there were 1,047,117 Jamaican Americans. The 10 U.S. states with the largest Jamaican populations in 2020 census were: New York – 284,228 Florida – 254,148 New Jersey – 61,949 Georgia – 60,091 Connecticut – 52,815 California – 37,264 Maryland – 35,953 Pennsylvania – 33,767 Texas – 29,100 Massachusetts – 29,099
U.S. metropolitan areas with largest Jamaican populations The top U.S. metropolitan areas with the largest populations of Jamaicans (Source: 2023 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates)
New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PA-CT MSA – 335,659 Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL MSA – 181,591 Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA MSA – 71,133 Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL MSA – 44,705 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV MSA – 44,260 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD MSA – 36,039 Hartford-East Hartford-Middletown, CT MSA – 28,764 Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA-NH MSA – 20,381 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX Metro Area - 18,504 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL MSA – 18,251 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN Metro Area - 17,377 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Metro Area - 15, 854 Baltimore, MD MSA - 15, 367 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA Metro - 15,339 Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT MSA – 13,698
U.S. communities with high percentages of people of Jamaican ancestry The top 25 U.S. communities with the highest percentage of people claiming Jamaican ancestry are (2010):
Blue Hills, Connecticut (neighborhood) 23.9% Lauderdale Lakes, Florida 18.8% Lauderhill, Florida 17.6% South Floral Park, New York 15.5% Miramar, Florida 15.40% Bloomfield, Connecticut and Mount Vernon, New York 12.9% Lakeview, New York 12.7% North Lauderdale, Florida 11.1% Uniondale, New York 11.0% El Portal, Florida 8.5% Roosevelt, New York 8.2% Pembroke Park, Florida 8.0% North Valley Stream, New York and Hartford, Connecticut 7.90% Sunrise, Florida 7.60% Miami Gardens, Florida 6.3% North Amityville, New York 6.1% South Miami Heights, Florida 6.0% Hempstead, New York and Elmont, New York 5.9% Lake Park, Florida and Carol City, Florida 5.8% East Orange, New Jersey, Gordon Heights, New York, Ives Estates, Florida and Golden Glades, Florida 5.7% North Miami Beach, Florida 5.5% New Cassel, New York 5.30% Bronx, New York and Chillum, Maryland 5.2% Pembroke Pines, Florida and Wheatley Heights, New York 5.1% Bridgeport, Connecticut and Windsor, Connecticut 4.5% Orange, New Jersey and South Bay, Florida 4.3% Spring Valley, New York 4.2% Goulds, Florida, Tamarac, Florida and Royal Palm Beach, Florida 4.1% New Carrollton, Maryland, Plantation, Florida and Cottage City, Maryland 4% Mangonia Park, Florida, Redan, Georgia and Somerset, New Jersey 3.9% Brooklyn, New York, Naranja, Florida and Stone Mountain, Georgia 3.8% Mount Rainier, Maryland, Adelphi, Maryland, Pine Hills, Florida, Baldwin, New York and Poinciana, Florida 3.7% Westbury, New York and Inwood, New York 3.6% Paterson, New Jersey and Brentwood, Maryland 3.5% Teaneck, New Jersey 3.4% North Miami, Florida and Plainfield, New Jersey 3.3% Richmond West, Florida 3.2% Haverhill, Florida 3.1% Opa-Locka, Florida and Margate, Florida 3%
U.S. communities with the most residents born in Jamaica Top 50 U.S. communities with the most residents born in Jamaica are (2010):
Sunrise, FL 19.6% Norland, FL 18.5% Blue Hills, CT 18.3% Lauderdale Lakes, FL 16.9% Andover, FL 15.0% Lauderhill, FL 14.8% Utopia, FL 13.1% Palmetto Estates, FL 12.6% Miramar, FL 12.5% Scott Lake, FL 12.3% South Floral Park, NY 12.1% Mount Vernon, NY 11.2% Bloomfield, CT 11.1% North Lauderdale, FL 9.7% Fort Devens, MA 9.3% Northwest Dade, FL 8.5% Uniondale, NY 8.2% St. George, FL 8.1% East Garden City, NY 7.7% El Portal, FL 7.5% Silver Springs Shores, FL 7.5% Washington Park, FL 7.2% North Valley Stream, NY 6.7% Sunrise, FL 6.6% Harlem, FL 6.4% Lakeview, NY 6.2% Opa-locka North, FL 6.1% Hartford, CT 6.0% Roosevelt, NY 5.9% Westview, FL 5.7% Tangelo Park, FL 5.5% Miami Gardens, Broward County, FL 5.5% Pembroke Park, FL 5.3% Lake Park, FL 5.2% Ives Estates, FL 5.1% North Amityville, NY 5.1% Canal Point, FL 5.1% Rock Island, FL 5.1% Boulevard Gardens, FL 5.0% North Miami Beach, FL 5.0% Lake Lucerne, FL 4.9% Golden Glades, FL 4.9% Broadview-Pompano Park, FL 4.8% Carol City, FL 4.7% East Orange, NJ 4.7% Pembroke Pines, FL 4.4% Stacy Street, FL 4.3% Mangonia Park, FL 4.3% Three Lakes, FL 4.2% Elmont, NY 4.2%
Total immigrant population from Jamaica according to ACS 2015–2019 estimates: 741,400; the top counties were:
1) Broward County, Florida ------------------- 86,600
2) Brooklyn Borough, New York ----------- 62,200
3) Bronx Borough, New York ---------------- 49,400
4) Queens Borough, New York ------------- 49,000
5) Palm Beach County, Florida ------------- 26,900
6) Miami-Dade County, Florida ------------- 23,400
7) Westchester County, New York ------- 18,200
8) Hartford County, Connecticut ---------- 17,100
9) Orange County, Florida -------------------- 16,900
10) Nassau County, New York -------------- 16,600
11) Essex County, New Jersey ------------- 12,500
12) Fairfield County, Connecticut --------- 12,100
13) Prince George's Co., Maryland ------- 11,100
14) Philadelphia County, Penn. ------------ 10,100
15) Dekalb County, Georgia ------------------- 9,900
16) Suffolk County, Massachusetts ------- 8,200
17) Gwinnett County, Georgia ---------------- 7,500
18) Hillsborough County, Florida ------------ 7,300
19) Saint Lucie County, Florida -------------- 7,000
20) Suffolk County, New York ---------------- 6,800
21) New Haven County, Connecticut ------ 6,400
22) Los Angeles County, California ------- 5,900
23) Cook County, Illinois ------------------------ 5,700
24) Harris County, Texas ----------------------- 5,300
25) Bergen County, New Jersey ------------- 5,200
26) Manhattan Borough, New York -------- 5,100
27) Montgomery County, Maryland -------- 5,100
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