5 Surprising Facts about Ghanaians in the U.S.A.
The Migration Policy Institute published a detailed report about Ghanaians living in the U.S.A. Here’re some of the most interesting facts from the report.
1. There’re about 235,000 Ghanaians currently living in the United States
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They live all across the U.S., but are heavily concentrated in New York, Virginia, New Jersey, and Maryland.
2. In 2012, Ghanaians in the U.S. sent home about $33 million
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Ghanaians in the U.S. are the largest source of remittances, followed by Ghanaians in the United Kingdom, and then Nigeria.
3. About 12% of Ghanaians in the U.S. hold a Master’s degree, PhD, or an advanced professional degree
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This is slightly higher compared to 11% for the general U.S. population. Ghanaians are well represented in top universities across the United States. Schools such as Cornell, the University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford University have groups specifically devoted to Ghanaian students besides the more general African and Caribbean student organizations you’d find at nearly every university. 18% of the Ghanaians in the U.S. hold a bachelor’s degree as their highest credential.
4. Ghanaians in the U.S. earn about $44,000 a year, slightly lower than the U.S. national median of $50,000
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About 18% of Ghanaians in the U.S. make $90,000 a year, and 5% of them make at least $140,000 (which puts them in the top 10% of U.S. households).
5. Worcester, Massachusetts has the highest concentration of Ghanaians in the U.S.
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In Worcester, you can find several Ghanaian churches, including the New England Ghanaian SDA Church, the Presbyterian Church of Ghana and the Good Shepherd Ghana Methodist Church. The Ghanaian community in Worcester regularly organizes social events like concerts, soccer matches (e.g. against Togo and Zambia) and the Annual African Festival and Picnic.
Other states with large numbers of Ghanaians include New York, Virginia, New Jersey, and Maryland.
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