Culture & Contributions
How Armenian Americans built communities across the country, kept their faith, language and traditions alive, and shaped American life in science, business, the arts and public service.
The Armenian American Diaspora
Armenian Americans form the second-largest Armenian diaspora community in the world, after Russia. The 2020 U.S. Census recorded 519,001 people of full or partial Armenian ancestry, though community organizations estimate the true number at more than 1.5 million. The highest concentration is in Greater Los Angeles, especially Glendale, where Armenians comprise roughly 40% of the population.
Explore Armenian America today: Fresno, Watertown, Glendale & more →
Greater Los Angeles
The center of Armenian American life. Glendale, Burbank, Pasadena, and North Hollywood form the heart of the community. East Hollywood was officially named "Little Armenia" in 2000. Source
Fresno & Central Valley
The first major Armenian community in the Western U.S., founded in 1874. Early immigrants worked in agriculture, and the area around Holy Trinity Church became known as "Old Armenian Town." Source
Greater Boston
Watertown, Massachusetts, is the center of Boston's Armenian community and home to the Armenian Museum of America. Worcester hosted the first Armenian Apostolic church in America, built in 1891. Source
New York Tri-State
Queens alone has approximately 50,000 Armenian Americans. Manhattan's Armenian community is concentrated around Gramercy Park, Kips Bay, and Murray Hill. New York was the primary settlement destination for the first major immigration wave. Source
Detroit
A significant Armenian community built around Michigan's industrial economy, with deep roots in manufacturing and entrepreneurship. Source
Las Vegas & Beyond
From Las Vegas to Seattle, Salt Lake City to Portland, Maine, Armenian communities have taken root across the country, each with churches, schools, and cultural organizations preserving heritage. Source
Culture: Faith, Food, Language, and Art
Armenian American culture is not a museum piece — it is a living, evolving tradition. From the aroma of lavash baking in Glendale kitchens to the sounds of the duduk echoing through Boston concert halls, Armenian identity in America is carried forward through language, faith, cuisine, music, dance, and the powerful institutions that sustain them.
"These social events bring the young and old together with the dramatization of the Armenian national heritage through songs, stories, recitations, special old and favorite foods, games, dances, and contact with other Armenians."— USC Digital Library, Armenian Folk Music and Dance collection Source
Faith & Church
Religion is the bedrock of Armenian American community life. Approximately 80% of Armenian Americans belong to the Armenian Apostolic Church, which operates more than 90 churches across the United States. The first Armenian Apostolic church in America, Church of Our Savior, was built in Worcester, Massachusetts, in 1891. The American Diocese was established in 1898, and the Western Diocese followed in 1927.
Armenian Evangelical churches number 28, and the Armenian Catholic community is estimated at 25,000 with six churches. More than 120 Armenian parish communities exist on the continent today. Source
Food & Cuisine
Armenian cuisine is perhaps the most visible expression of the culture in American daily life. Dolma, khorovats (Armenian barbecue), lahmajoun, burek, and the flatbread lavash — inscribed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list — are staples at family gatherings, community picnics, and increasingly on restaurant menus nationwide.
Zankou Chicken, founded by the Armenian Iskenderian family, became a beloved Los Angeles institution. Dave's Hot Chicken, founded by three Armenian Americans, grew into a billion-dollar fast-food chain. Armenian food festivals draw tens of thousands across Southern California every summer. Source
Music & Dance
Armenian music in America spans from the haunting tones of the duduk — the double-reed instrument made from apricot wood — to contemporary pop and rock. System of a Down, led by Serj Tankian and Daron Malakian, brought Armenian American identity to global rock audiences. Composer Alan Hovhaness wrote more than 400 works, including 67 symphonies. Capital Cities co-founder Sebu Simonian and the legendary Cher are among Armenian Americans who have shaped popular music.
Dozens of amateur Armenian folk-dance ensembles operate across the United States. Homenetmen's Navasartian Games, held annually in Los Angeles since 1975, bring together more than 6,000 athletes, 300 teams, and 35,000 spectators — a celebration of sport, scouting, and community. Source
Language
As of 2000, 53% of Armenian Americans spoke Armenian. The community uses two standardized forms: Western Armenian (spoken primarily by those from Lebanon, Turkey, and Syria) and Eastern Armenian (spoken by those from Armenia, Iran, and the former Soviet Union). The two use different spelling systems — Armenia uses reformed orthography while most diaspora communities use classical orthography.
The number of Armenian speakers in the United States grew from 100,634 in 1980 to about 244,900 in the 2023 American Community Survey (Migration Policy Institute (2023 ACS)). Most live in California, especially Los Angeles County. A 1999 paper described Armenian as "severely endangered" in the United States, making language preservation a critical priority for community organizations. Source
Literature & Arts
Armenian American writers have made outsized contributions to American letters. William Saroyan, born in Fresno to immigrant parents, won the Pulitzer Prize for his play "The Time of Your Life." Peter Balakian won the Pulitzer Prize for poetry. Michael Arlen, Marjorie Housepian Dobkin, Carol Edgarian, and Nancy Kricorian have chronicled the Armenian experience in fiction and memoir.
Visual artist Arshile Gorky, born Vosdanig Adoian, became a foundational figure in Abstract Expressionism. The Ararat Quarterly, published since 1959 by the Armenian General Benevolent Union, remains a major venue for Armenian American writing. Source
Media & Institutions
America's Armenian press dates to 1888, when Aregak appeared in Jersey City. Since then, more than 300 Armenian newspapers have been published, including Asbarez, The Armenian Weekly, The Armenian Mirror-Spectator, and The California Courier. Horizon Armenian TV launched in 1989 as the first 24-hour Armenian television network in America, and USArmenia TV has broadcast from Glendale since 2013.
Key organizations include the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA), the Armenian Assembly of America, the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU), the Armenian Relief Society, and the Children of Armenia Fund. Source
Armenian American Contributions
Armenian Americans have shaped every facet of American life — from the invention of the MRI and the ATM to the founding of Reddit, from the halls of Congress to the stars of Hollywood. The community is among the most highly educated in the United States, with 26% holding a bachelor's degree or higher.
Read full profiles: Saroyan, Andranik, Dro & more →
Sources
- U.S. Department of State state.gov — U.S.-Armenia Relations (Jan 2025)
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia mfa.am — USA Bilateral Relations
- U.S. Embassy in Armenia am.usembassy.gov — Policy and History
- Wikipedia — Armenian Americans en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armenian_Americans
- Wikipedia — Armenia–United States Relations en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armenia–United_States_relations
- Wikipedia — History of Armenian Americans in Los Angeles en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Armenian_Americans_in_Los_Angeles
- Armenian Diaspora Office diaspora.gov.am — United States of America
- USC Digital Library digitallibrary.usc.edu — Armenian Folk Music and Dance
- Smithsonian Magazine smithsonianmag.com — Armenian Dance
- Armenians Who Changed the World 100.greatarmenia.org