Panamanian Americans (, norteamericano de origen panameño or estadounidense de origen panameño) are Americans of Panamanian descent. The Panamanian population at the 2010 Census was 165,456. The largest populations of Panamanians in the United States reside in Brooklyn and South Florida. Many Panamanians reside near army based cities. These cities include: Fayetteville, North Carolina; Fort Bragg; Killeen, Texas; Fort Hood; Columbus, Georgia; Fort Stewart; Colorado Springs, Colorado; Fort Carson; Clarksville, Tennessee; Fort Campbell; El Paso, Texas; Fort Bliss; and in the vicinity of Fort Dix in New Jersey. Cities home to Navy and Air Force bases also lay claim to a concentration of Panamanians. These include San Antonio, Hampton Roads, Jacksonville, San Diego and Tampa.

History

The number of Panamanians who emigrated to the U.S. prior to 1960 is unknown, as the Census Bureau counted them in the category of "others". By the beginning of the 20th century, the number of immigrants entering the U.S. from Panama was approximately 1,000 per year. After World War II, the number of Panamanians entering the U.S. country decreased but this changed in 1965, when immigration law allowed a maximum of 120,000 annual immigrants in the U.S. This law favored a remarkable migration from Panama, which made it one of the main migratory flows from Central America to the United States in the 1970s. Over 86,000 American people of Panamanian descent were registered in the 1990 U.S. Census.

Demographics

States

The 10 U.S. states with the largest population of Panamanians (Source: 2010 Census):

Areas

The largest population of Panamanians are located in the following areas (Source: Census 2010):

U.S. communities with largest population of people of Panamanian ancestry

The top 25 U.S. communities with the highest populations of Panamanian (Source: Census 2010)

U.S. communities with high percentages of people of Panamanian ancestry

U.S. communities with the highest percentages of Panamanians as a percent of total population (Source: Census 2010)

Notable people