| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 3.5 million[1] (2020) 1.06% of the population | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Mostly in the major metropolitan areas | |
| Languages | |
| Arabic, Turkish, Persian, English |
Middle Eastern Americans are Americans of Middle Eastern background. Although once considered Asian Americans, the modern definition of "Asian American" now excludes people with West Asian backgrounds.[2]
According to the 2020 United States census, over 3.5 million people self-identified as being Middle Eastern and North African ethnic origin. However, this definition includes more than just the Middle East.[3]
This derives from a 1915 court ruling in Dow v. United States, in which a Syrian American, George Dow, appealed his being classified by the government as Asian. At the time, such a designation resulted in the denial of citizenship under the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act.