Gypsies by State 2025

California

200000

Illinois

10000

Florida

3000

Texas

20000

Oregon

3000

Ohio

1000

State	Romani Population↓	Romani Settlements
Arkansas	uncertain	There is a Romanichal community in Arkansas. They trace their lineage to England and Ireland.
Connecticut	uncertain	The Winsted Citizen from 1947 reported that in the late 1800's gypsies did visit the region on a routine basis. There was a large horse market in Hartford that was operated by the gypsy 'King'.
Louisiana	uncertain	One of the most well-documented colonial North American migrations involved dozens of Bohemians (the eighteenth-century word for French Romani) who helped build the colony of Louisiana. They settled throughout the region, from Biloxi to New Orleans, and Natchez to Natchitoches.
Maryland	uncertain	Habersham is only the most famous of Maryland's sizable Gypsy population. During the 20th century, the highest concentration of Gypsies was in Baltimore, but encampments were reported across Maryland.
Michigan	uncertain	There is a Hungarian-Slovak Romani community in Michigan.
Nebraska	uncertain	During the 1930s, Romanis moved through rural Nebraska. They were known as shrewd horse traders.
New Jersey	uncertain	In New Jersey, Roma people are concentrated in the northeastern part of the state, especially in and around Newark, Paterson and Elizabeth.
New York	uncertain	Many Romanies moved to New York City from other parts of the United States after relief programs were put into effect in the 1930s. Romanies from Hungary went to New York after the revolution in 1956.
Pennsylvania	uncertain	The Romani have been present in Pennsylvania since the mid-1800s, most arriving from Europe.
South Dakota	uncertain	Romani caravans journeyed through Dakota’s territory beginning in the 1880s and continuing annually until the 1940s
Utah	uncertain	Most of the Romani were of Balkan, Eastern, and Central European descent and had come to Deseret, Elsinore, Oak City, Kanab, and other remote communities ub the early 1900s.
Virginia	uncertain	In first half of the 20th century the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia provided a home for traveling enclaves of Roma.
West Virginia	uncertain	A group of Roma settled in Stumpy Bottom in Princeton.
California	200000	Around 50,000 of Roamnies from California lives in Los Angeles.
Texas	20000	In Texas, the two main Roma populations are Vlax and Romanichal. Romani Americans are concentrated in Houston and Fort Worth.
Illinois	10000	The Roma first came to Chicago during the large waves of Southern and Eastern European immigration to the United States starting in the 1880s and lasting until World War I. Around 5,000 to 10,000 Roma reside in the Chicago area.
Florida	3000
Oregon	3000	Romanies have resided in Oregon since the early twentieth century. There is a Romani community in Portland.
Ohio	1000	The Roma began began settling on Cleveland's near west side in the 1880s.

Rom

Gypsies are often lumped into one large category, but they are nomadic people that have descended from different countries and cultures. The Rom is one such gypsy group that arrived in the United States from countries such as Serbia, Austria, and Russia near the end of the 19th century. Up until the first and second World Wars, there was a massive influx of immigration from south and east Europe with the promise of riches in the United States and building a community around shared values.

Gypsy groups also create traditions around their passed-down skills, which include coppersmithing, and smiting in general. Subsects of the Rom offer their services in the United States to repair and maintain certain industrial equipment in laundromats, bakeries, and other related businesses that need maintenance and specialized work. A subset of the Rom, often incorrectly called “Russian Gypsies” are found in large amounts in the suburbs of New York and New York City.

Ludar

The Ludar is a group of gypsies that have been nicknamed the “Romanian Gypsies” who came to the United States during the same period: the late 19th century up until the start of the first world war. Although they are nicknamed the “Romanian Gypsies”, many of the Ludar that immigrated to the United States came from the country of Bosnia, specifically the northern part of that nation. The Ludar specialize as animal trainers and people that work in show businesses, often having a flashy appearance and demeanor towards them. They were originally great for circus acts and maintain this same tradition to this day. Now, they have adopted a more modern approach and it is not uncommon for them to create music videos and songs in English and their native tongue.

The Ludar originally immigrated to New York as well during the initial period, and have kept their communities close. Since then, many have migrated over to Chicago - which sports a hefty Ludar population.

Romnichels

The Romnichels are a group of “English Gypsies” that came over from England in the mid-19th century. As such, they have established a much more dominant foothold when compared to other sections of the Gypsy population. Originally, the Romnichels worked as horse traders, who came to America at a time when horse ranching and trading were in high demand. After the decline in the need for horses after the first and second World World Wars, they switched to their secondary specialty, which was basket-weaving and making.

Romnichels are known for the traditional “fortune-telling” stereotype, and often engage in the sale of rustic furniture and having small antique stores with paranormal paraphernalia. The Romnichel group can be most commonly seen in America, as they have also intertwined themselves in society. Most gypsy groups are nomadic and much prefer to stay within their closer-knit communities and family groups. Romnichels had settled in the southern states and southwest region initially, as the demand for horses was greater because of the increased farmland.

Gypsies by State 2025

Rom

Ludar

Romnichels

Sources

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