Sikhism in the United States

American Sikhs number nearly 500,000 people and account for 0.2% of the United States population as of 2021, forming the country's sixth-largest religious group.^[3] The largest Sikh populations in the U.S. are found in California, especially in the Central Valley, followed by New York and Washington. Sikhism is a religion originating from medieval India (predominantly from the Punjab region of modern-day India and Pakistan) which was introduced into the United States during the 19th century. While most American Sikhs are Punjabi, the United States also has a number of non-Punjabi converts to Sikhism.^[4]

American Sikhs

A gurdwara in Evergreen, San Jose, California.
Total population
~458,957^[nb 1] 0.15% of the total American population (2021 est.)
Regions with significant populations
California	211,267 (0.57%)
New York	54,037 (0.28%)
Washington	27,304 (0.38%)
New Jersey	25,546 (0.29%)
Texas	14,527 (0.05%)
Religions
Sikhism
Languages
American English • Punjabi American Spanish • Hindi • Urdu

Sikh men are typically identifiable by their unshorn beards and turbans (head coverings), articles of their faith. Following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and subsequent other terrorism related activities by Islamic groups, Sikhs have often been mistaken as Muslims or Arabs, and have been subject to several hate crimes, including murders.^[5][6] Sikh temples have also been targets of violence due to being mistaken for mosques. A 2012 shooting at a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin garnered national and international attention, with then President Obama ordering flags to be half-staffed at all federal buildings.

Sikh Population History
in the United States^[10]

Year	Pop.	±%
1980	28,621	—
1990	74,162	+159.1%
2000	209,556	+182.6%
2010	331,189	+58.0%
2021	458,957	+38.6%
Source: United States Census Bureau

History

First immigrants

 

The Stockton gurdwara, the oldest in the U.S., opened on October 24, 1912.^[11]

Sikhs have lived in the United States for more than 130 years. The first Sikh immigrants to the United States started to arrive in the second half of the 19th century, when poor economic conditions in British India drove many Indians to emigrate elsewhere. Most Sikh immigrants to the United States came from the province of Punjab and came to the U.S. to work on agricultural farms in California, travelling via Hong Kong to Angel Island.^[12]

In the years just after 1900, hundreds of Sikhs had arrived to work in the lumber mills of Bellingham, Washington. In 1907, 400–500 white men, predominantly members of the Asiatic Exclusion League, attacked the Sikhs’ homes in what is now known as the Bellingham riots. This quickly drove the East Indian immigrants out of the town.^[13][14][15]

Some Sikhs worked in lumber mills of Oregon or in railroad construction and for some Sikhs it was on a railway line, which allowed other Sikhs who were working as migrant laborers to come into the town on festival days.^{[16][unreliable source?]}

A big effect on Sikh migration to the western states occurred during World War I and World War II, where Sikhs were recruited by the British Indian Army to serve for them. Sikhs fought bravely during these wars and began to live in England after their serving period. Among the Sikhs who already lived in America prior to the wars, many Sikhs joined them, mainly during World Wars I and II. Among those who served in the US military include Bhagat Singh Thind in World War I.

The first Sikh gurdwara established in the U.S. was the Gurdwara Sahib Stockton, in Stockton, California, which was established in 1912 by Baba Wasakha Singh Ji Dadehar and Baba Jawala Singh Ji.^[17]

Discrimination after the September 11 attacks

 

Sikhs of America parade float at the 2016 Martin Luther King Day parade in Midtown Houston

 

Houston Sikh Community at the 2016 Martin Luther King Day parade in Midtown Houston

As a result of the September 11 attacks, some Sikh Americans have become subject to discrimination, often from individuals who mistakenly believe that they are Arab or Muslim.

Balbir Singh Sodhi, a gas station owner, was killed on September 15, 2001, due to being mistaken for a Muslim. In a 2011 report to the United States Senate, the Southern Poverty Law Center reported several assaults and incidents of arson at Sikh temples after September 11. All were labeled as hate crimes that resulted from the perpetrators' misconceptions that their targets were Muslim.^[18] In August 2012, a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, was the site of a shooting, leading to six Sikh individuals being killed.^[19] On May 7, 2013, an elderly Sikh man was attacked with an iron bar in Fresno, California, in a possible hate crime.^[20] On September 21, 2013, Prabhjot Singh, a Sikh professor was attacked in Harlem, New York, by a group of 20-30 men who branded him as "Osama" and Terrorist".^[21]

A 2007 survey of Sikh students by the Sikh Coalition found that three out of four male students interviewed "had been teased or harassed on account of their religious identity."^[22] In 2014, the Sikh Coalition released a national report on the bullying of Sikh children in American schools. The report found that 55.8% of Sikh students surveyed in Indianapolis reported being bullied, while 54.5% of Sikh students surveyed in Fresno, California, reported being bullied.^[23] According to the surveys, Sikh students wearing turbans are twice as likely to be bullied as the average American child.

Converts

In the 1960s, due to increased Indian immigration and rising interest in Indian spirituality in the American counterculture, a number of non-Punjabi Americans began to enter 3HO. Prominent in this trend was Yogi Bhajan, leader of the Sikh-related movement 3HO (Healthy, Happy, Holy Organization), whose Los Angeles temple was the first to introduce non-Punjabi Americans to Sikhism.^[4]

Demography

Occupations

Bhagat Singh Thind v. United States

 

A gathering of British veterans who served in the Union Army during the American Civil War; a Sikh is present among them (c. 1917)

 

A Sikh-American U.S. Army officer (2010)

Main article: Sikhism in the United States military

Sikhs have served in the United States military at least as far back as the early 20th century, when one Bhagat Singh Thind, who though not a citizen joined the United States Army and served in World War I. Thind requested citizenship at the end of the war, being granted and revoked twice, before finally being naturalized in 1936.^[24] Far larger numbers of Sikhs served in World War II, and all American wars following.

The ability of observant Sikhs to serve in the American military has, since 1985, been compromised by a discontinuation of exemptions to uniform standards which previously allowed Sikhs to maintain their religiously mandated beards and turbans while in uniform.^[25] As of 2010, a Sikh doctor, Kamaljeet S. Kalsi, and dentist, Tejdeep Singh Rattan, are the only Sikh officers to be permitted to serve in uniform with beard and turban.^[26] In addition, Simranpreet Lamba was permitted to enlist, with exemption to wear his turban and beard, in 2010 due to his knowledge of Punjabi and Hindi.^[27]

Military

In the federal appeals court in Washington, a preliminary injunction allowed two Sikh men to enter the military recruit training wearing a turban as it was considered an article of religion. The military recruits Milaap Singh Chahal and Jaskirat Singh sued the Marine Corps in April due to violation of the first amendment which allows the freedom of religion. The branch that they were a part of declined full religious exemption.^[28]

Policing

In 2016, the New York City Police Department (NYPD) began to allow turbans, subject to standards compatible with unimpeded performance of duty.^[29] In 2015, Sandeep Dhaliwal became the first Deputy Sheriff in Texas to wear a turban on duty (Harris County Sherriff's Office). He was shot and killed from behind in 2019 while conducting a routine traffic stop on the Copperbrook subdivision in Houston Texas.^[30]

In 2019, the Houston Police Department changed their rules to allow beards and turbans, joining 25 other law enforcement agencies.^[31]

Professionals

Many Sikhs started life in America working in lumber mills, mines, and as farm laborers, with many eventually becoming landowners. Many early Sikh immigrants were restaurant owners. In 1956, Dalip Singh Saund became the first Asian Indian-born person to be elected to the United States House of Representatives.

Elected officials

• Dalip Singh Saund served three terms in the United States House of Representatives between 1957 and 1963. He was the first Asian American and the first person of a non-Abrahamic faith to serve in Congress.
• Preet Didbal was elected to the position of mayor of Yuba City, California in 2017. She is the first Sikh woman to serve as a city mayor in United States history.^[32]
• Balvir Singh was elected to the Burlington County Board of Chosen Freeholders, New Jersey on November 7, 2017. He became the first Asian-American to win a countywide election in Burlington County and the first Sikh-American to win a countywide election in New Jersey.^[33]
• City planner Satyendra Huja was elected mayor of Charlottesville, Virginia in January 2012.^[34]
• Amarjit Singh Buttar was elected in December 2001 to the Vernon, Connecticut Board of Education and won re-election in 2011.^[35]
• United States Ambassador to the United Nations and former Governor of South Carolina Nikki Haley was born a Sikh but later converted to Christianity.^[36]
• Ravinder Bhalla was elected mayor of Hoboken, New Jersey in November 2017. He is also the first Sikh mayor to wear a turban.
• Satwinder Kaur became the first Sikh elected to the City Council of Kent, Washington in November 2017.
• Manka Dhingra of Washington became the first Sikh woman elected to a state legislature in November 2017.^[37]
• Pargat S. Sandhu was elected as mayor of Galt, California on Dec 3, 2019. He became the first Sikh to be elected for City Council and Mayor for the city of Galt.
• In November 2020, California's Sutter County and Stanislaus County became the first two America to elect turbaned Sikh supervisors (Karm Bains and Mani Grewal, respectively).^[38][39]

Geographical distribution

 

2018 Sikh Festival and Parade, San Francisco Civic Center

 

Geographical Distribution of Sikhs in America as per American Community Survey

States

Approximately half of all American Sikhs live in California.

Sikh Americans by state and territory (2000−2021)^[42]

State and territory	2021		2010		2000		Change (2010-2021)		Change (2000-2010)
	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	±	+%	±	+%
California	211,267	0.57%	154,239	0.45%	100,584	0.33%	57,028	36.97%	53,655	53.34%
New York	54,037	0.28%	47,659	0.26%	33,459	0.19%	6,378	13.38%	14,200	42.44%
Washington	27,304	0.38%	16,987	0.28%	8,906	0.16%	10,317	60.73%	8,081	90.74%
New Jersey	25,546	0.29%	16,765	0.21%	11,464	0.15%	8,781	52.38%	5,301	46.24%
Texas	14,527	0.05%	10,196	0.05%	5,584	0.03%	4,331	42.48%	4,612	82.59%
Virginia	11,610	0.14%	12,127	0.17%	6,763	0.1%	-517	-4.26%	5,364	79.31%
Michigan	11,289	0.12%	8,418	0.09%	5,391	0.06%	2,871	34.11%	3,027	56.15%
Maryland	10,600	0.18%	4,782	0.09%	4,412	0.09%	5,818	121.66%	370	8.39%
Indiana	9,923	0.16%	4,294	0.07%	1,097	0.02%	5,629	131.09%	3,197	291.43%
Illinois	9,188	0.08%	6,342	0.05%	6,400	0.06%	2,846	44.88%	-58	-0.91%
Pennsylvania	7,500	0.06%	5,849	0.05%	3,011	0.03%	1,651	28.23%	2,838	94.25%
Ohio	7,432	0.07%	7,539	0.07%	3,026	0.03%	-107	-1.42%	4,513	149.14%
Massachusetts	7,292	0.11%	3,838	0.06%	1,476	0.02%	3,454	89.99%	2,362	160.03%
Arizona	5,685	0.09%	2,937	0.05%	1,535	0.03%	2,748	93.56%	1,402	91.34%
North Carolina	5,401	0.06%	4,348	0.05%	1,046	0.01%	1,053	24.22%	3,302	315.68%
Wisconsin	4,230	0.08%	2,871	0.05%	1,728	0.03%	1,359	47.34%	1,143	66.15%
Florida	3,773	0.02%	3,153	0.02%	2,455	0.02%	620	19.66%	698	28.43%
Georgia	3,767	0.04%	2,791	0.03%	1,172	0.02%	976	34.97%	1,619	138.14%
Nevada	3,248	0.11%	1,102	0.05%	1,060	0.06%	2,146	194.74%	42	3.96%
Kansas	2,889	0.11%	1,227	0.05%	369	0.01%	1,662	135.45%	858	232.52%
Missouri	2,477	0.04%	859	0.02%	742	0.01%	1,618	188.36%	117	15.77%
Oregon	2,328	0.06%	1,848	0.05%	630	0.02%	480	25.97%	1,218	193.33%
Connecticut	2,158	0.06%	1,882	0.06%	1,385	0.02%	276	14.67%	497	35.88%
Utah	2,051	0.07%	937	0.04%	378	0.02%	1,114	118.89%	559	147.88%
Colorado	1,962	0.04%	642	0.01%	630	0.02%	1,320	205.61%	12	1.9%
Minnesota	1,710	0.03%	491	0.01%	681	0.01%	1,219	248.27%	-190	-27.9%
Mississippi	1,272	0.05%	922	0.03%	408	0.02%	350	37.96%	514	125.98%
South Carolina	1,003	0.02%	387	0.01%	295	0.01%	616	159.17%	92	31.19%
Louisiana	908	0.02%	817	0.02%	703	0.02%	91	11.14%	114	16.22%
Alabama	752	0.02%	669	0.02%	325	0.01%	83	12.41%	344	105.85%
Iowa	713	0.02%	89	0%	185	0.01%	624	701.12%	-96	-51.89%
Arkansas	709	0.03%	135	0.01%	119	0%	574	425.19%	16	13.45%
Oklahoma	688	0.02%	79	0%	222	0.01%	609	770.89%	-143	-64.41%
Tennessee	562	0.01%	848	0.01%	297	0.01%	-286	-33.73%	551	185.52%
New Hampshire	532	0.04%	426	0.03%	126	0.01%	106	24.88%	300	238.1%
Kentucky	470	0.01%	504	0.01%	237	0.01%	-34	-6.75%	267	112.66%
Vermont	429	0.07%	178	0.03%	0	0%	251	141.01%	178	inf%
Delaware	317	0.03%	550	0.07%	251	0.03%	-233	-42.36%	299	119.12%
New Mexico	307	0.02%	338	0.02%	193	0.01%	-31	-9.17%	145	75.13%
District of Columbia	280	0.04%	205	0.04%	199	0.04%	75	36.59%	6	3.02%
Nebraska	237	0.01%	104	0.01%	96	0.01%	133	127.88%	8	8.33%
Idaho	154	0.01%	481	0.03%	0	0%	-327	-67.98%	481	inf%
Rhode Island	110	0.01%	0	0%	44	0%	110	inf%	-44	-100%
Hawaii	101	0.01%	0	0%	58	0.01%	101	inf%	-58	-100%
Alaska	65	0.01%	0	0%	37	0.01%	65	inf%	-37	-100%
North Dakota	34	0%	0	0%	52	0.01%	34	inf%	-52	-100%
Puerto Rico	26	0%	24	0%	0	0%	2	8.33%	24	inf%
Montana	24	0%	19	0%	0	0%	5	26.32%	19	inf%
West Virginia	22	0%	291	0.02%	325	0.02%	-269	-92.44%	-34	-10.46%
Wyoming	22	0%	0	0%	0	0%	22	inf%	0	nan%
South Dakota	17	0%	0	0%	0	0%	17	inf%	0	nan%
Maine	9	0%	0	0%	0	0%	9	inf%	0	nan%
United States	458,957	0.15%	331,189	0.12%	209,556	0.08%	127,768	38.58%	121,633	58.04%

Counties

Selected Sikh American county populations (2021)

County	2021 American Community Survey^[nb 2]
	Pop.	%
Sacramento County, California	26,639	1.68%
Fresno County, California	24,195	2.39%
Queens County, New York	23,936	1.03%
Alameda County, California	21,226	1.29%
Santa Clara County, California	20,221	1.07%
San Joaquin County, California	20,109	2.61%
King County, Washington	15,739	0.7%
Middlesex County, New Jersey	13,038	1.51%
Nassau County, New York	12,847	0.92%
Sutter County, California	12,241	12.35%
Los Angeles County, California	11,934	0.12%
Contra Costa County, California	9,041	0.78%
Kern County, California	7,955	0.88%
Riverside County, California	6,877	0.28%
Harris County, Texas	6,110	0.13%
Merced County, California	5,727	2.05%
Orange County, California	5,691	0.18%
Wayne County, Michigan	4,961	0.28%
Snohomish County, Washington	4,472	0.54%
Denton County, Texas	4,018	0.43%
San Francisco County, California	3,958	0.49%
Wake County, North Carolina	3,623	0.31%
United States	458,957	0.15%

Metropolitan areas

Selected Sikh American Metropolitan statistical area populations (2021)

Metropolitan statistical area	2021 American Community Survey^[nb 3]
	Pop.	%
New York metropolitan area, New York-New Jersey-Connecticut	63,816	0.34%
San Francisco metropolitan area, California	35,295	0.8%
Sacramento metropolitan area, California	34,360	1.51%
Seattle metropolitan area, Washington	20,725	0.55%
San Jose metropolitan area, California	20,268	1.1%
Los Angeles metropolitan area, California	17,625	0.14%
Washington metropolitan area, District of Columbia-Virginia-Maryland	11,550	0.19%
Dallas metropolitan area, Texas	11,387	0.16%
Inland Empire, California	9,191	0.21%
Philadelphia metropolitan area, Pennsylvania-New Jersey-Delaware	8,753	0.15%
Chicago metropolitan area, Illinois	8,399	0.09%
Houston metropolitan area, Texas	7,629	0.11%
Detroit metropolitan area, Michigan	6,951	0.17%
Indianapolis metropolitan area, Indiana	6,225	0.31%
Boston metropolitan area, Massachusetts	6,168	0.13%
Baltimore metropolitan area, Maryland	5,685	0.21%
Kansas City metropolitan area, Missouri-Kansas	5,046	0.24%
Portland metropolitan area, Oregon-Washington	4,977	0.21%
St. Louis metropolitan area, Missouri-Illinois	3,880	0.15%
Raleigh metropolitan area, North Carolina	3,798	0.28%
Milwaukee metropolitan area, Wisconsin	3,516	0.24%
United States	458,957	0.15%

Communities

 

Members of the Sikh community of Somerville, Massachusetts

Areas with prominent Sikh populations include the Richmond Hill neighborhood of the New York borough of Queens,^[51] as well as Yuba City, California,^[52] southwest Bakersfield, California,^[53][54] Stockton, California,^[55][56] Carteret, New Jersey,^[57] Livingston, California,^[58][59] and Millbourne, Pennsylvania.

Richmond Hill is often referred to as "Little Punjab" due to its large Sikh population. In 2020, the stretch of 101st Avenue between 111th and 123rd streets was renamed Punjab Avenue (ਪੰਜਾਬ ਐਵੇਨਿਊ) and the stretch of 97th Avenue between Lefferts Boulevard and 117th Street was renamed Gurdwara Street.^[60][61] The stretch of Grant Street in Stockton between Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Sixth Street was renamed Sikh Temple Street in 2012 in honor of the centennial of the founding of the Gurdwara Sahib of Stockton, the oldest in the United States.^[62]

Number of Sikh Americans in selected communities, 2021^{[nb 4]}

Community	Population (2021)	Percentage (2021)	Population (2000)	Percentage (2000)
New York, New York	26,973	0.34%	25,376	0.34%
Richmond Hill, Queens, New York, New York^[75]	9,953	18.17%
Fresno, California^[76]	18,603	3.42%	4,012	1.03%
Yuba City, California^[77]	10,207	14.68%	6,496	14.53%
San Jose, California	9,840	1.05%	8,357	1.01%
Bakersfield, California^[78]	8,131	1.99%	2,907	1.29%
Sacramento, California	7,165	1.44%	2,327	0.62%
Los Angeles, California	6,103	0.17%	4,523	0.13%
Stockton, California^[79]	4,951	1.54%	2,002	0.9%
San Francisco, California	3,958	0.51%	749	0.1%
Carteret, New Jersey^[80]	2,806	11.19%	851	4.47%
Livingston, California^[81]	2,798	19.87%	1,793	19.87%
Live Oak, California^[82]	1,284	11.5%	933	16.2%
Fowler, California^[83]	499	7.48%	58	1.63%
Millbourne, Pennsylvania^[84]	71	6.15%	67	8.89%

In addition to these areas, there is a concentration of non-Punjabi converts to Sikhism in Española, New Mexico.^[85]

Notable Sikh Americans

• Taegh Sokhey, created the world's first virtual reality Alzheimer's/Dementia tool, entrepreneur, medical researcher
• Ravinder Bhalla, Mayor of Hoboken, New Jersey
• Preet Bharara, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, 2009–2017
• Gurbaksh Chahal, entrepreneur
• Sant Singh Chatwal, businessperson
• Vikram Chatwal, hotelier and actor
• Harmeet Dhillon, vice chairman of the California Republican Party
• Gurbir Grewal, Attorney General of New Jersey, and former prosecutor of Bergen County, New Jersey
• Ryan Hurst, actor, converted to Sikhism and uses the Sikh name Gobind Seva Singh^[86]
• Narinder Singh Kapany, physicist
• Snatam Kaur, singer, songwriter, and author
• Harpreet Sandhu, member of the Richmond City Council (California), 2007–2008
• Dalip Singh Saund, member of United States House of Representatives from California's 29th district, 1957–1963; first Asian Pacific American member of Congress
• Arjun Singh Sethi, civil rights writer, political rights writer, human rights lawyer, and professor of law
• Balvir Singh, Freeholder, Burlington County, New Jersey
• G. B. Singh, author
• Bhagat Singh Thind, first turbaned soldier in United States Army; plaintiff in United States v. Bhagat Singh Thind, involving an important legal battle over the rights of Indians to obtain U.S. citizenship
• Harbhajan Singh Yogi, yogi, spiritual teacher, and entrepreneur
• Waris Ahluwalia, actor and tastemaker
• Simran Jeet Singh, author and civil rights activist
• Preet Didbal, mayor of Yuba City, California; first Sikh woman mayor
• Manka Dhingra, state senator of Washington; first Sikh state senator
• Sandeep Dhaliwal, First member of the Sikh community in Harris County, Texas, to be allowed to wear his turban and beard while on duty as a Harris County Sheriff's deputy. Murdered by a motorist during a traffic stop in 2019.

See also

• Indian American
• Indians in the New York City metropolitan region
• Sikhism by country
• List of gurdwaras in the United States
• Murder of Balbir Singh Sodhi
• Wisconsin Sikh temple shooting
• Sikhism in Australia
• Sikhism in Canada
• Sikhism in the United Kingdom
• Sikhism in New Zealand

Notes

1. The United States does not measure religion during its censuses. However, the 2021 American Community Survey found that 309,373 Americans spoke Punjabi at home.^[1] The 2021 Canadian census found that 520,390 Canadians spoke Punjabi at home, and 771,790 were Sikhs.^[2] Thus, it can be roughly estimated that there are around 458,957 Sikhs in the United States, using the ratio of Punjabi speakers to Sikhs.
2. The United States does not measure religion during its censuses. However, the 2021 American Community Survey estimated the number of Americans who spoke Punjabi at home for 77 of the nation's counties.^[1] The 2021 Canadian census found that 520,390 Canadians spoke Punjabi at home, and 771,790 were Sikhs.^[43] Thus, the number of Sikhs for these counties can be estimated using the ratio of Punjabi speakers to Sikhs. The number of Sikhs for Fresno County, San Joaquin County, Sutter County, Kern County, and Merced County in California is based upon the Indian American population of those counties in 2021, with Sikhs making up 93.75%,^[44] 75.58%,^[45] 95.98%,^[46] 76.78%^[47],and 96.14%^[48] of the Indian Americans in those counties.
3. The United States does not measure religion during its censuses. However, the 2021 American Community Survey estimated the number of Americans who spoke Punjabi at home for 49 of the nation's metropolitan areas.^[49] The 2021 Canadian census found that 520,390 Canadians spoke Punjabi at home, and 771,790 were Sikhs.^[50] Thus, the number of Sikhs for these metro areas can be estimated using the ratio of Punjabi speakers to Sikhs.
4. The United States does not measure religion during its censuses. However, the 2021 American Community Survey estimated the number of Americans who spoke Punjabi at home for 17 of the nation's counties.^[1] The 2021 Canadian census found that 520,390 Canadians spoke Punjabi at home, and 771,790 were Sikhs.^[63] Thus, the number of Sikhs for these counties can be estimated using the ratio of Punjabi speakers to Sikhs. The number of Sikhs for Richmond Hill, Fresno, Yuba City, Bakersfield, Stockton, Carteret, Livingston, Live Oak, Fowler, and Millbourne are based upon the Indian American population of those communities in 2021, with Sikhs making up 72.65%,^[64] 88.4%,^[65] 95.95%,^[66][67] 77.96%,^[68] 72.39%,^[69] 59.61%,^[70] nearly 100%,^[71] nearly 100%,^[72] nearly 100%,^[73] and 18.37%^[74] of the Indian Americans in those areas.

References

1. "B16001LANGUAGE SPOKEN AT HOME BY ABILITY TO SPEAK ENGLISH FOR THE POPULATION 5 YEARS AND OVER". data.census.gov. Retrieved 2022-11-23.
2. "Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 2022-11-23.
3. "Why Pew Research Center typically can't report the views of smaller U.S. religious groups". www.pewresearch.org. Retrieved 2022-11-23.
4. Ronald H. Bayor (31 July 2011). Multicultural America: An Encyclopedia of the Newest Americans. ABC-CLIO. pp. 985–. ISBN 978-0-313-35787-9. Retrieved 6 June 2013.
5. "Crimes against Sikhs continue in US amidst spotlight on race relations". cnbctv18.com. 25 June 2020. Retrieved 2020-08-31.
6. Gumbel, Andrew (2018-09-19). "'The violence is always there': life as a Sikh in Trump's America". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2020-08-31.
7. "MLA Language Map Data Center". Modern Language Association.
8. "Language Use in the United States: 2019" (PDF). United States Census Bureau.
9. "Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 2022-11-23.
10. The United States does not measure religion during its censuses. However, the 1980 United States Census found that 19,298 Americans spoke Punjabi at home, the 1990 United States Census found that 50,005 Americans spoke Punjabi at home, the 2000 United States Census found that 141,295 Americans spoke Punjabi at home, the 2010 American Community Survey found that 223,309 Americans spoke Punjabi at home, and the 2021 American Community Survey found that 309,373 Americans spoke Punjabi at home.^[7][8][1] The 2021 Canadian census found that 520,390 Canadians spoke Punjabi at home, and 771,790 were Sikhs.^[9] Thus, the Sikh population in the United States can be roughly estimated, using the ratio of Punjabi speakers to Sikhs.
11. . Archived from the original on September 27, 2013. Retrieved September 22, 2013.
12. Passage From India - Asian Indian Immigrants in North America", Joan M. Jensen, Yale University Press, 1988. ISBN 0-300-03846-1
13. Englesberg, Paul (2015). "The 1907 Bellingham Riot and Anti-Asian Hostilities in the Pacific Northwest". The Richard W. Riley College of Education and Leadership Publications. Retrieved 2021-01-11.
14. "News Coverage: 1907-2007 - Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History Project". depts.washington.edu. Retrieved 2021-01-11.
15. Johnson, Tim (2007-08-29). (PDF). Cascadia Weekly. Vol. 2, no. 35. Bellingham, WA: Cascadia Newspaper Company. pp. 8, 10–11. ISSN 1931-3292. OCLC 711684947. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-03-01. Retrieved 2021-01-11.
16. . kabira.freeservers.com. Archived from the original on 2013-04-16.
17. Stockton Gurdwara, America, "Stockton California" 31 October 2006
18. "Anti-Muslim Incidents Since Sept. 11, 2001". Southern Poverty Law Center. March 29, 2011. Retrieved January 12, 2012.
19. Matt Pearce; Brian Bennett (5 August 2012). "Gunman's tattoos lead officials to deem Sikh shooting terrorism". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
20. SF Gate (7 May 2013). "Fresno police: Sikh beating a possible hate crime". SF Gate. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
21. "Indian Professor attacked in Columbia after being called Osama". Retrieved 23 September 2013.
22. Sidhu, Darwinder S.; Neha Singh Gohil (2009). Civil Rights in Wartime: The Post-9/11 Sikh Experience. Ashgate Publishing. p. 72. ISBN 978-0-7546-7553-2.
23. Juan Orozco; Carmen George (March 13, 2014). "Report: Fresno County Sikh students say they're bullied at school". Fresno Bee.
24. Dawinder S. Sidhu, Neha Singh Gohil. Civil rights in wartime: the post-9/11 Sikh experience. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., 2009. ISBN 0-7546-7553-X, 9780754675532. Pg 137
25. "Beard Ban Deters Chabad Rabbis From Becoming Chaplains in Army". 27 August 2005. Retrieved 25 October 2009.
26. Michelle Roberts. "1st Sikh in Decades Graduates Army Officer School, Page 1". ABC News. Retrieved 2010-03-22.
27. Susanne Kappler (10 November 2010). "Keeping faith: Sikh Soldier graduates basic training". Fort Jackson Leader. United States Army. Retrieved 26 December 2011.
28. Molina, Alejandra (December 23, 2022). "In court ruling, Sikh recruits can attend USMC training while keeping beards and turbans". Religion News Service. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
29. David Shortell (December 29, 2016). "NYPD changes policy, will allow officers to wear turbans". CNN. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
30. "Deputy Who Gained National Attention as First Texas Cop to Wear Turban Shot & Killed on Duty". Yahoo. Retrieved 2019-09-28.
31. "HPD changes uniform policy to honor Deputy Sandeep Dhaliwal". khou.com. November 18, 2019. Retrieved 2022-06-22.
32. Willon, Phil. "Meet the nation's first known Sikh woman to serve as a city mayor", Los Angeles Times, December 28, 2017. Accessed January 16, 2018.
33. Hefler, Jan. "Race-baiting ads backfired, says Sikh who broke barriers in South Jersey freeholder race", The Philadelphia Inquirer, November 8, 2017. Accessed December 2, 2017.
34. "Sikh city planner becomes Charlottesville mayor | Richmond Times-Dispatch". .timesdispatch.com. Retrieved 2012-08-07.
35. Tanjua, Damon (November 23, 2011). "School Board Members Make It Official". Vernon Patch. Retrieved August 9, 2012.
36. Dewan, Shaila & Brown, Robbie (June 13, 2010). "All Her Life, Nikki Haley Was the Different One". The New York Times. Retrieved August 9, 2012.
37. Haniffa, Aziz. "High-stakes showdown in Washington State". IndiaAbroad.com. Retrieved 2018-12-05.
38. "Bains, Karm - Sutter County Board of Supervisors". Retrieved 2023-02-28.
39. "Mani Grewal - District 4 Supervisor - Stanislaus County". Retrieved 2023-02-28.
40. "Language Use in the United States: 2019" (PDF). United States Census Bureau.
41. "Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 2022-11-23.
42. The United States does not measure religion during its censuses. However, the 2000 United States Census, the 2010 American Community Survey, and the 2021 American Community Survey estimated the number of Americans who spoke Punjabi at home by state.^[7][1][40] The 2021 Canadian census found that 520,390 Canadians spoke Punjabi at home, and 771,790 were Sikhs.^[41] Thus, the Sikh population in the United States can be roughly estimated, using the ratio of Punjabi speakers to Sikhs.
43. "Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 2022-11-23.
44. "Data Center Results - Fresno County, California". apps.mla.org. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
45. "Data Center Results - San Joaquin County, California". apps.mla.org. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
46. "Data Center Results - Sutter County, California". apps.mla.org. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
47. "Data Center Results - Kern County, California". apps.mla.org. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
48. "Data Center Results - Merced County, California". apps.mla.org. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
49. "B16001LANGUAGE SPOKEN AT HOME BY ABILITY TO SPEAK ENGLISH FOR THE POPULATION 5 YEARS AND OVER". data.census.gov. Retrieved 2022-11-23.
50. "Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 2022-11-23.
51. Mokha, Kavita (20 August 2010). "New Immigrants Put Stamp on Richmond Hill". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
52. "American Punjabi Sikhs, Yuba City, California". IIP Digital. US Embassy. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
53. "A deep dive into the local Sikh community". KGET. Retrieved 2022-11-23.
54. "Local Punjabis celebrate 'historic' City Council vote approving new ward boundaries". The Bakersfield Californian. Retrieved 2022-11-23.
55. "Sikh community will celebrate 23rd annual Vaisakhi Day parade after COVID-19 hiatus". The Stockton Record. Retrieved 2022-11-23.
56. "Indian Chamber of Commerce making progress in region". The Merced County Times. Retrieved 2022-11-23.
57. Giachino, Alyssa. "Carteret police say two attacks being investigated as bias crimes", Asbury Park Press, October 31, 2008. Accessed August 16, 2011. "estimates the Sikh population in Carteret is at least 2,500 out of the borough's 22,000 residents."
58. "When this Punjabi family moved to Livingston in 1970, they planted the seed for an entire community". KVPR. Retrieved 2022-11-23.
59. "Local Sikhs spread message of equality, service". www.6abc.com. Retrieved 2022-11-23.
60. "Richmond Hill Street Co-Named 'Punjab Avenue' To Honor Neighborhood's South Asian Culture". CBS News. Retrieved 2022-11-23.
61. "'Punjab Way,' 'Gurdwara St.' coming to Queens". New York Daily News. Retrieved 2022-11-23.
62. "Sikh Temple Street name OK'd". Stockton Record. Retrieved 2022-11-23.
63. "Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 2022-11-23.
64. "Richmond Hill & Woodhaven PUMA, NY". datausa.io. Retrieved 2023-02-21.
65. "Data Center Results - Fresno, California". apps.mla.org. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
66. "Data Center Results - South Yuba City (census name for Yuba City South), California". apps.mla.org. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
67. "Data Center Results - Yuba City, California". apps.mla.org. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
68. "Data Center Results - Bakersfield, California". apps.mla.org. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
69. "Data Center Results - Stockton, California". apps.mla.org. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
70. "Data Center Results - Carteret, New Jersey". apps.mla.org. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
71. "Data Center Results - Livingston, California". apps.mla.org. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
72. "Data Center Results - Live Oak, California". apps.mla.org. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
73. "Data Center Results - Fowler, California". apps.mla.org. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
74. "Data Center Results - Millbourne, Pennsylvania". apps.mla.org. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
75. "Ancestry in Richmond Hill, New York, New York (Neighborhood)". statisticalatlas.com. Retrieved 2023-02-21.
76. "DP05ACS DEMOGRAPHIC AND HOUSING ESTIMATES". data.census.gov. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
77. "DP05ACS DEMOGRAPHIC AND HOUSING ESTIMATES". data.census.gov. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
78. "DP05ACS DEMOGRAPHIC AND HOUSING ESTIMATES". data.census.gov. Retrieved 2022-11-23.
79. "DP05ACS DEMOGRAPHIC AND HOUSING ESTIMATES". data.census.gov. Retrieved 2022-11-23.
80. "DP05ACS DEMOGRAPHIC AND HOUSING ESTIMATES". data.census.gov. Retrieved 2022-11-23.
81. "DP05ACS DEMOGRAPHIC AND HOUSING ESTIMATES". data.census.gov. Retrieved 2022-11-23.
82. "DP05ACS DEMOGRAPHIC AND HOUSING ESTIMATES". data.census.gov. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
83. "DP05ACS DEMOGRAPHIC AND HOUSING ESTIMATES". data.census.gov. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
84. "DP05ACS DEMOGRAPHIC AND HOUSING ESTIMATES". data.census.gov. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
85. "American Sikhs Run Billion-Dollar Security Firm". www.npr.org. Retrieved 2022-11-23.
86. "Ryan Hurst Instagram with Sikh name". Instagram. Retrieved January 13, 2016.

Further reading

Further information: Indian Americans § Further reading

• Atkinson, David C. The burden of white supremacy: Containing Asian migration in the British empire and the United States (U North Carolina Press, 2016).
• Hawley, John Stratton, and Gurinder Singh Mann. Studying the Sikhs: Issues for North America (State University of New York Press, 1993).
• Kurien, Prema. "Shifting US racial and ethnic identities and Sikh American activism." RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences 4.5 (2018): 81–98. online
• Mahmood, Cynthia Keppley, and Stacy Brady. The Guru's Gift: An Ethnography Exploring Gender Equality with North American Sikh Women (Mayfield Publishers, 2000).
• Mann, Gurinder Singh et al. Buddhists, Hindus, and Sikhs in America (Oxford University Press, 2008).
• Sidhu, Dawinder S., and Neha Singh Gohil. Civil Rights in Wartime: The Post-9/11 Sikh Experience (Ashgate, 2009).
• Stabin, Tova. "Sikh Americans." in Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America, edited by Thomas Riggs, (3rd ed., vol. 4, Gale, 2014), pp. 179–192. Online

External links

• Pioneering Punjabis Digital archive at the University of California, Davis
• Sikh Research Institute
• Center for Sikh and Punjab Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara