Today
There are more than 4.5 million people of Norwegian ancestry in the U.S. today[1]. Of these, approximately 3 million claim 'Norwegian' as their sole or primary ancestry.
A little more than 2% of whites in the US are of Norwegian descent. In the Upper Midwest, especially Minnesota, eastern Wisconsin, northern Iowa, and the Dakotas, more than 15% of whites are of Norwegian descent.
55% of Norwegian-Americans live in the Midwest, although a large number (21%) live in the Pacific states of Washington, Oregon, and California.
Norwegian-Americans actively celebrate and maintain their heritage in many ways. Much of it centers on the Lutheran-Evangelical churches they were born into, but also culinary customs (e.g., lutefisk and lefse), costumes (bunad), and Norwegian holidays (Syttende Mai, May 17th) are popular. Certain towns in the United States, particularly in the Upper Midwest, have very strong Norwegian influences.
Although the Norwegians were the most numerous of all the Scandinavian immigrant groups, other Scandinavians also immigrated to America during the same time period. Today, there are 11-12 million Americans of Scandinavian ancestry. Scandinavians represent about 6% of the white population in the USA as a whole, and more than 25% of the white population of the Upper Midwest.
Norwegian-Americans by state
The 10 states with the most Norwegians
Minnesota – 851,000
Wisconsin – 456,000
California – 436,000
Washington – 368,000
North Dakota – 193,000
Illinois – 179,000
Iowa – 167,000
Oregon – 147,000
Texas – 119,000
South Dakota – 115,000
The 10 states with the top percentages of Norwegians
North Dakota – 33% of the state's white population is of Norwegian ancestry
Minnesota – 20%
South Dakota – 17%
Montana – 12%
Wisconsin – 10%
Washington – 8%
Iowa – 6%
Alaska – 6%
Oregon – 5%
Wyoming – 5%