AJC's 2001 American Jewish Year Book: Las Vegas Reports Largest Gain

American Jewish Committee
Sunday, 9 December 2001

The largest population gain of any Jewish community reported in the United States in 2000 was in Las Vegas, according to the 101st edition of the American Jewish Year Book, published by the American Jewish Committee.

Total Jewish population in the United States remained at 6 million, with 46 percent of American Jews living in the northeast, according to the 2001 Year Book.

Las Vegas reported a 35 percent increase in its Jewish population since 1995, (up 19,400) to 75,000 in 2000.

The community reporting the largest gain after Las Vegas was Seattle, which grew by 27 percent, or 7,900 Jews, to a total of 37,200.

The largest reported drop, 10,000, was in Miami-Dade county in Florida, followed by Buffalo, NY, which reported a decline of 6,000.

These Jewish population estimates appear in the AJC American Jewish Year Book article, "Jewish Population in the United States, 2000," prepared by Jim Schwartz and Jeffrey Scheckner of the United Jewish Communities and the North American Jewish Data Bank. Data were collected from about 200 Jewish federations. Estimates from areas without federations were provided by local rabbis and other informed communal leaders.

In addition to their annual report on Jewish demography, the authors of the American Jewish Year Book article also reviewed trends over the past century, concluding that:

-- In 1900, 52 percent of the nation's 1.1 million Jews lived in metropolitan New York City area. That proportion began to decline after 1955 to its current level of 32 percent, or nearly 2 million of the nation's 6 million Jews.

-- The Northeast increased its share of U.S. Jewry from 57 percent in 1900 to 70 percent by 1920, remained slightly in excess of two-third until 1960, and then steadily declined to its current level of 46 percent.

-- The Midwest began the century with 24 percent of the nation's Jewish population, declined gradually to 12 percent in 1970, and is now 11 percent.

-- The West fluctuated between 4 and 6 percent of the U.S. Jewish population between 1900 and 1945. After World War II the share steadily increased to its current level of 22 percent.

-- The South declined from a 14 percent share in 1900 to 7 percent in 1940. After World War II the proportion of Jews in the South grew slowly until 1970, when it accelerated reaching its current level of 21 percent.

For more information, or to contact American Jewish Committee, see their website at: www.ajc.org