View source for Norwegian Americans

{{short description|Americans of Norwegian birth or descent}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2025}}
{{Use American English|date=February 2023}}
{{Infobox ethnic group
| group            = Norwegian Americans
| native_name      = {{native name|nb|Norskamerikanere/Norskamerikanarar}}<br>{{native name|nn|Norskamerikanarar}}
| pop              = '''3,883,173 (1.1%) alone or in combination'''<br/>
'''1,230,354 (0.4%) Norwegian alone'''<br/>
2021 estimates, self-reported<ref name="ACS2021">{{cite web|url=https://usa.ipums.org/usa/|title=IPUMS USA|publisher=[[University of Minnesota]]|access-date=October 12, 2022|archive-date=October 13, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221013060252/https://usa.ipums.org/usa/|url-status=live}}</ref>
| image            = Percent of Norwegian Americans by state.svg
| region1          = [[Midwestern United States|Midwest]]
| pop1             = 2,273,683
| region2          = [[Western United States|West]]
| pop2             = 1,552,462
| region3          = [[Southern United States|South]]
| pop3             = 545,699
| region4          = [[Northeastern United States|Northeast]]
| pop4             = 266,881
----
| region5          = {{Flag|Minnesota}}
| pop5             = 868,361
| region6          = {{Flag|Wisconsin}}
| pop6             = 466,469
| region7          = {{Flag|California}}
| pop7             = 412,177
| region8          = {{Flag|Washington}}
| pop8             = 410,818
| region9          = {{Flag|North Dakota}}
| pop9             = 199,154
| region10         = {{Flag|Iowa}}
| pop10            = 173,640
| region11         = {{Flag|Illinois}}
| pop11            = 171,745
| region12         = {{Flag|Oregon}}
| pop12            = 164,676
| region13         = {{Flag|Texas}}
| pop13            = 129,081
| region14         = {{Flag|Arizona}}
| pop14            = 124,618
| region15         = {{Flag|Colorado}}
| pop15            = 119,164
| region16         = {{Flag|Florida}}
| pop16            = 117,444
| region17         = {{Flag|South Dakota}}
| pop17            = 113,543
| region18         = {{Flag|New York}}
| pop18            = 92,796
| region19         = {{Flag|Montana}}
| pop19            = 90,425
| langs            = [[English language|English]], [[Norwegian language|Norwegian]] <br>
 [[American Norwegian]]
| rels             = [[Christianity]] (predominantly [[Evangelical Lutheran Church in America]], [[Evangelical Lutheran Synod]])
| related          = Other [[Norwegian diaspora|Norwegians]]{{•}} other [[Nordic and Scandinavian Americans]]
}}

{{Norwegian-people}}

'''Norwegian Americans''' ({{langx|no|Norskamerikanere/Norskamerikanarar}}) are [[Americans]] with ancestral roots in [[Norway]].  Norwegian immigrants went to the United States primarily in the latter half of the 19th century and the first few decades of the 20th century. There are more than 4.5 million Norwegian Americans, according to the 2021 U.S. census;{{efn-la|Incidentally, the number of Americans of Norwegian descent living in the U.S. (4.5 million) was roughly equal to the  population of Norway (4.6 million) in 2005. In April 2012 Norway's population surpassed 5 million (ssb.no), of which 1.1 million were either born outside Norway, or born in Norway with both or one parent born outside Norway.}} most live in the [[Upper Midwest]] and on the [[West Coast of the United States]].

==Immigration==

===Viking-era exploration===
{{Main|Norwegian colonization of the Americas}}
[[Norsemen]] from Greenland and Iceland were the first Europeans to reach North America. [[Leif Erikson]] reached North America via [[Norse settlements in Greenland]] around the year 1000. Norse settlers from Greenland founded the settlement of [[L'Anse aux Meadows]] in [[Vinland]], in what is now Newfoundland, [[Canada]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=MAS2303: Vinland – Myth and reality|url=https://www.uio.no/studier/emner/hf/ikos/MAS2303/index.html|url-status=live|website=[[University of Oslo]]|access-date=October 25, 2022|archive-date=October 25, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221025162443/https://www.uio.no/studier/emner/hf/ikos/MAS2303/index.html}}</ref> These settlers failed to establish a permanent settlement because of conflicts with indigenous people and within the Norse community.{{Citation needed|date=October 2022}}

=== Colonial settlement ===
{{Unreliable sources section
| date = October 2022
}}[[File:Stamp US 1925 5c Norse-American.jpg|thumb|A 1925 U.S. postage stamp featuring [[Viking (replica Viking longship)|the ship ''Viking'']] honoring the [[Norse-American Centennial|100th anniversary of Norwegian immigration]].]]
The Netherlands, and especially the cities of [[Amsterdam]] and [[Hoorn]], had strong commercial ties with the coastal lumber trade of Norway during the 17th century and many Norwegians immigrated to Amsterdam. Some of them settled in Dutch colonies, although never in large numbers.{{efn-la|For further reading, see for example J.H. Innes, ''New Amsterdam and its people''.}} There were also Norwegian settlers in [[Pennsylvania]] in the first half of the 18th century, upstate New York in the latter half of the same century, and in [[New England]] during both halves.{{Ref|Bradt}}

During the colonial period, Norwegian immigrants often joined the Dutch seeking opportunities for trade and a new life in America. The Dutch often took Norwegians with them to the New World for their sailing expertise.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Robinson|first1=Lorraine J.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iqha1dfMZ78C&pg=PA64|title=Norwegian American Saga|date=April 3, 2012|publisher=[[Xlibris]]|isbn=9781465351159|access-date=May 18, 2018|archive-date=July 4, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230704195508/https://books.google.com/books?id=iqha1dfMZ78C&pg=PA64|url-status=live}}</ref> There was a Norwegian presence in [[New Amsterdam]] in the early part of the 17th century. [[Hans Hansen Bergen]], a native of [[Bergen]], Norway, was one of the earliest settlers of the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam, having immigrated in 1633. Another early Norwegian settler, [[Albert Andriessen Bradt]], arrived in New Amsterdam in 1637.

Approximately 60 people had settled in the [[Manhattan]] area before the region was taken over by the [[British Empire]] in 1664. The total number of Norwegians that settled in [[New Netherland]] is not known. In the period that followed, many of the original Norwegian settlers in the area remained, including the family of [[Pieter Van Brugh]], a colonial [[List of mayors of Albany, New York|mayor of Albany]], who was the grandson of early Norwegian immigrants.<ref>[[John O. Evjen]]. "[http://www.rpi.edu/~holmes/Hobbies/Genealogy/ps13/ps13_019.htm Roelof (Roeloffse) Jansen] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090607002633/http://www.rpi.edu/~holmes/Hobbies/Genealogy/ps13/ps13_019.htm|date=June 7, 2009}}," ''Scandinavian Immigrants In New York 1630 – 1674''.</ref>

=== 19th century ===
Many immigrants during the early 1800s sought religious freedom. From the mid-1800s however, the driving forces behind Norwegian immigration to the United States were agricultural disasters which led to [[poverty]], from the [[European Potato Failure]] of the 1840s to the [[Famine of 1866–68]]. The [[The Great Transformation (Norway)|agricultural revolution]] also put farmers out of work and pushed them to seek employment in a more industrialized America.<ref>{{cite web|last=Alchin|first=Linda|date=September 18, 2014|title=Norwegian Immigration to America for Kids|url=http://www.emmigration.info/norwegian-immigration-to-america.htm|url-status=live|website=www.emmigration.info|access-date=May 18, 2018|archive-date=May 28, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180528050247/http://www.emmigration.info/norwegian-immigration-to-america.htm}}</ref>

====Religious migration====
The earliest immigrants from Norway to America emigrated mostly for religious motives, especially as members of the [[Religious Society of Friends]] or as [[Haugean]]s. To a great extent, this early emigration from Norway was born out of religious persecution, especially for [[Quaker]]s and a local religious group, the [[Haugean movement|Haugeans]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Semmingsen|first=Ingrid|date=1983|others=Translated by C.A. Clausen|title=Haugeans, Rappites, and the Emigration of 1825|url=http://www.naha.stolaf.edu/pubs/nas/volume29/vol29_01.htm|journal=[[Norwegian-American Studies]]|volume=29|pages=3–42|doi=10.1353/nor.1983.a799134 |jstor=45221507|s2cid=247624155 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200713063410/http://www.naha.stolaf.edu/pubs/nas/volume29/vol29_01.htm |archive-date=July 13, 2020 |url-access=subscription}}</ref>
[[Image:Cleng.peerson.jpg|thumb|upright|left|[[Cleng Peerson]]]]
Organized Norwegian immigration to North America began in 1825, when several dozen Norwegians left [[Stavanger]] bound for North America on the [[sloop]] ''[[Restauration (ship)|Restauration]]'' (often called the "Norse ''[[Mayflower]]''").<ref>{{cite news|title=Descendants of Norse 'Mayflower' Pioneers at Centennial Celebration|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/59934718/restaurationen/|newspaper=The Capital Times|date=June 9, 1925|page=4|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|access-date=September 25, 2020|archive-date=January 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210118070230/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/59934718/restaurationen/|url-status=live}}</ref> Under the leadership of [[Cleng Peerson]], the ''[[Restauration (ship)|Restauration]]'' left Stavanger in July 1825 and ferried six families on a 14-week journey.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Immigration and Relocation in U.S. History: The Norwegians|url=https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/immigration/scandinavian/the-norwegians/|url-status=live|access-date=April 6, 2012|website=[[Library of Congress]]|archive-date=June 21, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220621152223/https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/immigration/scandinavian/the-norwegians/}}</ref> The ship landed in New York City, where it was at first impounded for exceeding its passenger limit. After intervention from [[John Quincy Adams|President John Quincy Adams]], the passengers moved on to settle in [[Kendall, New York]] with the help of [[Andreas Stangeland]], witnessing the opening of the [[Erie Canal]] en route. After making the journey to Kendall, Cleng Peerson became a traveling emissary for Norwegian immigrants and died in a Norwegian Settlement near [[Cranfills Gap, Texas|Cranfills Gap]], [[Texas]] in 1865.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal|last=Canuteson|first=Richard L.|date=1977|title=The Kendall Settlement Survived |url=http://www.naha.stolaf.edu/pubs/nas/volume27/vol27_12.htm |journal=[[Norwegian-American Studies]]|volume=27|pages=243–255|doi=10.1353/nor.1977.a799163 |jstor=45221342|s2cid=247624381 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200711104626/http://www.naha.stolaf.edu/pubs/nas/volume27/vol27_12.htm |archive-date=July 11, 2020 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> The descendants of these immigrants are referred to as "[[Sloopers]]", in reference to the [[sloop]] ship that brought them from Norway.<ref name=":0" /> Many of the 1825 immigrants moved on from the Kendall Settlement in the mid-1830s, settling in [[Illinois]] and [[Wisconsin]].<ref name=":1" /> These "Sloopers" gave impetus to the westward movement of [[Norwegians]] by founding a settlement in the [[Fox River (Illinois River tributary)|Fox River]] area of [[Illinois]]. A small urban colony of Norwegians arrived in [[Chicago]] at about the same time.<ref>Odd Lovoll, "Norwegians", ''Encyclopedia of Chicago''. (2004) [http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/911.html online]</ref>

====Organized immigration====
While about 65 Norwegians emigrated via Sweden and elsewhere in the intervening years, no emigrant ships left Norway for the New World until the 1836 departures of the ''Den Norske Klippe'' and ''Norden''. In 1837, a group of immigrants from [[Tinn]] emigrated via [[Gothenburg]] to the [[Fox River Settlement]], near present-day [[Sheridan, Illinois]]. It was the writings of [[Ole Rynning]], who traveled to the U.S. on the ''Ægir'' in 1837 that energized Norwegian immigration, however.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ole Rynning's True Account of America|url=http://www.gilderlehrman.org/historynow/03_2005/pdf/Excerpts.pdf|url-status=dead|website=[[Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History]]|publisher=[[National Library of Norway]]|access-date=September 23, 2010|archive-date=June 30, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110630202256/http://www.gilderlehrman.org/historynow/03_2005/pdf/Excerpts.pdf}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Viksund|first=Erling|date=2004|title=The Ægir People|url=http://www.norwayheritage.com/articles/templates/voyages.asp?articleid=95&zoneid=6|url-status=live|access-date=October 25, 2022|website=Norway-Heritage|archive-date=May 16, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220516044408/http://www.norwayheritage.com/articles/templates/voyages.asp?articleid=95&zoneid=6}}</ref>

Throughout much of the latter part of the 19th century and into the 20th century, a vast majority of Norwegian emigration to both the United States and Canada followed a route commonly shared by most Swedish, Danish and Finnish emigrants of the period, being via England by means of the monopoly established by the leading shipping lines of Great Britain, primarily the [[White Star Line]] and the [[Cunard Line]], both of which operated chiefly out of [[Liverpool|Liverpool, England]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.norwayheritage.com/p_shiplist.asp?co=cunar|title=The Cunard Line|publisher=Norway-Heritage|access-date=December 28, 2017|archive-date=January 3, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180103224321/http://www.norwayheritage.com/p_shiplist.asp?co=cunar|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.norwayheritage.com/p_shiplist.asp?co=white|title=The White Star Line|publisher=Norway-Heritage|access-date=December 28, 2017|archive-date=May 29, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180529055820/http://www.norwayheritage.com/p_shiplist.asp?co=white|url-status=live}}</ref> These lines negotiated with smaller 'feeder lines', primarily the [[Wilson Line]], which was based out of the port city of Hull on England's east coast, to provide emigrants with passage from port cities such as Christiania (present-day Oslo), Bergen and Trondheim to England via Hull.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.norwayheritage.com/p_shiplist.asp?co=wilso|title=The Wilson Line|publisher=Norway-Heritage|access-date=December 28, 2017|archive-date=December 28, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171228233611/http://www.norwayheritage.com/p_shiplist.asp?co=wilso|url-status=live}}</ref> Steamship companies such as Cunard and White Star included fares for passage on these feeder ship in their overall ticket prices, along with railroad fares for passage between Hull and Liverpool and temporary accommodations in numerous hotels owned by the shipping lines in port cities such as Liverpool.<ref>{{cite journal|doi=10.1080/21533369.2001.9668313|title = Work in progress: Indirect passage from Europe Transmigration via the UK, 1836–1914|journal=Journal for Maritime Research|volume=3|pages=70–84|year = 2001|last1 = Evans|first1 = Nicholas J.|doi-access=free}}</ref>

Most Norwegian emigrants bound for the United States entered the country through New York City, with smaller numbers coming through other eastern ports such as Boston and Philadelphia. Other shipping lines such as the [[Canadian Pacific Line]],<ref>{{cite web|last=|title=The Canadian Pacific Line|url=http://www.norwayheritage.com/p_shiplist.asp?co=capal|url-status=live|access-date=December 28, 2017|publisher=Norway-Heritage|archive-date=December 28, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171228233456/http://www.norwayheritage.com/p_shiplist.asp?co=capal}}</ref> which operated chiefly out of Liverpool, and the Glasgow-based [[Anchor Line (steamship company)|Anchor Line]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.norwayheritage.com/p_shiplist.asp?co=ancho|title=The Anchor Line|publisher=Norway-Heritage|access-date=December 28, 2017|archive-date=February 8, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180208221220/http://www.norwayheritage.com/p_shiplist.asp?co=ancho|url-status=live}}</ref> operated routes to ports in eastern Canada, primarily [[Quebec City]], [[Montreal]] and [[Halifax, Nova Scotia|Halifax]]. Because Canadian-bound routes were slightly shorter, lines which disembarked at Canadian ports often provided quicker passages and cheaper fares. The Canadian route offered many advantages to the emigrant over traveling to the U.S. directly. "They moved on from Quebec both by rail and by steamer for another thousand or more miles (1,600&nbsp;km) for a steerage fare of slightly less than $9.00."{{Citation needed|date=October 2022}} Steamers from Quebec, Canada brought them to Toronto, Canada then the immigrants often traveled by rail for 93 miles to [[Collingwood, Ontario]], Canada on Lake Huron, from where steamers transported them across Lake Michigan to Chicago, Milwaukee and Green Bay. Not until the start of the 20th century did Norwegians accept Canada as a land of the second chance. This was also true of the many American-Norwegians who moved to Canada seeking homesteads and new economic opportunities. By 1921, one-third of all Norwegians in Canada had been born in the U.S.{{Citation needed|date=October 2022}}

[[File:Trends in Norwegian immigration to the U. S. A.png|thumb|Data from the U.S. Office of Immigration statistics showing trends in Norwegian immigration to the U.S. from 1870 to 2016]]Between 1825 and 1925, more than 800,000 Norwegians immigrated to North America—about one-third of Norway's population with the majority immigrating to the U.S., and lesser numbers immigrating to the Dominion of Canada.  With the exception of [[Ireland]], no single country contributed a larger percentage of its population to the United States than Norway.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Haugen|first=Einar|date=1954|title=Norwegian Migration To America|journal=[[Norwegian-American Historical Association|Norwegian-American Studies]]|publisher=[[University of Minnesota Press]]|volume=18|pages=1–22|doi=10.1353/nor.1954.a798951 |jstor=45220234|s2cid=247619660 }}</ref> Data from the U.S. Office of Immigration statistics of the number of Norwegians obtaining lawful permanent resident status in the U.S. from 1870 to 2016 highlights two peaks in the migration flow, the first one in the 1880s, and the second one in the first decade of the 20th century. It also shows an abrupt decrease after 1929,<ref>{{cite web|title=Yearbook of Immigration Statistics 2016|url=https://www.dhs.gov/immigration-statistics/yearbook/2016|url-status=live|access-date=February 20, 2018|website=[[U.S. Department of Homeland Security]]|archive-date=March 6, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180306012148/https://www.dhs.gov/immigration-statistics/yearbook/2016}}</ref> during the economic crisis of the 1930s.

==== Settlement ====
[[File:Hultstrand61.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Norwegian settlers in front of their sod house in [[North Dakota]] in 1898. Photo taken by John McCarthy and collected by [[Fred Hultstrand]]]] [[File:Homestead Act 4c 1962 issue.JPG|thumb|A 1962 U.S. postage stamp commemorating the centennial of the [[Homestead Act]] was issued. The image on the stamp is based on Norwegian settlers in front of their sod house.]]
Beginning in 1836, Norwegian immigrants arrived in significant numbers annually. From the early "slooper" settlement in [[Illinois]], Norwegian pioneers followed the general spread of population northwestward into [[Wisconsin]]. [[Wisconsin]] remained the center of Norwegian American activity up until the [[American Civil War]], a war in which a number of Norwegian Americans fought for the Union, such as in the [[15th Wisconsin Volunteer Regiment]]. In the 1850s Norwegian land seekers began moving into both [[Iowa]] and [[Minnesota]], and serious migration to [[the Dakotas]] was underway by the 1870s.<ref>Odd Sverre Lovoll, ''The promise of America: A history of the Norwegian-American people'' (U of Minnesota Press, 1999) [https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=k3y-rhDAtjsC&oi=fnd&pg=PP11&dq=odd+Lovoll&ots=4SRJpEgwPG&sig=GSlAdQKDQu_L6BAhwz0yr4uS1SY online].</ref>

Norwegian immigration through the years was predominantly motivated by economic concerns. Compounded by crop failures, Norwegian agricultural resources were unable to keep up with population growth, and the [[Homestead Act|Homestead Act of 1862]] promised fertile, flat land. As a result, settlement trended westward with each passing year. The majority of Norwegian agrarian settlements developed in the northern region of the so-called Homestead Act Triangle between the [[Mississippi]] and the [[Missouri]] rivers. Early Norwegian settlements were in Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and Illinois, but moved westward into Wisconsin, [[Minnesota]], and the Dakotas. Later waves of Norwegian immigration went to the Western states such as [[Montana]], [[Washington (state)|Washington]], [[Oregon]], and [[Utah]] through missionary efforts which gained Norwegian and Swedish converts to [[the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints|Mormonism]]. Additionally, craftsmen also immigrated to a larger, more diverse market. Until recently, there was a Norwegian area in [[Sunset Park, Brooklyn]] originally populated by Norwegian craftsmen.

The [[upper Midwest]] became home to most immigrants. In 1910 almost 80 percent of the one million or more Norwegian Americans lived in that part of the United States. In 1990, 51.7 percent of the Norwegian American population lived in the [[Midwest]]. At that time,  [[Minnesota]] had the largest Norwegian American population and [[Minneapolis]] functioned as a hub for Norwegian American secular and religious activities. Chicago was an attractive destination.<ref>Odd. S. Lovell, '' A century of urban life: The Norwegians and Chicago before 1930'' (1988)</ref>

In the [[Pacific Northwest]], the [[Puget Sound]] region, and especially the city of [[Seattle]], became another center of immigrant life. Enclaves of Norwegian immigrants emerged as well in greater [[Brooklyn]], [[New York (state)|New York]], in [[Alaska]], and [[Texas]]. After Minnesota, [[Wisconsin]] had the most Norwegians in 1990, followed by California, Washington, and North Dakota.

== Cultural identity ==

=== 19th century ===
In a letter from Chicago dated November 9, 1855, Elling Haaland from [[Stavanger, Norway]], assured his relatives back home that "of all nations Norwegians are those who are most favored by Americans." Svein Nilsson, a Norwegian-American journalist recorded that "A newcomer from Norway who arrives here will be surprised indeed to find in the heart of the country, more than a thousand miles from his landing place, a town where language and way of life so unmistakably remind him of his native land."<ref>{{Cite news|date=May 14, 1870|title=Billed-Magazin|publisher=Suckow's Bog og Accidents Trykkeri|location=[[Madison, Wisconsin]]}}</ref>

This sentiment was expressed frequently as the immigrants attempted to seek acceptance and negotiate entrance into the new society. In their segregated farming communities, [[Norwegians]] were spared direct prejudice and might indeed have been viewed as a welcome ingredient in a region's development. Still, a sense of inferiority was inherent in their position. The immigrants were occasionally referred to as "guests" in the United States and they were not immune to condescending and disparaging attitudes by old-stock Americans. Economic adaptation required a certain amount of interaction with a larger commercial environment, from working for an American farmer to doing business with the seed dealer, the banker, and the elevator operator. Products had to be grown and sold—all of which pulled Norwegian farmers into social contact with their American neighbors. In Pennsylvania a group of Norwegians flew a flag described as: "''The Cross of Norway in the centre, surrounded by the Stars and Stripes of the United States.''"<ref>{{Cite web |title=Daily Alta California 15 July 1854 — California Digital Newspaper Collection |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=DAC18540715.2.20.21&e=------185-en--20--61--txt-txIN-Flag+motto------- |access-date=December 28, 2024 |website=cdnc.ucr.edu}}</ref>

Norwegian-American debating societies provided opportunities for immigrants to discuss and debate issues of the day in an atmosphere conducive to learning while also developing skills useful in American life. Beginning in 1889, both the ''Wig Debate Society'' and ''Forward Debate Society'', located in Minnesota, hosted weekly debates. Many topics were discussed including [[Suffrage|voting rights]], [[women's rights]], and [[racism]]. These societies helped to develop friendship and understanding.<ref>{{cite thesis|type=Master's thesis|last=Wick|first=Rosemary R.|date=1983|title=Norwegian-American Debating Societies: A Historical and Rhetorical Analysis|publisher=University of North Dakota|url=https://commons.und.edu/theses/4017|url-status=live|access-date=September 2, 2021|archive-date=September 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210902223952/https://commons.und.edu/theses/4017/}}</ref>

In places like [[Brooklyn]], Chicago, Minneapolis, and Seattle, Norwegian-Americans interacted with the multi-cultural environment of the city while constructing a complex ethnic community that met the needs of its members. It might be said that a Scandinavian melting pot existed in the urban setting among Norwegians, Swedes, and Danes, evidenced in residential and occupational patterns, in political mobilization, and in public commemoration. Inter-marriage promoted inter-ethnic assimilation. There are no longer any significant Norwegian immigrant enclaves or neighborhoods in America's largest cities. Beginning in the 1920s, Norwegian-Americans increasingly became suburban.<ref>John R. Jenswold. "[http://collections.mnhs.org/MNHistoryMagazine/articles/50/v50i02p063-070.pdf In Search of the Norwegian-American Working Class] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304114656/http://collections.mnhs.org/MNHistoryMagazine/articles/50/v50i02p063-070.pdf |date=March 4, 2016 }}," ''Minnesota History'' (Summer 1986) pp. 63–70.</ref>

=== 20th century ===
{{Further|Norway–United States relations}}
Norwegian Americans cultivated bonds with [[Norway]], sending gifts home often and offering aid during natural disasters and other hardships in Norway. Relief in the form of collected funds was forthcoming without delay. Only during conflicts within the [[Union between Sweden and Norway]], however, did Norwegian Americans become involved directly in the political life of Norway. In the 1880s they formed societies to assist Norwegian liberals, collecting money to assist rifle clubs in Norway should the political conflict between liberals and conservatives call for arms. The ongoing tensions between Sweden and Norway and Norway's humiliating retreat in 1895 fueled nationalism and created anguish. Norwegian Americans raised money to strengthen Norway's military defenses. The unilateral declaration by Norway on June 7, 1905, to dissolve its union with Sweden yielded a new holiday of patriotic celebration.{{Citation needed|date=October 2022}}
[[File:Mother and child in traditional Norwegian bunad, St. Paul, Minnesota - DPLA - 84378a131b518c126de5aa98de93eb8a.jpg|alt=Mother and daughter posing for a picture in their traditional Norwegian bunad during the Norse-American Centennial celebration.|thumb|Mother and daughter in traditional Norwegian [[bunad]] during the [[Norse-American Centennial]] celebration.]]
In 1925, the [[Norse-American Centennial]] was held at the [[Minnesota State Fair]], celebrating 100 years of organized Norwegian migration to the United States. The Centennial program included musical performances, a pageant, exhibitions, athletic events, and speeches from Norwegian American leaders as well as President [[Calvin Coolidge]].<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://collection.mndigital.org/catalog/p16022coll518:149 |title=Norse-American Centennial souvenir booklet |publisher=Augsburg Publishing House |year=1925 |location=St. Paul, Minnesota |pages=61–89}}</ref>

In American popular culture, Norwegian Americans were the central characters in the popular CBS network television series, ''[[Mama (American TV series)|Mama]]'' (1949–1956). Set in San Francisco around 1900, the weekly program focused on working-class family life.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Lipsitz|first=George|date=November 1986|title=The Meaning of Memory: Family, Class, and Ethnicity in Early Network Television Programs|url=https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/scott12sem2courseblog/files/2012/04/George-Lipsitz-The-meaning-of-memory-family-class-ethnicity-in-early-network-television.pdf|url-status=live|journal=Cultural Anthropology|volume=1|issue=4|pages=355–387|doi=10.1525/can.1986.1.4.02a00010|access-date=October 25, 2022|archive-date=December 8, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221208005957/https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/scott12sem2courseblog/files/2012/04/George-Lipsitz-The-meaning-of-memory-family-class-ethnicity-in-early-network-television.pdf}}</ref> They also form the background to [[Garrison Keillor]]'s "[[Lake Wobegon]]" series of novels as well as ''[[A Prairie Home Companion]]'', a radio variety show that contains much humorous material from the "Norwegian American Midwest".{{Citation needed|date=October 2022}}

According to a 2018 paper, Norwegian immigrants who lived in large ethnic enclaves in the United States in the 1910 and 1920 "had lower occupational earnings, were more likely to be in farming occupations, and were less likely to be in white-collar occupations."<ref>{{cite journal|last=Eriksson|first=Katherine|date=2018|title=Ethnic Enclaves and Immigrant Outcomes: Norwegian Immigrants during the Age of Mass Migration|journal=NBER Working Paper No. 24763|doi=10.3386/w24763|s2cid=134408179}}</ref>

== Traditions ==
[[File:NorwegianKransekake.JPG|thumb|[[Kransekake]] cake decorated with small [[Flag of Norway|flags of Norway]] at the [[Olmsted County, Minnesota|Olmsted County]] Fair in [[Rochester, Minnesota]].]]Today, the traditions practiced by Norwegian Americans are distinct from those practiced in modern-day Norway. Norwegian Americans are primarily descendants of 19th or early 20th century [[working class]] and rural Norwegians, and the traditions which these immigrants brought with them represented a specific segment of the Norwegian population and cultural period. As these traditions continued to evolve in an American context, they are today divergent from that of modern-day Norway.<ref name="Lovoll" />

Norwegian Americans actively celebrate and maintain their heritage in many ways. Much of these traditions center upon [[Lutheranism|Lutheran-Evangelical]] church communities. Other organizations, such as the [[Sons of Norway|Sons and Daughters of Norway]] and the [[Chicago Norske Klub]] also serve to preserve their ethnic heritage. Culinary customs (e.g., ''[[lutefisk]]'' and ''[[lefse]]''), national dress (''[[bunad]]''), and Norwegian holidays (''[[Norwegian Constitution Day|Syttende Mai]]'') are also popular.{{Citation needed|date=October 2022}} Some regional festivals celebrate Norwegian heritage, predominantly in areas with a high density of Norwegian Americans, such as [[Norsk Høstfest]] (English'':'' ''Norwegian Autumn Festival''), an annual festival held in [[Minot, North Dakota]].

A number of towns in the United States, particularly in the [[Upper Midwest]], are known for their display of Norwegian heritage, including: [[Stoughton, Wisconsin]]; [[Sunburg, Minnesota]]; [[Ulen, Minnesota]]; and [[Westby, Wisconsin]]. [[Starbuck, Minnesota]] is known to produce the largest [[lefse]] in the world.{{Citation needed|date=October 2022}} Other regions known for their Norwegian heritage or origins include: [[Norge, Virginia]]; [[Petersburg, Alaska]]; [[Poulsbo, Washington]]; and [[Lapskaus Boulevard]], the nickname of 8th Avenue in [[Brooklyn]].

[[File:Wisconsin head cheese re-enactment.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|A re-enactment of Norwegian farmers making [[head cheese]] in [[Wisconsin]].]]
There are a number of museums commemorating the Norwegian-American immigrant experience. [[Norskedalen]] is a natural and cultural heritage site near [[Coon Valley, Wisconsin]], spread over 440 acres which exhibits the Norwegian immigrant experience of the late 1800s. [[Little Norway, Wisconsin]] is a living museum of a Norwegian village located in [[Blue Mounds, Wisconsin]]. The [[National Nordic Museum]] in the [[Ballard, Seattle|Ballard]], a district [[Seattle]] heavily settled by Scandinavian immigrants, serves as a community gathering place. The [[Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum]] in [[Decorah, Iowa]] is the largest museum in the United States dedicated to the experiences of a single immigrant population and has an extensive collection of Norwegian-American artifacts. [[Chapel in the Hills]], located in [[Rapid City, South Dakota]], is an exact replica of the [[Borgund Stave Church]] of [[Lærdal Municipality]], Norway. The church's site also maintains other period typical historical buildings.

==Religion==
[[File:Mindekirken Altar.jpg|right|thumb|The [[Norwegian Lutheran Memorial Church (Minneapolis)|Norwegian Lutheran Memorial Church]] of Minneapolis. It is one of two [[United States|American]] churches still using Norwegian as a primary liturgical language, the other being [[Minnekirken]] in [[Chicago, Illinois]].]]Although today Norway is relatively secular,<ref>{{cite web|title=Lov om helligdager og helligdagsfred|url=https://lovdata.no/dokument/NL/lov/1995-02-24-12|access-date=December 28, 2017|website=[[Lovdata]]|publisher=|language=no|archive-date=April 1, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180401021822/https://lovdata.no/dokument/NL/lov/1995-02-24-12|url-status=live}}</ref> Norwegian-Americans are among the most religious ethnic groups in the United States, with 90% acknowledging a religious affiliation in 1998.<ref name="Lovoll">{{cite book|author=Lovoll|first=Odd Sverre|url=https://archive.org/details/promisefulfilled0000lovo|title=The Promise Fulfilled: A Portrait of Norwegian Americans Today|publisher=[[University of Minnesota Press]]|year=1998|isbn=9781452903576|page=[https://archive.org/details/promisefulfilled0000lovo/page/89 89]|url-access=registration}}</ref> Because membership to the [[Church of Norway|State Church]] was mandatory until the 19th century in Norway, all ethnic Norwegians have traditionally been Lutheran.{{Citation needed|date=October 2022}} Today, many Norwegian Americans remain Lutheran, though significant numbers converted to other Christian denominations. Some Norwegians immigrated to the United States in hope of practicing other religions freely. A significant number of Norwegian immigrants and their descendants were [[Methodists]] concentrated especially in Chicago, with its own theological seminary, while others converted to become [[Baptists]]. There were also groups of [[Quakers]], relating back to "the Sloopers," and [[Mormons]] who joined the trek to the "New Jerusalem" in [[Salt Lake City, Utah]].{{Citation needed|date=October 2022}}

=== Norwegian Lutheranism ===
Most Norwegian immigrants to the United States, particularly in the migration wave between the 1860s and early 20th century, were members of the [[Church of Norway]], an evangelical [[Lutheran]] church established by the [[Constitution of Norway]]. As they settled in their new homeland and forged their own communities, however, Norwegian-American Lutherans diverged from the state church in many ways, forming synods and conferences that ultimately contributed to the present Lutheran establishment in the United States.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Fevold|first=Eugene L.|date=1967|title=The Norwegian Immigrant and His Church|url=http://www.naha.stolaf.edu/pubs/nas/volume23/vol23_1.html|journal=[[Norwegian-American Historical Association|Norwegian-American Studies]]|volume=23|pages=3–16|doi=10.1353/nor.1967.a799040 |jstor=45221591|s2cid=247623998 |access-date=December 28, 2017|archive-date=January 21, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120121110451/http://www.naha.stolaf.edu/pubs/nas/volume23/vol23_1.html|url-status=dead|url-access=subscription}}</ref> The Norwegian [[Lutheran church]] was a focal point in rural settlements in the [[Upper Midwest]]. The congregation became an all-encompassing institution for its members, creating a tight social network that touched all aspects of immigrant life. The force of tradition in religious practice made the church a central institution in the urban environment as well. The severe reality of urban life increased the social role of the church. {{Citation needed|date=August 2011}}

The official [[Church of Norway|State Church]] in Norway did not extend pastoral care to emigrants and provided no guidance in the formation of new congregations in the United States. The Church of Norway was seen as an integrated part of the Norwegian state administration with no particular responsibility for people outside of Norway, with the exception of sailors and those who remained citizens. As a consequence, no fewer than 14 Lutheran synods were founded by Norwegian immigrants between 1846 and 1900. In 1917 most of the factions reconciled doctrinal differences and organized the [[Norwegian Lutheran Church in America]]. It was one of the church bodies that in 1960 formed the [[American Lutheran Church]], which in 1988 became a constituent part of the newly created [[Evangelical Lutheran Church in America]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Trexler|first=Edgar R.|title=High Expectations: Understanding the ELCA's Early Years, 1988–2002|publisher=[[1517 Media|Augsburg Fortress]]|year=2003|isbn=9780806645759|pages=7}}</ref>

=== Norwegian Lutheran colleges ===
Several Lutheran colleges and higher education institutions were founded by Norwegian Americans, which retain a Norwegian lutheran identity today. [[Luther College (Iowa)|Luther College]], located in [[Decorah, Iowa]] was founded by Norwegian immigrants in 1861 and is today associated with the [[Evangelical Lutheran Church in America]]. [[Concordia College (Minnesota)|Concordia College]] in [[Moorhead, Minnesota]] is also associated with the [[Evangelical Lutheran Church in America]] and was founded by Norwegian settlers in 1891. Other Norwegian Lutheran colleges include: [[Augsburg University]], [[Augustana College (South Dakota)|Augustana College]], [[Bethany Lutheran College]], [[Pacific Lutheran University]], [[St. Olaf College]], and [[Waldorf College]].

<gallery mode=packed>

File:Emigrantkirka på Sletta.jpg|Lutheran church on [[Radøy|Sletta]], [[Radøy]], built 1908 to 1922 in [[Brampton Township, Sargent County, North Dakota|Brampton]], [[North Dakota]], and moved as a gift from Norwegian emigrants in the [[United States]] in 1997.
File:St.olaf.kirke.jpg|[[St. Olaf Kirke]], constructed in 1884, in [[Cranfills Gap, Texas]].
File:Church in Irwin, Iowa.jpg|Norwegian Lutheran Church in [[Irwin, Iowa]], in 1941.
File:Mindekirken Outside ViewFromSE.jpg|[[Norwegian Lutheran Memorial Church (Minneapolis)|Norwegian Lutheran Memorial Church]] in [[Minneapolis, Minnesota]], built in 1922.
File:ChapelInTheHills3.JPG|[[Chapel in the Hills]], a replica of an historic [[stave church]], consecrated in 1969 in [[Rapid City, South Dakota]].
File:Norwegian Lutheran Memorial Church, Chicago, Illinois LCCN2011636313.jpg|Norwegian Lutheran Memorial Church, or ''[[Minnekirken]]'', completed in 1912 in [[Chicago|Chicago's]] [[Logan Square, Chicago|Logan Square]] neighborhood.
File:Norway NY One of the oldest Churches in Herkimer County.jpg|Historic Norwegian church in [[Herkimer County, New York]]
</gallery>

==Language usage==
[[File:Norwegian USC2000 PHS.svg|thumb|Norwegian language in the United States]]
{{Main|American Norwegian}}
[[Image:Old-Main-St-Olaf-College-Northfield-Minnesota.jpg|thumb|[[St. Olaf College]]]]
Use of the [[Norwegian language]] in the United States was at its peak between 1900 and [[World War I]], then declined in the 1920s and 1930s. Over one million Americans spoke Norwegian as their primary language from 1900 to World War I, and more than 3,000 [[Lutheranism|Lutheran]] churches in the Upper Midwest used Norwegian as their sole language. There were hundreds of Norwegian-language newspapers across the Upper Midwest.<ref>Odd S. Lovoll,  ''Norwegian Newspapers in America: Connecting Norway and the New Land'' (Minnesota Historical Society, 2010). [https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=zLSXGUQrsQoC&oi=fnd&pg=PR9&dq=odd+Lovoll&ots=ihUQYOD_vb&sig=xEwd8gUYB_wXFlFA_yWl4ZJFLa0 online]</ref>

*''[[Decorah Posten]]'' and ''[[Skandinaven]]'' were major Norwegian language newspapers.
*''The [[Northfield, Minnesota|Northfield]] Independent'' was another notable newspaper. The editor was Andrew Rowberg, who collected massive numbers of Norwegian births and deaths in U.S. The file he created is now known as The Rowberg File Maintained at [[St. Olaf College]], and is commonly used in family research across the U.S. and Norway.
*Over 600,000 homes received at least one Norwegian newspaper in 1910.
However, use of the language declined in part due to the rise of nationalism among the American population during and after World War I. During this period, readership of Norwegian-language publications fell. Norwegian Lutheran churches began to hold their services in English, and the younger generation of Norwegian Americans were encouraged to speak English rather than Norwegian. When Norway itself was liberated from [[Nazi Germany]] in 1945, relatively few Norwegian Americans under the age of 40 still spoke Norwegian as their primary language (although many still understood the language). As such, they were not passing the language on to their children, the next generation of Norwegian Americans.

According to the U.S. Census however, only 55,475 Americans spoke Norwegian at home as of 2000, and the American Community Survey in 2005 showed that only 39,524 people use the language at home.<ref name="American Community Survey">{{Cite web|title=MLA Language Map|url=https://www.mla.org/Resources/Guidelines-and-Data/MLA-Language-Map|access-date=|website=[[Modern Language Association]]|language=en|archive-date=October 25, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221025162438/https://www.mla.org/Resources/Guidelines-and-Data/MLA-Language-Map|url-status=live}}</ref> Still, most Norwegian Americans can speak a common [[Norwegian language|Norwegian]] with easy words like hello, yes and no. Today, there are still 1,209 people who only understand [[Norwegian language|Norwegian]] or who do not speak English well in the [[United States]]. In 2000 this figure was 215 for those under 17 years old, whereas it increased to 216 in 2005. For other age groups, the numbers went down. For those who are from 18 to 64 years old, went down from 915 in 2000 to 491 in 2005. For those who are older than 65 years it went drastically down from 890 to 502 in the same period.<ref name="American Community Survey"/>

Many Lutheran colleges that were established by immigrants and people of Norwegian background, such as [[Luther College (Iowa)|Luther College]] in [[Decorah, Iowa]], [[Pacific Lutheran University]] in [[Tacoma, Washington]], and [[St. Olaf College]] in [[Northfield, Minnesota]], continue to offer Norwegian majors in their undergraduate programs. Many major American universities, such as the [[University of Washington]], [[University of Oregon]], [[University of Wisconsin–Madison]], and the [[Indiana University]] offer Norwegian as a language within their Germanic language studies programs.

Two Norwegian Lutheran churches in the United States continue to use Norwegian as a primary liturgical language, [[Norwegian Lutheran Memorial Church (Minneapolis)|Mindekirken]] in [[Minneapolis]] and [[Minnekirken]] in Chicago. There are also several Norwegian Seaman's Churches in the U.S. that have services in Norwegian. They are located in Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, New Orleans, and New York.

Literary writing in Norwegian in North America includes the works of [[Ole Edvart Rølvaag]], whose best-known work ''Giants in the Earth'' ("''I de dage''", literally ''In Those Days'') was published in both English and Norwegian versions. Rølvaag was a professor from 1906 to 1931 at St. Olaf College, where he was also head of the Norwegian studies department beginning in 1916.<ref>Kristoffer F. Paulson, "Ole Rølvaag's" Giants in the Earth": The Structure, The Myth, The Tragedy." ''Norwegian-American Studies'' 34.1 (1995): 201-215.</ref>

===Communities by Norwegian speakers===

As of 2000, U.S. communities with high percentages of people who use Norwegian language were:<ref name="Norwegian">{{cite web|title=Norwegian|url=http://www.mla.org/map_data_results%26SRVY_YEAR%3D2000%26geo%3D%26state_id%3D%26county_id%3D%26mode%3Dlang_tops%26lang_id%3D616%26zip%3D%26place_id%3D%26cty_id%3D%26region_id%3D%26division_id%3D%26ll%3D%26ea%3Dn%26order%3D%26a%3Dn%26pc%3D1|url-status=dead|access-date=December 31, 2009|website=[[Modern Language Association]]|publisher=|archive-date=August 9, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100809072333/http://www.mla.org/map_data_results%26SRVY_YEAR%3D2000%26geo%3D%26state_id%3D%26county_id%3D%26mode%3Dlang_tops%26lang_id%3D616%26zip%3D%26place_id%3D%26cty_id%3D%26region_id%3D%26division_id%3D%26ll%3D%26ea%3Dn%26order%3D%26a%3Dn%26pc%3D1}}</ref>
# [[Blair, Wisconsin]] 8.54%
# [[Westby, Wisconsin]] 7.67%
# [[Northwood, North Dakota]] 4.41%
# [[Fertile, Minnesota]] 4.26%
# [[Spring Grove, Minnesota]] 4.14%
# [[Mayville, North Dakota]] 3.56%
# [[Strum, Wisconsin]] 2.86%
# [[Crosby, North Dakota]] 2.81%
# [[Twin Valley, Minnesota]] 2.54%
# [[Velva, North Dakota]] 2.52%

===Counties by Norwegian speakers===
As of 2000, the ten U.S. counties with the highest percentage of Norwegian language speakers were:<ref name="Norwegian"/>
# [[Divide County, North Dakota]] 2.3%
# [[Griggs County, North Dakota]] 2.0%
# [[Nelson County, North Dakota]] 2.0%
# [[Norman County, Minnesota]] 2.0%
# [[Traill County, North Dakota]] 2.0%
# [[Vernon County, Wisconsin]] 1.8%
# [[Steele County, North Dakota]] 1.6%
# [[Trempealeau County, Wisconsin]] 1.6%
# [[Lac qui Parle County, Minnesota]] 1.5%
# [[Pennington County, Minnesota]] 1.0%

===States by Norwegian speakers===
{|class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! State<br> !! Age 5–17 !! Age 18–64 !! Age 65+!!Total (2020)<ref>{{Cite web |title=MDAT |url=https://data.census.gov/mdat/#/search?ds=ACSPUMS5Y2020&cv=AGEP_RC1&rv=ucgid,LANP(1142)&wt=PWGTP&g=0400000US01,02,04,05,06,08,09,10,11,12,13,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31,32,33,34,35,36,37,38,39,40,41,42,44,45,46,47,48,49,50,51,53,54,55,56&AGEP_RC1=%7B%22S%22:%22Age%20recode%22,%22R%22:%22AGEP%22,%22W%22:%22PWGTP%22,%22V%22:%5B%5B%225:17%22,%22Ages%205-17%22%5D,%5B%2218:64%22,%22Ages%2018-64%22%5D,%5B%2265:99%22,%22Ages%2065+%22%5D,%5B%221:4,0%22,%22Ages%200-4%22,%22X%22%5D%5D%7D |access-date=January 5, 2023 |website=data.census.gov |archive-date=January 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230105160055/https://data.census.gov/mdat/#/search?ds=ACSPUMS5Y2020&cv=AGEP_RC1&rv=ucgid,LANP(1142)&wt=PWGTP&g=0400000US01,02,04,05,06,08,09,10,11,12,13,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31,32,33,34,35,36,37,38,39,40,41,42,44,45,46,47,48,49,50,51,53,54,55,56&AGEP_RC1=%7B%22S%22:%22Age%20recode%22,%22R%22:%22AGEP%22,%22W%22:%22PWGTP%22,%22V%22:%5B%5B%225:17%22,%22Ages%205-17%22%5D,%5B%2218:64%22,%22Ages%2018-64%22%5D,%5B%2265:99%22,%22Ages%2065+%22%5D,%5B%221:4,0%22,%22Ages%200-4%22,%22X%22%5D%5D%7D |url-status=live }}</ref>!!Total (2005)<ref>{{cite web|title=Norwegian|url=http://www.mla.org/map_data_results%26SRVY_YEAR%3D2005%26geo%3D%26state_id%3D%26county_id%3D%26mode%3Dlang_tops%26lang_id%3D616%26zip%3D%26place_id%3D%26cty_id%3D%26region_id%3D%26division_id%3D%26ll%3D%26ea%3Dy%26order%3D%26a%3Dy%26pc%3D1|url-status=dead|access-date=December 28, 2017|website=[[Modern Language Association]]|publisher=|archive-date=May 15, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150515042141/http://www.mla.org/map_data_results%26SRVY_YEAR%3D2005%26geo%3D%26state_id%3D%26county_id%3D%26mode%3Dlang_tops%26lang_id%3D616%26zip%3D%26place_id%3D%26cty_id%3D%26region_id%3D%26division_id%3D%26ll%3D%26ea%3Dy%26order%3D%26a%3Dy%26pc%3D1}}</ref>!! Percent (2005) !! Total (2000)<ref>{{cite web|title=Norwegian|url=http://www.mla.org/map_data_results%26mode%3Dlang_tops%26SRVY_YEAR%3D2000%26lang_id%3D616|url-status=dead|access-date=December 28, 2017|website=[[Modern Language Association]]|publisher=|archive-date=October 25, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151025232130/http://www.mla.org/map_data_results%26mode%3Dlang_tops%26SRVY_YEAR%3D2000%26lang_id%3D616}}</ref>!! Percent (2000)
|-
|style="background:silver"|{{Flag|United States}}||style="background:silver"|'''2,665'''||style="background:silver"|'''16,959'''||style="background:silver"|'''9,313'''||style="background:silver"|'''28,937'''||style="background:silver"|'''39,524'''||style="background:silver"|'''0.0%'''||style="background:silver"|'''55,311'''||style="background:silver"|'''0.0%'''
|-
|{{Flag|California}}||337||2,305||935||'''3,577'''||'''4,669'''||0.0%||'''5,865'''||0.0%
|-
|{{Flag|Washington}}||174||1,784||1,419||'''3,377'''||'''4,615'''||0.0%||'''5,460'''||0.0%
|-
|{{Flag|Texas}}||312||1,556||281||'''2,149'''||'''2,925'''||0.0%||'''2,209'''||0.0%
|-
|{{Flag|New York}}||51||1,022||983||'''2,056'''||'''2,833'''||0.0%||'''4,200'''||0.0%
|-
|{{Flag|Florida}}||179||1,167||697||'''2,043'''||'''2,043'''||0.0%||'''2,709'''||0.0%
|-
|{{Flag|Minnesota}}||196||844||722||'''1,762'''||'''2,972'''||0.0%||'''8,060'''||'''0.1%'''
|-
|{{Flag|Wisconsin}}||60||423||762||'''1,245'''||'''2,533'''||0.0%||'''3,520'''||0.0%
|-
|{{Flag|Colorado}}||184||616||137||'''937'''||'''622'''||0.0%||'''1,110'''||0.0%
|-
|{{Flag|Illinois}}||51||488||315||'''854'''||'''667'''||0.0%||'''1,389'''||0.0%
|-
|{{Flag|Utah}}||55||603||182||'''840'''||||||||
|-
|{{Flag|North Dakota}}||14||217||591||'''822'''||'''1,743'''||'''0.2%'''||'''2,809'''||'''0.4%'''
|-
|{{Flag|Oregon}}||||487||205||'''692'''||'''1,018'''||0.0%||'''1,105'''||0.0%
|-
|{{Flag|Massachusetts}}||122||357||186||'''665'''||||||||
|-
|{{Flag|Pennsylvania}}||78||358||197||'''633'''||||||||
|-
|{{Flag|Arizona}}||85||255||227||'''567'''||'''810'''||0.0%||'''1,069'''||0.0%
|-
|{{Flag|New Jersey}}||54||325||165||'''544'''||'''1,410'''||0.0%||'''1,829'''||0.0%
|-
|{{Flag|Maryland}}||90||282||143||'''515'''||'''621'''||0.0%||'''525'''||0.0%
|-
|{{Flag|Michigan}}||77||321||41||'''439'''||'''507'''||0.0%||'''740'''||0.0%
|-
|{{Flag|Virginia}}||113||282||37||'''432'''||||||||
|-
|{{Flag|Connecticut}}||38||252||90||'''380'''||'''793'''||0.0%||'''789'''||0.0%
|-
|{{Flag|Alaska}}||48||254||45||'''347'''||||||||
|-
|{{Flag|North Carolina}}||||212||118||'''330'''||'''1,258'''||0.0%||'''360'''||0.0%
|-
|{{Flag|Georgia (U.S. state)}}||||272||38||'''310'''||'''505'''||0.0%||'''255'''||0.0%
|-
|{{Flag|Ohio}}||25||238||19||'''282'''||||||||
|-
|{{Flag|Indiana}}||||149||104||'''253'''||||||||
|-
|{{Flag|Nevada}}||||167||79||'''246'''||||||||
|-
|{{Flag|Oklahoma}}||||183||45||'''228'''||||||||
|-
|{{Flag|Rhode Island}}||23||163||34||'''220'''||||||||
|-
|{{Flag|South Carolina}}||48||100||62||'''210'''||||||||
|-
|{{Flag|Tennessee}}||||198||4||'''202'''||||||||
|-
|{{Flag|Arkansas}}||77||113||||'''190'''||||||||
|-
|{{Flag|Iowa}}||||89||80||'''169'''||'''1,044'''||0.0%||'''1,150'''||0.0%
|-
|{{Flag|Montana}}||11||101||55||'''167'''||'''1,146'''||'''0.1%'''||'''920'''||'''0.1%'''
|-
|{{Flag|Alabama}}||22||64||65||'''151'''||||||||
|-
|{{Flag|Missouri}}||12||74||58||'''144'''||||||||
|-
|{{Flag|Idaho}}||16||61||38||'''115'''||||||||
|-
|{{Flag|Nebraska}}||34||66||||'''100'''||||||||
|-
|{{Flag|New Mexico}}||9||67||20||'''96'''||||||||
|-
|{{Flag|Maine}}||||91||||'''91'''||||||||
|-
|{{Flag|District of Columbia}}||||54||28||'''82'''||||||||
|-
|{{Flag|New Hampshire}}||20||29||31||'''80'''||||||||
|-
|{{Flag|Kansas}}||3||70||||'''73'''||||||||
|-
|{{Flag|South Dakota}}||||38||30||'''68'''||||||||
|-
|{{Flag|Kentucky}}||31||33||3||'''67'''||||||||
|-
|{{Flag|Mississippi}}||||48||10||'''58'''||||||||
|-
|{{Flag|Vermont}}||||24||7||'''31'''||||||||
|-
|{{Flag|Louisiana}}||||17||13||'''30'''||||||||
|-
|{{Flag|West Virginia}}||16||14||||'''30'''||||||||
|-
|{{Flag|Hawaii}}||||26||||'''26'''||||||||
|-
|{{Flag|Wyoming}}||||||12||'''12'''||||||||
|-
|{{Flag|Delaware}}||||||||'''0'''||||||||
|-
|}

== Demographics ==
{{Update section|date=October 2022}}

===Immigrants by year or period===
{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Year/period
! Number of immigrants every year/period<ref>{{Cite book|last=Ulvestad|first=Martin|title=Norwegians in America, their History and Record: A Translated Version of the 1907 and 1913 Nordmændene i Amerika, deres Historie og Rekord|year=2010|publisher=Astri My Astri Pub. |isbn=9780976054160}}</ref>
|-
| 1836–1840
| 1,200
|-
| 1841–1845
| 5,000
|-
| 1846–1850
| 12,000
|-
| 1851–1855
| 20,270
|-
| 1856–1860
| 15,800
|-
| 1861
| 8,900
|-
| 1862
| 5,250
|-
| 1863
| 1,100
|-
| 1864
| 4,300
|-
| 1865
| 4,000
|-
| 1866
| 15,455
|-
| 1867
| 12,828
|-
| 1868
| 13,209
|-
| 1869
| 18,055
|-
| 1870
| 14,788
|-
| 1871
| 12,055
|-
| 1872
| 13,081
|-
| 1873
| 9,998
|-
| 1874
| 4,565
|-
| 1875
| 3,972
|-
| 1876
| 4,313
|-
| 1877
| 3,195
|-
| 1878
| 4,833
|-
| 1879
| 7,607
|-
| 1880
| 19,615
|-
| 1881
| 25,956
|-
| 1882
| 28,788
|-
| 1883
| 22,167
|-
| 1884
| 14,762
|-
| 1885
| 13,971
|-
| 1886
| 15,123
|-
| 1887
| 20,729
|-
| 1888
| 21,431
|-
| 1889
| 12,624
|-
| 1890
| 10,969
|-
| 1891
| 13,335
|-
| 1892
| 17,040
|-
| 1893
| 18,766
|-
| 1894
| 11,876
|-
| 1895
| 6,161
|-
| 1896
| 6,607
|-
| 1897
| 4,583
|-
| 1898
| 4,819
|-
| 1899
| 6,517
|-
| 1900
| 10,786
|-
| (2010)
| 1,100<ref>{{cite web|title=Innvandring og utvandring|url=http://www.ssb.no/innvutv/|access-date=December 28, 2017|website=[[Statistics Norway]]|date=May 2, 2013 |publisher=|language=no|archive-date=September 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170920184325/http://www.ssb.no/innvutv|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| '''Total (1836–1900)'''
| '''522,453'''
|}

=== Population by region ===
[[Image:Norwegian1346.gif|thumb|right|The [[Maps of American ancestries|Distribution of Norwegian Americans]] according to the [[2000 United States census|2000 census]].]]
[[File:Nd slope2.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|30.8% of the population in the [[U.S. state]] of [[North Dakota]] is of Norwegian ancestry.]]
[[Image:Norwegianamerican-map.png|thumb|upright=1.5|Maps with the numbers of Norwegians in the U.S. states.]]
[[Image:Norwegians-in-NorthAmerica.png|thumb|upright=1.5|A map of the [[United States]] and [[Canada]] with number of Norwegian Americans and [[Norwegian Canadian]]s in every [[U.S. state|state]] and [[Provinces and territories of Canada|province]] including [[Washington, D.C.]]]]
[[File:First Avenue from the street 02.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|[[Minneapolis]] has the largest concentration of [[Norwegians]] outside [[Norway]].]]

{|class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Region
! [[Midwestern United States|Midwest]]
! [[Western United States|West]]
! [[Southern United States|South]]
! [[Northeastern United States|Northeast]]
|-
| '''Norwegian Americans'''
| 2,273,683
| 1,552,462
| 545,699
| 266,881
|-
| '''Percent of total population'''
| 3.4%
| 2.1%
| 0.5%
| 0.4%
|-
| '''Percent of Norwegian Americans'''
| 49.4%
| 32.9%
| 12.0%
| 5.4%
|}
<!-- Later to be put into tables; for the time being, line up for easy editing. --Wernher -->

=== Historical population by year ===
{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! [[United States]]
! Norwegian Americans
! Percent
! ±%
|-
| 1850
| 23,191,876
| 13,000
| 0.1%
| —
|-
| 1910
| 92,228,496
| 1,000,000
| 1.0%
| +7592.3%
|-
| 1980
| 226,545,805
| 3,453,839
| 1.5%
| +245.4%
|-
| 1990
| 248,709,873
| 3,869,395
| 1.5%
| +12.0%
|-
| 2000
| 281,421,906
| 4,477,725
| 1.6%
| +15.7%
|-
| 2009
| 304,059,728
| 4,642,526
| 1.5%
| +3.7%
|}

=== Historical population by state, comparison by census ===
{|class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! State
! Norwegian Americans (1980)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/censusdata/files/pc80-s1-10/tab03.pdf|title=Census 1980|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=December 28, 2017|archive-date=February 24, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120224233043/http://www.census.gov/population/www/censusdata/files/pc80-s1-10/tab03.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>
! Percent (1980)
! Norwegian Americans (1990)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/prod/cen1990/cp-s/cp-s-1-2.pdf|title=Census 1990|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=December 28, 2017|archive-date=July 27, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170727091052/https://www.census.gov/prod/cen1990/cp-s/cp-s-1-2.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>
! Percent (1990)
! Norwegian Americans (2000)<ref>{{Cite web|title=Origins and Language|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFPeople?_event=&geo_id=01000US&_geoContext=01000US%7C04000US38&_street=&_county=&_cityTown=&_state=04000US38&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=geoSelect&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=040&_submenuId=people_8&ds_name=null&_ci_nbr=null&qr_name=null&reg=null%3Anull&_keyword=&_industry=|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118102927/http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFPeople?_event=&geo_id=01000US&_geoContext=01000US%7C04000US38&_street=&_county=&_cityTown=&_state=04000US38&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=geoSelect&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=040&_submenuId=people_8&ds_name=null&_ci_nbr=null&qr_name=null&reg=null%3Anull&_keyword=&_industry=|archive-date=January 18, 2012|website=[[U.S. Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
! Percent (2000)
! Norwegian Americans (2009)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ADPGeoSearchByListServlet?_lang=en|title=American FactFinder|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=December 28, 2017|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200211181851/http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ADPGeoSearchByListServlet?_lang=en|archive-date=February 11, 2020|url-status=dead}}</ref>
! Percent (2009)
|-
| style="background:silver" | {{Flag|United States}} || style="background:silver" | 3,453,839 || style="background:silver" | 1.8% || style="background:silver" | 3,869,395 || style="background:silver" | 1.5% || style="background:silver" | 4,477,725 || style="background:silver"  | 1.6% || style="background:silver" | 4,642,526 || style="background:silver" | 1.5%
|-
| {{Flag|Minnesota}}
| 712,258
| 19.1%
| 757,212
| 17.3%
| 850,742
| 17.3%
| 868,361
| 16.5%
|-
| {{Flag|Wisconsin}}
| 391,650
| 9.1%
| 416,271
| 8.5%
| 454,831
| 8.5%
| 466,469
| 8.2%
|-
| {{Flag|California}}
| 367,949
| 1.7%
| 411,282
| 1.3%
| 436,128
| 1.3%
| 412,177
| 1.1%
|-
| {{Flag|Washington}}
| 286,077
| 8.1%
| 333,521
| 6.8%
| 367,508
| 6.2%
| 410,818
| 6.2%
|-
| {{Flag|North Dakota}}
| 184,265
| 30.1%
| 189,106
| 29.6%
| 193,158
| 30.1%
| 199,154
| 30.8%
|-
| {{Flag|Iowa}}
| 153,187
| 6.0%
| 152,084
| 5.4%
| 166,667
| 5.7%
| 173,640
| 5.8%
|-
| {{Flag|Illinois}}
| 167,995
| 1.7%
| 167,003
| 1.4%
| 178,923
| 1.4%
| 171,745
| 1.3%
|-
| {{Flag|Oregon}}
| 113,290
| 5.1%
| 124,216
| 4.3%
| 147,262
| 4.3%
| 164,676
| 4.3%
|-
| {{Flag|Texas}}
| 65,335
| 0.5%
| 94,096
| 0.5%
| 118,968
| 0.6%
| 129,081
| 0.5%
|-
| {{Flag|Arizona}}
| 44,011
| 1.8%
| 70,940
| 1.9%
| 106,771
| 2.1%
| 124,618
| 1.9%
|-
| {{Flag|Colorado}}
| 59,948
| 2.3%
| 75,646
| 2.2%
| 109,744
| 2.6%
| 119,164
| 2.4%
|-
| {{Flag|Florida}}
| 56,567
| 0.7%
| 90,375
| 0.6%
| 114,687
| 0.7%
| 117,444
| 0.6%
|-
| {{Flag|South Dakota}}
| 98,995
| 15.8%
| 106,361
| 15.2%
| 115,292
| 15.3%
| 113,543
| 14.0%
|-
| {{Flag|New York}}
| 94,083
| 0.6%
| 90,158
| 0.5%
| 90,524
| 0.5%
| 92,796
| 0.5%
|-
| {{Flag|Montana}}
| 82,579
| 12.0%
| 86,460
| 10.8%
| 95,525
| 10.6%
| 90,425
| 9.3%
|-
| {{Flag|Michigan}}
| 72,084
| 0.8%
| 72,261
| 0.7%
| 85,753
| 0.9%
| 86,872
| 0.9%
|-
| {{Flag|Utah}}
| 30,053
| 2.3%
| 36,178
| 2.0%
| 60,567
| 2.7%
| 70,946
| 2.5%
|-
| {{Flag|Virginia}}
| 24,409
| 0.5%
| 35,815
| 0.5%
| 46,877
| 0.7%
| 49,826
| 0.6%
|-
| {{Flag|Idaho}}
| 27,840
| 3.4%
| 32,956
| 3.2%
| 46,308
| 3.6%
| 47,891
| 3.1%
|-
| {{Flag|Pennsylvania}}
| 25,447
| 0.2%
| 31,146
| 0.2%
| 38,869
| 0.3%
| 47,839
| 0.4%
|-
| {{Flag|North Carolina}}
| 10,775
| 0.2%
| 20,184
| 0.3%
| 32,627
| 0.4%
| 47,136
| 0.5%
|-
| {{Flag|Missouri}}
| 23,580
| 0.5%
| 29,531
| 0.5%
| 40,887
| 0.7%
| 45,428
| 0.8%
|-
| {{Flag|New Jersey}}
| 42,697
| 0.6%
| 46,991
| 0.6%
| 48,403
| 0.6%
| 44,010
| 0.5%
|-
| {{Flag|Ohio}}
| 27,410
| 0.3%
| 31,911
| 0.2%
| 41,537
| 0.4%
| 42,658
| 0.4%
|-
| {{Flag|Nebraska}}
| 27,522
| 1.9%
| 30,533
| 1.9%
| 39,536
| 2.3%
| 39,921
| 2.2%
|-
| {{Flag|Nevada}}
| 14,531
| 2.1%
| 23,229
| 1.9%
| 38,353
| 1.9%
| 38,154
| 1.4%
|-
| {{Flag|Georgia (U.S. state)}}
| 12,214
| 0.3%
| 21,388
| 0.3%
| 33,858
| 0.4%
| 35,881
| 0.4%
|-
| {{Flag|Massachusetts}}
| 29,015
| 0.5%
| 30,726
| 0.5%
| 36,106
| 0.6%
| 34,355
| 0.5%
|-
| {{Flag|Indiana}}
| 21,725
| 0.5%
| 25,978
| 0.4%
| 34,174
| 0.6%
| 33,650
| 0.5%
|-
| {{Flag|Kansas}}
| 18,635
| 0.9%
| 21,878
| 0.8%
| 29,773
| 1.1%
| 32,242
| 1.1%
|-
| {{Flag|Maryland}}
| 18,783
| 0.5%
| 22,520
| 0.4%
| 27,131
| 0.5%
| 31,020
| 0.5%
|-
| {{Flag|Alaska}}
| 15,100
| 4.6%
| 23,087
| 4.1%
| 26,439
| 4.2%
| 30,366
| 4.3%
|-
| {{Flag|Tennessee}}
| 9,122
| 0.2%
| 12,098
| 0.2%
| 21,654
| 0.4%
| 28,009
| 0.4%
|-
| {{Flag|Oklahoma}}
| 14,065
| 0.6%
| 17,401
| 0.5%
| 21,923
| 0.6%
| 23,507
| 0.6%
|-
| {{Flag|Connecticut}}
| 18,157
| 0.6%
| 19,004
| 0.5%
| 21,693
| 0.6%
| 18,403
| 0.5%
|-
| {{Flag|New Mexico}}
| 9,909
| 0.8%
| 13,936
| 0.9%
| 18,088
| 1.0%
| 18,078
| 0.9%
|-
| {{Flag|Alabama}}
| 6,521
| 0.2%
| 8,489
| 0.2%
| 13,779
| 0.3%
| 17,230
| 0.4%
|-
| {{Flag|Wyoming}}
| 15,263
| 3.8%
| 18,047
| 3.9%
| 21,204
| 4.3%
| 16,900
| 3.1%
|-
| {{Flag|South Carolina}}
| 5,897
| 0.2%
| 9,170
| 0.2%
| 14,279
| 0.4%
| 14,916
| 0.3%
|-
| {{Flag|Arkansas}}
| 6,185
| 0.3%
| 8,778
| 0.3%
| 13,046
| 0.5%
| 13,293
| 0.5%
|-
| {{Flag|Kentucky}}
| 5,693
| 0.2%
| 7,355
| 0.1%
| 10,826
| 0.3%
| 12,345
| 0.3%
|-
| {{Flag|New Hampshire}}
| 5,592
| 0.7%
| 8,401
| 0.7%
| 10,301
| 0.8%
| 11,229
| 0.8%
|-
| {{Flag|Louisiana}}
| 8,121
| 0.2%
| 9,510
| 0.2%
| 11,520
| 0.3%
| 11,128
| 0.2%
|-
| {{Flag|Maine}}
| 5,472
| 0.5%
| 7,256
| 0.5%
| 9,827
| 0.8%
| 9,008
| 0.7%
|-
| {{Flag|Hawaii}}
| 7,707
| 0.8%
| 9,054
| 0.8%
| 9,632
| 0.8%
| 8,249
| 0.6%
|-
| {{Flag|Mississippi}}
| 3,384
| 0.1%
| 4,052
| 0.1%
| 7,088
| 0.2%
| 6,226
| 0.2%
|-
| {{Flag|Delaware}}
| 2,511
| 0.5%
| 3,036
| 0.4%
| 3,941
| 0.5%
| 4,777
| 0.5%
|-
| {{Flag|Rhode Island}}
| 3,560
| 0.4%
| 4,010
| 0.3%
| 4,307
| 0.4%
| 4,697
| 0.4%
|-
| {{Flag|Vermont}}
| 2,454
| 0.5%
| 3,537
| 0.6%
| 4,498
| 0.7%
| 4,544
| 0.7%
|-
| {{Flag|West Virginia}}
| 2,211
| 0.1%
| 2,598
| 0.1%
| 3,855
| 0.2%
| 3,880
| 0.2%
|-
| style="background:silver" | {{Flag|District of Columbia}} || style="background:silver" | 2,006 || style="background:silver"  | 0.3% || style="background:silver" | 2,620 || style="background:silver"  | 0.4% || style="background:silver" | 2,336 || style="background:silver"  | 0.4% || style="background:silver" | 3,801 || style="background:silver" | 0.6%
|-
| style="background:silver" | {{Flag|Puerto Rico}} || style="background:silver" | || style="background:silver"  | || style="background:silver" | || style="background:silver"  | || style="background:silver" | 318 || style="background:silver"  | 0.0% || style="background:silver" | 172 || style="background:silver" | 0.0%
|}

==Notable people==
{{Main list|List of Norwegian Americans}}

[[File:Lysøen.15.jpg|thumb|This patriotic fantasy in flag was given to the American friend, violinist and composer [[Ole Bull]] (1818–1880) as a gift from ''The New York Philharmonic Society''. The [[flag of Norway]] has been the U.S. [[Flags of the U.S. states|star banner]] that the union mark instead of the Norwegian-Swedish "[[Union badge of Norway and Sweden|Sildesalaten]]".]]

In entertainment, [[Sigrid Gurie]], "the siren of the fjords," starred in numerous motion pictures in the 1930s and 1940s. Other Hollywood actors and personalities with one Norwegian parent or grandparent include [[James Arness]], [[Paris Hilton]], [[James Cagney]], [[Peter Graves]], [[Tippi Hedren]], [[Lance Henriksen]], [[Celeste Holm]], [[Kristanna Loken]], [[Robert Mitchum]], [[Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen]], [[Elizabeth Olsen]], [[Piper Perabo]], [[Chris Pratt]], [[Priscilla Presley]], [[Michelle Williams (actress)|Michelle Williams]], [[Rainn Wilson]] and [[Renée Zellweger]]. Seminal [[protopunk]] musicians [[Iggy Pop]] of [[The Stooges]] and [[David Johansen]] of the [[New York Dolls]] and [[Don Dokken]] of the heavy metal band [[Dokken]] have Norwegian ancestry. [[Paul Waaktaar-Savoy]] of the synth pop band [[a-ha]] is Norwegian, having been born and raised in [[Oslo]]. He is a naturalized American citizen and has homes in both Oslo and New York City.

In journalism, [[Eric Sevareid]], was a well-known a CBS reporter and commentator. In literature, [[Ole Edvart Rølvaag]] wrote about the immigrant experience, especially the Norwegian-American experience in [[The Dakotas]]. Rølvaag's home is a [[National Historic Landmark]].[[Tomi Lahren]], is a FOX Nation host and former host of her own The Blaze TV show as well as a FOX News commentator.

In labor unions, [[Andrew Furuseth]] was largely responsible for the passage of four reforms that changed the lives of American mariners. Two of them, the [[Maguire Act of 1895]] and the [[White Act of 1898]], ended corporal punishment and abolished imprisonment for deserting a vessel. The [[Seamen's Act|Seamen's Act of 1915]] included all these and was his main project.

Minnesota Democratic Senators [[Hubert Humphrey]] and [[Walter Mondale]] served as the 38th and 42nd vice presidents of the United States, respectively, and were nominees for president in 1968 and 1984, respectively. [[Earl Warren]] of California was the 14th [[Chief Justice of the United States]]. [[Pete Hegseth]] is the incumbent [[United States Secretary of Defense|Secretary of Defense]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Miyake |first=Kuni |date=April 3, 2025 |title=Will the real Pete Hegseth please stand up? |url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2025/04/03/world/the-real-pete-hegseth/ |access-date=April 8, 2025 |website=The Japan Times |language=en}}</ref>

In science, [[Ernest Lawrence]] won the [[Nobel Prize in Physics]] in 1939.<ref>{{cite web|author=Lynn Yarris|title=Ernest Orlando Lawrence: The Man, His Lab, His Legacy|url=http://www.lbl.gov/Science-Articles/Archive/lawrence-legacy.html|url-status=dead|access-date=December 28, 2017|publisher=Berkeley Lab|archive-date=November 17, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117032715/http://www2.lbl.gov/Science-Articles/Archive/lawrence-legacy.html}}</ref> [[Lars Onsager]] won the 1968 [[Nobel Prize in Chemistry]]. [[Norman Borlaug]], father of the [[Green Revolution]], won the [[Nobel Peace Prize]] in 1970. [[Christian B. Anfinsen]] won the Nobel Prize for chemistry in 1972. [[Ivar Giaever]] won the Nobel Prize in Physics 1973. [[C. R. Hagen|Carl Richard Hagen]] is noted for his work in physics.[[File:George Edwin Bergstrom.jpg|thumb|290x290px|Photo of [[George Bergstrom|Edwin Bergstrom]], known for designing [[The Pentagon]]]]In engineering, [[Clayton Jacobson II]] is credited with the invention of the modern [[personal watercraft]]. [[Ole Singstad]] was a pioneer of underwater tunnels. [[Ole Evinrude]] invented the first [[outboard motor]] with practical commercial application, recognizable today on modern [[motorboat]]s. Astronaut [[Deke Slayton]] was the [[Transposition, docking, and extraction|docking module pilot]] for the [[Apollo–Soyuz]] mission, the first crewed international spaceflight.

In religion, [[Olaf M. Norlie]] created the ''Simplified New Testament''. [[Herman Amberg Preus]] was a key leader in the development of the Synod of the [[Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church in America]]. [[Bernt Julius Muus]] was the principal founder and [[Thorbjorn N. Mohn]] was the first president of [[St. Olaf College]]. [[Peter Laurentius Larsen]] and [[Ulrik Vilhelm Koren]] both helped found [[Luther College (Iowa)]].

In business, [[Bardahl|Ole Bardahl]] founded the [[Bardahl]] company, [[Conrad Nicholson Hilton]] was the founder of the [[Hilton Hotels]] chain, [[Kenneth Harry Olsen]] co-founded [[Digital Equipment Corporation]], [[James Trane]] and [[Reuben Trane]] founded [[Trane Inc.]], [[N. O. Nelson]] was the founder of the [[N. O. Nelson|N. O. Nelson Manufacturing Co.]] and [[Alfred M. Moen]] founded [[Moen Incorporated]]. [[Gary Kildall]], creator of the [[CP/M]] [[operating system]], founded [[Digital Research]] in 1974.

In sports, [[Knute Rockne]] became one of the greatest coaches in [[college football]] history, while [[Babe Zaharias]] was named by the [[Guinness Book of Records]] as the most versatile female athlete of all time. Zaharias achieved outstanding success in [[golf]], [[basketball]] and [[track and field athletics]]. Additionally, [[Stein Eriksen]] won the gold medal in the [[Giant Slalom]] event at the [[Alpine skiing at the 1952 Winter Olympics|1952 Winter Olympics]], which were held in [[Oslo]], [[Norway]]. He also won a silver medal in the [[Slalom skiing|slalom]] race. Eriksen was the first skier from outside the [[Alps]] to win an Olympic men's [[alpine skiing|alpine]] gold medal. He also won three gold medals at the [[FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1954|1954 World Championships]] in [[Åre]], [[Sweden]], and a bronze medal at the [[FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1950|1950 World Championships]] in [[Aspen, Colorado]]. Shortly after his success in the 1952 Olympics, Eriksen moved to America where he continues to live. He worked as a ski-instructor and ski school-director at various ski schools such as [[Sugarbush Resort|Sugarbush]] in Vermont, and [[Aspen, Colorado|Aspen]] in Colorado. He is currently director of skiing at the [[Deer Valley Resort]] in Utah, and also serves as host of the Stein Eriksen Lodge, a ski lodge in [[Deer Valley, Utah]].

In medicine, [[Owen Harding Wangensteen]] was a surgeon and inventor known for surgical teaching and innovation at the [[University of Minnesota Medical School|University of Minnesota]]. He developed the [https://hsl.lib.umn.edu/wangensteen Wangensteen Historical Library of Biology and Medicine.]  [[Earl Bakken]] developed the first wearable transistorized [[pacemaker]] and founded the Fortune 500 medical technology company [[Medtronic]] as well as the [[Bakken Museum]]. [[John H. Lawrence]], is known as the father of [[nuclear medicine]]. As many historians claim, the genesis of this medical specialty in the United States took place in 1936, when John Lawrence took a leave of absence from his faculty position at [[Yale Medical School]], to visit his brother [[Ernest Lawrence]] at his new radiation laboratory (now known as the [[Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory]]) in Berkeley, California.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Jeffrey E. Williams|date=January 1999|title=Donner Laboratory: The Birthplace of Nuclear Medicine|url=http://jnm.snmjournals.org/content/40/1/16N.full.pdf|journal=[[The Journal of Nuclear Medicine]]|volume=40|issue=1|pages=16–20|access-date=December 28, 2017|archive-date=January 6, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160106010817/http://jnm.snmjournals.org/content/40/1/16N.full.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

In humanitarian work, [[Greg Mortenson]], born in Minnesota, whose ancestors came from [[Tromsø]] in 1876, has worked since 1993 to build over 150 schools for girls in Pakistan and Afghanistan. He is the author of best-seller ''[[Three Cups of Tea]]'', which has sold over 4 million copies in 49 countries, including [[Norway]].

==See also==
{{Portal|United States|Norway}}
*[[Norwegian Canadians]]—whose history is interlinked with that of Norwegian Americans.
*[[Nordic and Scandinavian Americans]]
*[[Norwegian Minnesotan]]
*[[Norwegian Dakotan]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
===Citations===
{{Reflist}}

===Primary sources===
*[[Theodore C. Blegen|Blegen, Theodore C.]], ed. (1936). ''Norwegian Emigrant Songs and Ballads.'' Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
*[[John O. Evjen|Evjen, John O.]] (1916). ''Scandinavian Immigrants in New York 1630–1674''. Minneapolis: K. C. Holter Publishing Company.
*Gulliksen, Øyvind T. "Letters to Immigrants in the Midwest from the Telemark Region of Norway ". [[Norwegian-American Historical Association|''Norwegian-American Studies'']]. '''32''': p.&nbsp;157.
*Nilsson, Svein (1982). ''A chronicler of immigrant life: Svein Nilsson's articles in Billed-magazin, 1868-1870'' (trans. and ed. C. A. Clausen). Norwegian-American Historical Association.
* Øverland, Orm, ed. (2013). ''From America to Norway: Norwegian-American Immigrant Letters, 1838–1914, Volume One: 1838–1870.'' Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press''.''
*Ræder, Ole Munch (1929). ''America in the Forties: The Letters of Ole Munch Ræder'' (ed. and trans. Gunnar J. Malmin). Norwegian-American Historical Association.
* Varg, Paul A., ed. (1979). "[https://collections.carli.illinois.edu/digital/collection/npu_sahq/id/3740 Report of Count Carl Lewenhaupt on Swedish-Norwegian Immigration in 1870]" ''Swedish Pioneer Historical Quarterly.'' '''30'''(1): pp.&nbsp;5–24. — Swedish diplomat provides a wealth of factual detail on immigrants.

===Further reading===
* Bergland, Betty A., and Lori Ann Lahlum, eds. (2011). ''Norwegian American Women: Migration, Communities, and Identities.'' Minneapolis: Minnesota Historical Society Press; 2011. — scholarly essays on the experiences in rural and urban settings.
*[[Kenneth O. Bjork|Bjork, Kenneth]]. (1958). ''West of the Great Divide: Norwegian Migration to the Pacific Coast, 1847–1893.'' Norwegian-American Historical Association.
*Blegen, Theodore C. (1931–1940). ''Norwegian Migration to the United States''. Norwegian-American Historical Association. 2 Vols.
*Blegen, Theodore C. (1921). "Cleng Peerson and Norwegian Immigration", ''Mississippi Valley Historical Review''. 7#4: pp.&nbsp;303–21. {{doi|10.2307/1886191}}
* Brøndal, Jørn (2004). ''Ethnic Leadership and Midwestern Politics: Scandinavian Americans and the Progressive Movement in Wisconsin, 1890–1914.'' University of Illinois Press.
* Brøndal, Jørn (2014). "'The Fairest among the So-Called White Races': Portrayals of Scandinavian Americans in the Filiopietistic and Nativist Literature of the Late Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries". ''Journal of American Ethnic History.'' '''33'''(3): 5–36. {{doi|10.5406/jamerethnhist.33.3.0005}}
*Eriksson, Katherine (2019). "Ethnic enclaves and immigrant outcomes: Norwegian immigrants during the Age of Mass Migration." ''European Review of Economic History.'' {{doi|10.1093/ereh/hez013}}
*[[John O. Evjen|Evjen, John O.]] (1972). ''Scandinavian Immigrants in New York 1630–1674''. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company.
*[[George T. Flom|Flom, George T.]] (1909). ''A History of Norwegian Immigration to the United States: From the Earliest Beginning Down to the Year 1848.'' Iowa City: Private Printing.
*[[Jon Gjerde|Gjerde, Jon]] (1997). ''The Minds of the West: Ethnocultural Evolution in the Rural Middle West, 1830–1917.'' University of North Carolina Press.
*[[Jon Gjerde|Gjerde, Jon]] (1985). ''From Peasants to Farmers: The Migration from Balestrand, Norway, to the Upper Middle West.'' Cambridge, New York: Cambridge University Press.
* Gray, Hans-Petter (2020). "Good Americans 'born of a good people': Race, whiteness, and nationalism among Norwegian Americans in the Pacific Northwest". ''Nordic Whiteness and Migration to the USA''. Routledge. pp.&nbsp;98–116''.''
* Grav, Hans-Petter (2018). "[https://rex.libraries.wsu.edu/esploro/fulltext/doctoral/Vesterheim-in-Red-White-and-Blue/99900581425601842?repId=12349999500001842&mId=13349999490001842&institution=01ALLIANCE_WSU Vesterheim in Red, White and Blue: The Hyphenated Norwegian-American and Regional Identity in the Pacific Northwest, 1890–1950]". (Dissertation. Washington State University, 2018).
*[[Henry Eyster Jacobs|Jacobs, Henry Eyster]] (1893). ''[[iarchive:historyofevangel04jaco|A History of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the United States]].'' New York: Christian Literature Company.
* Joranger, Terje Mikael Hasle. "The Creation of a Norwegian-American Identity in the USA." ''Journal of Migration History'' 5.3 (2019): 489–511.
*[[Odd S. Lovoll|Lovoll, Odd S.]] (2014). Riggs, Thomas (ed.). "[https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3273300133/GPS?u=wikipedia&sid=GPS&xid=699340e6 Norwegian Americans]." ''Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America''. Vol 3 (3rd ed.) vol. 3. Gale. pp.&nbsp;343–357.
* Lovell, Odd. S. "Norwegians" in Stephan Thernstrom, ed. ''Harvard Encyclopedia of American ethnic groups'' ( 1980) pp.. 750–761.
* Lovell, Odd. S. '' A century of urban life: The Norwegians and Chicago before 1930'' (1988)
* Lovoll, Odd Sverre. ''The promise fulfilled: A portrait of Norwegian Americans today'' (U of Minnesota Press, 1998). [https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=JoJ4uG400WQC&oi=fnd&pg=PR7&dq=odd+Lovoll&ots=sMoifUpbcc&sig=RwreYd8llKi2zbm9Y2lkVWjnQJ0 online]
* Lovoll, Odd Sverre. ''The promise of America: A history of the Norwegian-American people'' (U of Minnesota Press, 1999). [https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=k3y-rhDAtjsC&oi=fnd&pg=PP11&dq=odd+Lovoll&ots=4SRJpEgwPG&sig=GSlAdQKDQu_L6BAhwz0yr4uS1SY online]
* Lovoll, Odd. "Norwegians", ''Encyclopedia of Chicago''. (2004) [http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/911.html online]
* Lovoll, Odd S. ''Norwegians on the Prairie: Ethnicity and the Development of the Country Town'' (Minnesota Historical Society, 2007).
* Lovoll, Odd S. ''Norwegian Newspapers in America: Connecting Norway and the New Land'' (Minnesota Historical Society, 2010). [https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=zLSXGUQrsQoC&oi=fnd&pg=PR9&dq=odd+Lovoll&ots=ihUQYOD_vb&sig=xEwd8gUYB_wXFlFA_yWl4ZJFLa0 online]; discusses more than 280 Norwegian-language papers, both short-lived and successful, founded after 1847.
* Lovoll, Odd Sverre. "In the American matrix: Norwegians in Chicago in the nineteenth century." ''Nordic Whiteness and Migration to the USA'' (Routledge, 2020) pp.&nbsp;134–142.
* Mathiesen, Henrik Olav (2014). "Belonging in the Midwest: Norwegian Americans and the Process of Attachment, ca. 1830–1860," ''American Nineteenth Century History''. 15#2: pp.&nbsp;119–46.
*[[Peter A. Munch|Munch, Peter A.]] (1979). "Authority and Freedom: Controversy in Norwegian-American Congregations", ''[[Norwegian-American Historical Association|Norwegian-American Studies]]''. v.28.
*Nelson, E. Clifford, and Eugene L. Fevold (1960) ''The Lutheran Church among Norwegian Americans: A History of the Evangelical Lutheran Church.'' Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House. 2 Vols.
* Nelson, O. N. (1904). ''[[iarchive:historyscandina00nelsgoog|History of the Scandinavians and Successful Scandinavians in the United States]]''. Minneapolis: O. N. Nelson & Co.
*[[Olaf M. Norlie|Norlie, Olaf M.]] (1925). ''[https://libsysdigi.library.illinois.edu/OCA/Books2012-02/historyofnorwegi00norl/historyofnorwegi00norl.pdf History of the Norwegian People in America.]'' Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House.
* Olson, Gary D. (2011). "Norwegian Immigrants in Early Sioux Falls: A Demographic Profile". ''Norwegian-American Studies.'' v. 36: pp 45–84.
*[[Carlton C. Qualey|Qualey, Carlton C.]] (1938). ''Norwegian Settlement in the United States.'' Norwegian-American Historical Association.
*[[Andreas Nilsen Rygg|Rygg, Andreas Nilsen]] (1941). ''Norwegians in New York, 1825—1925.'' Brooklyn, N.Y.: Norwegian News Co.
*Thaler, Peter (1998). ''Norwegian Minds--American Dreams: Ethnic Activism among Norwegian-American Intellectuals.'' Newark and London: University of Delaware Press.
* Woods, Fred E., and Nicholas J. Evans (2002). [https://web.archive.org/web/20111208015508/http://byustudies.byu.edu/showTitle.aspx?title=6807 'Latter-day Saint Scandinavian Migration through Hull, England, 1852–1894']. ''BYU Studies.'' 41#4: pp.&nbsp;75–102.

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
'''Official:'''
*[http://www.norway.org/ Norwegian Embassy official website in the United States]—General information about Norway, news and events of interest to Americans

'''U.S. Census Bureau statistics:'''
*[https://archive.today/20200212042626/http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/QTTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=01000US&-qr_name=ACS_C2SS_EST_G00_QT02&-ds_name=ACS_C2SS_EST_G00_&-redoLog=false Norwegian population data]
*[http://names.mongabay.com/ancestry/st-Norwegian.html States with the highest number of Norwegians]—Page hosted by Mongabay.com
*[https://www.census.gov/population/socdemo/language/table5.txt Number of language speakers, including Norwegian]

'''Associations/societies:'''
*[http://www.daughtersofnorway.org Daughters of Norway] –  organization dedicated to preserving Norwegian immigrant heritage
*[http://www.norway.org/norwayinus/caucus/norwaycaucus.htm Friends of Norway Caucus] — United States Congressional Caucus promoting Norwegian-American relations, founded by Norwegian-American congressmen
*[http://www.norseman.no/ Norse Federation ''(Nordmanns-Forbundet)''] – Founded in 1907; seeks to strengthen cultural as well as personal ties with Norway
*[http://www.fellesraad.com/ Norwegian-American Bygdelagenes Fellesraad] – umbrella organization for Norwegian-American bygdelags or lags in North America
*[http://www.nnleague.org/chamber.htm Norwegian American Chamber of Commerce] – promotes trade and goodwill and to foster business, financial and professional interest between Norway and the United States of America
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090408093934/http://noram.norway.com/ Norwegian-American Foundation] – Foundation sponsoring educational and cultural initiatives based on donor advised funds and contributions
*[http://www.lawzone.com/half-nor/nor-am.htm Norwegian American Hall of Fame]- Information on famous Americans, past and present, who are readily associated with their Norwegian ancestry
*[http://www.naha.stolaf.edu/ Norwegian-American Historical Association] — private membership organization dedicated to locating, collecting preserving and interpreting the Norwegian-American experience
*[http://www.nnleague.org/index.htm Norwegian National League] – organization dedicated to the Norwegian American culture
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20041205003712/http://www.sofn.com/home/index.jsp Sons of Norway] – organization dedicated to preserving and promoting Norwegian-American heritage and culture
*[http://www.vennekretsen.com Sons of Norway Vennekretsen] –  organization dedicated to preserving and promoting Norwegian heritage and culture in Atlanta, Georgia

'''Museums:'''
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20111130055224/http://www.nnleague.org/norskmuseum.htm Norsk Museum] – located on highway 71 northeast of [[Ottawa, Illinois]]
*[http://www.nagcnl.org Norwegian American Genealogical Center & Naeseth Library] – Norwegian and Norwegian Americang Genealogy.  Collection includes bygdebøker, family histories, Norwegian church records, Norwegian American Lutheran church records, cemetery transcripts, transcripts of ship passenger lists, obituaries and more.
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20081205180315/http://memorial.library.wisc.edu/guides/gen-norwegian.html University of Wisconsin–Madison Memorial Library] – Norwegian Genealogy: List of Reference Sources
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20041216092237/http://vesterheim.org/index.php Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum] – Exhibitions and collections, genealogy and Civil War databases, etc.

{{Norwegian diaspora}}
{{European Americans}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:American people of Norwegian descent|*]]
[[Category:Norwegian diaspora in the United States|*]]