Iranian-Americans: A Model Immigrant Community
Demographics
Population
- 750,000 to 2 million Iranian-Americans (Census estimates 750K; community organizations estimate 1.2-2M)
- About 59% are immigrants (born outside the U.S.), making up 0.9% of all U.S. immigrants
- Almost all are in the U.S. legally — only about 6% unauthorized as of 2023
Geographic Distribution
| State | Population |
|---|---|
| California | ~375,000 (nearly half) |
| Texas | ~55,000 |
| New York | ~40,000 |
| Virginia | ~30,000 |
“Tehrangeles”: The Persian community across Westwood, Beverly Hills, Century City, Encino, and Woodland Hills in Los Angeles is the largest Iranian community outside Iran. The intersection of Westwood Blvd and Wilkins Ave was officially designated “Persian Square” by the City of Los Angeles. Approximately 20% of Beverly Hills’ population is Iranian.
Immigration Waves
First Wave (1940s-1977): ~1,500 immigrants annually plus ~17,000 students. Tens of thousands of Iranian students at American universities.
Second Wave (1979-1980s): The Islamic Revolution triggered the largest wave — the Shah’s associates, military officers, secular intellectuals, students who couldn’t return, and persecuted religious minorities (Jews, Baha’is, Zoroastrians, Armenian Christians). Over 40% settled in California.
Third Wave (1980s-present): Continuing emigration driven by political repression, the Iran-Iraq War, economic deterioration, and the Diversity Visa lottery. Between 3.5 and 5 million Iranians have left Iran since 1979.
Economic Success
| Metric | Iranian-Americans | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $97,046 | $69,717 |
| Households earning $100K+ | 49% | ~34% |
| Business ownership rate | 21.5% | varies |
| Total net business income | $2.56 billion | — |
| Self-employment rate | 22% | — |
The SBA found 33,570 active Iranian-American business owners — among the top 20 immigrant groups for business ownership.
Education — Highest of Any Ethnic Group
| Metric | Iranian-Americans | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or higher | 65% | 33% |
| Master’s or doctoral degree | 27% | 11% |
| In professional/managerial jobs | ~50% | ~38% |
Iranian-Americans have the highest educational attainment of any ethnic group studied in the United States.
Notable Iranian-Americans
Technology & Business
| Person | Role | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Pierre Omidyar | Founder of eBay | Net worth ~$8B+ |
| Dara Khosrowshahi | CEO of Uber | ~$144B company |
| Ali Ghodsi | CEO of Databricks | ~$62B company |
| Sasan Goodarzi | CEO of Intuit | ~$171B company |
| Arash Ferdowsi | Co-founder of Dropbox | ~$10B company |
| Adam Foroughi | CEO of AppLovin | ~$120B company |
| Omid Kordestani | Former Chairman of Twitter, former SVP of Google | — |
| Anousheh Ansari | CEO of XPRIZE; first female private space explorer (2006) | Co-funded Ansari X Prize |
Science & Academia
- Maryam Mirzakhani — Stanford professor; first woman and first Iranian to win the Fields Medal (2014), the “Nobel Prize of mathematics”
- Firouz Naderi — Led NASA’s Mars Exploration Program; received NASA’s Distinguished Service Medal (its highest award)
- Cumrun Vafa — Harvard physicist; Breakthrough Prize winner; pioneer in string theory
- Lotfi A. Zadeh — UC Berkeley professor; inventor of fuzzy logic, foundational to modern AI
- Pardis Sabeti — Harvard geneticist; TIME 100 Most Influential People
Medicine
- Iranian-American physicians grew from 1,625 before 1979 to over 5,045 by 2010
- Heavy concentration in surgery, cardiology, oncology, and ophthalmology
Entertainment & Arts
- Christiane Amanpour — Chief International Anchor for CNN; one of the most recognized journalists in the world
- Shohreh Aghdashloo — Academy Award-nominated, Emmy-winning actress
- Nasim Pedrad — Saturday Night Live cast member
- Arian Moayed — Tony-nominated; Stewy in HBO’s Succession
Politics & Government
- Stephanie Bice — First Iranian-American elected to Congress (Oklahoma, 2020)
- Yassamin Ansari — Second Iranian-American in Congress (Arizona, 2024)
- Jimmy Delshad — First Iranian-born Mayor of Beverly Hills (2007)
Sports
- Andre Agassi — 8 Grand Slam titles, Olympic gold; father was born in Iran and represented Iran in boxing at 1948 and 1952 Olympics
Cultural Integration
Religious Diversity — Far More Secular Than Expected
| Religion | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Muslim (predominantly Shia) | 31% |
| Atheist / Humanist | 11% |
| Agnostic | 8% |
| Baha’i | 7% |
| Jewish | 5% |
| Protestant Christian | 5% |
| Roman Catholic | 2% |
| Zoroastrian | 2% |
| Other / unspecified | ~29% |
By a two-to-one margin, Iranian-Americans describe their religious identity as “not very strong” (65%) versus “very strong” (35%). One of the most secular immigrant communities in America.
Integration Indicators
- Very high English proficiency rates
- Extremely high naturalization rates (79%)
- Very low unauthorized immigration (only ~6%)
- Intermarriage with non-Iranians increasing over generations
- Only 20% of second-generation marry fellow Iranians
- Only 21% interact mostly with other Iranians outside work
Community Organizations
- PAAIA (Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans) — Major advocacy organization; conducts annual National Public Opinion Survey
- NIAC (National Iranian American Council) — Largest Iranian-American grassroots organization
- OIAC (Organization of Iranian American Communities) — Supports a free, democratic, secular Iran
- IABA (Iranian American Bar Association)
- IAMA (Iranian American Medical Association)
Sources: Pew Research Center, PAAIA, Migration Policy Institute, SBA, Wikipedia, Iran Times, Fast Company, IranWire