The Brazil Diaspora in the United States Explained

BRAZIL · UNITED STATES · DIASPORA

The Brazil diaspora in the United States counts 725,419 Brazil-born residents, according to the Census Bureau’s 2024 survey. Most live in Florida and Massachusetts, send money home, and now face new US rules on tariffs, remittances and repatriation.

The Brazil Diaspora by the Numbers

The Census Bureau’s American Community Survey counted 725,419 people born in Brazil living in the United States in 2024. The margin of error is 26,280 people, so the true figure sits roughly between 699,000 and 752,000.

That is about 1.4% of the 50.2 million foreign-born residents in the country. The Brazil diaspora is small nationally, but it clusters in a few states where it is easy to see.

The same survey asks about ancestry, and 624,383 people named Brazilian ancestry in 2024. That count includes US-born children and grandchildren of immigrants and is up from 499,272 in 2019.

Survey estimates for Brazil-born residents have moved around: 797,158 in 2019, 618,525 in 2022, 707,052 in 2023 and 725,419 in 2024. Margins of 18,000 to 26,000 people mean that small year-to-year moves are noise, not trends.

Where Brazilians Live in the United States

Florida had 178,440 Brazil-born residents in 2024, the most of any state and about 25% of the national total. Massachusetts came second with 130,315, or 18%.

Together the two states hold about 43% of the Brazil diaspora. In Massachusetts, close to one immigrant in ten was born in Brazil, or 9.7% of the state’s foreign-born population.

Connecticut has 3.7% of its immigrants from Brazil, Florida 3.3% and New Jersey 2.5%. These shares show where Brazilian communities are large compared with each state’s other newcomers.

Other states have far smaller Brazilian communities. Georgia counted 18,313 Brazil-born residents in 2024, Pennsylvania 16,179 and Washington 12,739.

• New Jersey: 60,160 Brazil-born residents
• California: 53,481
• Texas: 43,453
• New York: 32,627
• Connecticut: 21,674
• Georgia: 18,313

Brazil-Born Residents Versus Brazilian Ancestry

The ancestry count and the birthplace count answer different questions. Birthplace counts people who migrated, while ancestry also counts their children and grandchildren.

In Florida, 132,990 people named Brazilian ancestry, fewer than the 178,440 Brazil-born residents. In Massachusetts the two counts are closer, at 118,470 and 130,315.

Connecticut shows the opposite pattern. It had 25,959 people with Brazilian ancestry and 21,674 Brazil-born residents, which points to families that have been there for longer.

New Jersey had 50,870 people with Brazilian ancestry against 60,160 Brazil-born residents. Each of these state figures carries a margin of error of several thousand people.

Citizenship, Visas and Green Cards

A green card holder can apply for US citizenship after five years as a permanent resident. Federal rules also require 30 months of physical presence in the country during those five years.

The applicant must have lived for at least three months in the state or district where the application is filed. Every applicant must show good moral character.

Spouses of US citizens can apply after three years as permanent residents if they have lived in a marital union with the citizen throughout. They need at least 18 months of physical presence in the country.

Brazil’s Constitution, in Article 12, says a Brazilian who acquires another nationality can lose Brazilian nationality, with two exceptions. One covers foreign laws that recognise an original nationality, and the other covers naturalisation imposed as a condition to stay or exercise civil rights.

Brazil’s Justice Ministry says a loss takes effect only when a ministerial order is published in the Official Gazette. Brazilians weighing US citizenship should ask a consulate or a lawyer about their own case.

Money Sent Home

Brazil received US$4.76 billion in personal remittances in 2025, according to World Bank data updated on 8 October 2026. That was down from US$4.90 billion in 2024 and from a peak of US$4.97 billion in 2022, but above US$4.43 billion in 2023.

The 2025 figure is up 64% from US$2.90 billion in 2015. It equals 0.21% of Brazil’s economic output, so the Brazil diaspora supports many families but remittances are not a pillar of the national economy.

The World Bank figure counts money from every country, not only the United States. No official US-only split is available.

Since 1 January 2026 the United States charges a 1% excise tax on remittances paid in cash, money orders, cashier’s checks or similar physical instruments. The sender owes the tax and the transfer company collects it, the Internal Revenue Service says.

Providers must deposit the tax twice a month and file quarterly returns. If a provider fails to collect the tax from the sender, the tax becomes the provider’s own liability.

Remittances matter most to the households that receive them. For a family with a relative in Florida or Massachusetts, a monthly transfer can cover rent, school fees or a small business loan.

How US Policy Reaches the Diaspora

On 15 July 2026 the US Trade Representative announced a 25% tariff on certain goods of Brazil under Section 301 of US trade law. The tariff targets goods, not people, but our guide to Brazil and the United States explains how it shapes ties.

The agency said extensive negotiations had not resolved the issues but that the United States remains open to talks. The announcement set no end date for the tariff.

Repatriation flights are another way US policy reaches Brazilian families. A flight with 115 repatriated Brazilians landed at Confins near Belo Horizonte on Wednesday 5 August 2026, Brazil’s human rights ministry said.

The group had 98 men and 17 women, with an average age of 35. Three people with court warrants were referred to the Federal Police.

For Brazilians in the United States, these measures matter in different ways. Trade policy affects employers and exporters, remittance rules affect families, and repatriation affects the people sent back.

Key Terms in Plain English

These are the sources and terms used above. Each one is a government body or a data series.

• American Community Survey: the Census Bureau’s yearly sample survey of US households, which asks where people were born.
• Ancestry: the origin people name for themselves in the survey, whether or not they were born abroad.
• Margin of error: the range around a survey estimate within which the true figure most likely lies.
• Remittances: money that migrants send to family in their home country.
• USCIS: the US Citizenship and Immigration Services, which decides green card and citizenship cases.

What It Means for US Readers

Brazilians are a mid-sized immigrant group, but they are concentrated: Florida and Massachusetts hold about 43% of Brazil-born residents. Anyone who hires, sells or runs services in those two states is most likely to meet Portuguese-speaking customers and staff.

For families with Brazilian relatives, the 1% tax on cash remittances and the nationality rules in Brazil’s Constitution are the two rules to check first. Both can change what a transfer costs or what a citizenship application means.

For investors, US$4.76 billion in remittances is too small to move Brazil’s economy. Tariffs and trade are the bigger story, and our Brazil coverage tracks both.

Our guides to Brazil’s natural resources and security and crime add context. The São Paulo city page covers life in Brazil’s largest city.

What Is Not Known

The Census tables used here do not show how much Brazil-born residents earn, how many hold green cards or how many lack legal status. Those answers need individual-level survey files that are not part of this guide.

No official source splits remittances by sending country, so the US share of the US$4.76 billion is unknown. The survey also does not count every person without legal papers reliably.

Brazil announces repatriation flights one by one, and no combined total for 2025 or 2026 appears in the notices used here. The number of Brazilians in each US visa category is likewise not published in the sources above.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Brazilians live in the United States?

The Census Bureau counted 725,419 people born in Brazil in 2024. In the same survey, 624,383 people named Brazilian ancestry, which also counts US-born descendants.

Which states have the most Brazil diaspora residents?

In the Brazil diaspora, Florida leads with 178,440 Brazil-born residents and Massachusetts follows with 130,315. New Jersey, California and Texas complete the top five.

Can a Brazilian keep Brazilian nationality after US naturalisation?

Not always. Brazil’s Constitution allows loss of nationality when a Brazilian acquires another one, with two exceptions, so each case needs a check with a consulate.

How much money does Brazil receive from abroad?

Brazil received US$4.76 billion in personal remittances in 2025, according to the World Bank. That is 0.21% of its economic output, from all countries.

Is there a US tax on sending money to Brazil?

Yes, for cash. A 1% excise tax has applied since 1 January 2026 to remittances paid in cash, money orders or cashier’s checks, the IRS says.

How long before a Brazilian green card holder can apply for citizenship?

Five years as a permanent resident, or three years for the spouse of a US citizen who has lived in a marital union with that spouse. Both routes have physical presence requirements.

Sources: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year 2024, tables B05006 and B04006, 2024 data; World Bank, personal remittances received, Brazil (BX.TRF.PWKR.CD.DT), updated 8 October 2026; Internal Revenue Service, proposed regulations on the remittance transfer tax (IR-2026-48), 10 April 2026; Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, Title 8, sections 316.2 and 319.1 (naturalization eligibility), current, October 2026; Brazil Ministry of Justice, loss of Brazilian nationality (Constitution, Article 12), accessed October 2026; Office of the US Trade Representative, Section 301 action on Brazil, 15 July 2026; Brazil Ministry of Human Rights and Citizenship, repatriation flight to Confins, 6 August 2026.

This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief

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