The Chile Diaspora in the United States Explained

CHILE · DIASPORA

The Chile diaspora in the United States numbered about 227,000 people of Chilean origin in 2024, and its visa rules matter to Americans too.The largest communities live in Florida, California and New York.

The Chile Diaspora in Plain English

A diaspora is a group of people who left their home country, together with the communities they build abroad. The Chile diaspora in the United States is the subject of this guide.

Here are the terms used below.

• Chilean origin: the answer people give the US Census Bureau, the national statistics agency, when asked about their roots. It includes US-born children and grandchildren as well as immigrants.
• American Community Survey (ACS): the Census Bureau’s yearly sample survey of American households. Its results come with a margin of error.
• Visa Waiver Program: a scheme that lets citizens of listed countries, Chile among them, visit the United States for up to 90 days without a visa.
• H-1B1: a temporary work visa for Chilean professionals, created by the 2004 trade agreement between the two countries.
• Remittances: money that migrants send home to relatives.

How Many Chileans Live in the United States

The Census Bureau’s American Community Survey counted 226,993 people of Chilean origin in the United States in 2024. Because the survey is a sample, the true figure could sit about 16,600 higher or lower.

The same survey counted 137,579 residents who were born in Chile, with a margin of error of about 11,000. Origin and birthplace are separate measures, so the two numbers do not simply add up.

Averaged over 2020 to 2024, the survey puts the figures at 210,247 people of Chilean origin and 124,115 born in Chile. A five-year average is steadier for small groups, so this guide uses it for state figures.

Chile’s own government counted 1,037,346 Chileans living abroad in its Second Registry of Chileans Abroad. The foreign ministry and the national statistics institute (INE) ran it, and the United States held 13.4%, about 139,000 people.

Pew Research Center, a US research group, analysed 2021 census survey data and put the group at about 190,000, up from 75,000 in 2000. That is a rise of 154% in 21 years.

Where Chilean Americans Live

Florida has the most people of Chilean origin, with 33,366 in the 2020 to 2024 survey, followed by California with 32,370. New York comes third with 23,549, then Texas with 14,005 and New Jersey with 11,311.

Utah stands out with 7,871, more than much larger states such as Virginia (6,158) and Illinois (5,599). Maryland (6,108), North Carolina (5,962) and Washington state (5,930) follow.

Among people born in Chile, the same ranking holds at the top: Florida (25,039), California (16,880) and New York (13,373). Texas has 7,927 and New Jersey 7,592.

Outside those five states, none has more than 8,000 people of Chilean origin in the 2020 to 2024 survey. Margins of error are wide in small states.

Readers thinking of a move in the other direction can start with our Santiago city guide, which covers daily life in Chile’s capital. The Chile country page lists every related story.

Why Chileans Came to the United States

Chile’s own registry names work opportunities as the main reason Chileans leave, followed by family reasons and a better quality of life. The head of the statistics institute said so when the results came out, and it explains much of the Chile diaspora worldwide.

The 2004 free trade agreement between the two countries added a visa route for Chilean professionals. It entered into force on 1 January 2004.

US law caps the H-1B1 visa at 1,400 for Chilean nationals in each fiscal year. Spouses and children do not count against that limit.

Pew found that 49% of Chilean-origin Hispanics in the United States were foreign-born in 2021, against 32% of all US Hispanics. About 60% of the foreign-born had lived in the country for more than 20 years.

Chile has also become a destination itself, with 1.54 million international migrants in 2024 according to World Bank data. Our guide to Chile’s population and ethnic groups explains who they are.

Work, Income and Money Sent Home

Pew’s analysis of 2021 census survey data put median annual earnings of Chilean-origin workers at US$38,400, against US$30,000 for Hispanics overall. Full-time, year-round workers earned US$56,000, against US$40,000.

About 42% of Chilean-origin adults aged 25 and over held a bachelor’s degree or higher, against 20% of Hispanic adults overall. Pew put poverty at 12% for Chileans and 18% for all Hispanics.

Pew also found that 54% of Chilean-origin households owned their homes, against 51% of Hispanic households. These are 2021 figures and newer ones may differ.

The World Bank counts personal remittances received by Chile at about US$100.3 million in 2025, or roughly 0.03% of the country’s economic output. The figure covers all sending countries, not only the United States.

Money moves the other way in larger amounts. Chile paid out about US$691 million in personal remittances in 2025, almost seven times what it received.

Visas, Citizenship and the Visa Waiver Program

Chile is listed in the US federal rules as a Visa Waiver Program country. The Chilean government said in October 2026 that it keeps the benefit.

Citizens can enter for up to 90 days without a visa. They need an approved ESTA, an online travel authorisation usually valid for two years.

On 17 October 2026 Chile’s Foreign Minister, Francisco Pérez Mackenna, said 1.5% of Chilean visitors overstayed in fiscal year 2025. He cited US Department of Homeland Security data and called it a fall of 35% in a year.

He said it was the lowest rate in six years. Pérez Mackenna added that about 350,000 Chileans use the programme each year for tourism or business.

He said the steps Chile took had proved effective. The United States sets the conditions of the programme and can end a country’s membership.

For stays longer than 90 days, work or study, Chileans need a visa. Pew found that 59% of foreign-born Chileans in the United States were US citizens in 2021.

Politics, Voting and Culture

Chileans living abroad have been able to vote in Chilean presidential elections since 2017, according to the Chilean government’s portal. Eligibility rules change, so voters should check the current requirements with a Chilean consulate.

President José Antonio Kast, a conservative from the Republican Party, took office on 11 March 2026 and still led the government in October 2026. Our guide to Chile’s politics and key players explains his government and the opposition.

Pew found that 76% of Chilean-origin Hispanics aged 5 and over spoke only English or spoke it very well in 2021. The share for Hispanics overall was 72%.

For trade, security and diplomacy between the two states, read Chile and the United States, Relations Explained. Both guides sit in the same cluster of Rio Times coverage on Chile.

What It Means for US Readers

Employers can hire Chilean professionals through the H-1B1 visa, which has its own annual limit of 1,400. The 2004 trade agreement behind it also governs much of the commerce covered in our Chile geopolitics guide.

Americans in Florida, California, New York, Texas and New Jersey are the most likely to meet members of the Chile diaspora as neighbours and colleagues. Any change to the Visa Waiver Program would hit about 350,000 Chilean visitors a year, many of them tourists and relatives.

What Is Not Known

The Census survey does not record immigration status, so it cannot say how many Chileans in the United States lack legal papers. It also cannot say how many plan to return to Chile.

Survey figures for small groups change from year to year and carry wide margins of error. The 2025 and 2026 results will update the numbers in this guide.

The World Bank remittance figure does not split Chile’s inflows by the country they come from. Whether the Visa Waiver Program stays in place depends on decisions in Washington, which sets its conditions.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Chileans live in the United States?

The Census Bureau counted 226,993 people of Chilean origin in 2024, with a margin of error of about 16,600. About 137,600 of them were born in Chile.

Where do most Chilean Americans live?

Florida (33,366), California (32,370) and New York (23,549) have the most, based on the 2020 to 2024 survey. Texas and New Jersey follow.

Do Chileans need a visa to visit the United States?

Not for stays of up to 90 days. Chile is in the Visa Waiver Program, so travellers need an approved ESTA instead.

Is there a special work visa for Chileans?

Yes, the H-1B1 visa, created by the 2004 trade agreement. US law caps it at 1,400 for Chilean nationals each fiscal year.

How much money do Chileans abroad send home?

Chile received about US$100.3 million in personal remittances in 2025, according to the World Bank. That is roughly 0.03% of its economic output.

Can Chileans in the United States vote in Chile?

Chileans abroad have been able to vote in presidential elections since 2017, if they are on the electoral roll. Check current rules with a Chilean consulate.

Sources: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey, Table B03001 (Hispanic or Latino origin by specific origin), 2024; US Census Bureau, American Community Survey, Table B05006 (place of birth for the foreign-born population), 2024; Chile Ministry of Foreign Affairs and INE, Second Registry of Chileans Abroad, undated; World Bank, personal remittances data for Chile, 2025; United States Code, Title 8, section 1184 (H-1B1 limit for Chile), 2023; Code of Federal Regulations, 8 CFR 217.2 (Visa Waiver Program designated countries), 2023; US State Department, Visa Waiver Program, 2026; Government of Chile, voting by Chileans abroad (2017 elections page), 2017; Pew Research Center, Facts on Chilean-origin Latinos (analysis of Census Bureau data), 2023-08-16.

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