Where did all the Italians go? Census analysis shows sharp population drops

In their 1968 hit song “Mrs. Robinson,” Simon and Garfunkel posed a question to a famous Italian American: “Where Have You Gone, Joe DiMaggio?” In the song, the Yankee center-fielder’s name was used to represent heroes from the past. Today, however, if we were to use Joe DiMaggio’s name to represent all Italian Americans, this question would take on a very different meaning.

According to U.S. Census Bureau statistics, the population of those with Italian heritage in the United States has been declining for at least the last 11 years. This is especially true in the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area which, from 2011 to 2022, experienced an estimated 25 percent decrease in those who identify “Italian” as their only ancestry, and an estimated 11 percent decrease in those who identify as either “fully or partially Italian.” 

The source of this information is the American Community Survey, the only source of comparable, quality information about population trends. It is the bureau’s largest ongoing survey; it includes an annual sample of 3.5 million households, and it publishes estimates annually. Recent estimates from the 2022 American Community Survey indicate that about 5.7 million Americans reported “Italian” as their only ancestry, while an estimated 10.6 million people identified as Italian and one other ancestry (for example, Italian and Irish). In total, an estimated 16.3 million persons identified as Italian, in full or part. Nearly all these estimates are down significantly since 2011. 

The Italian-American Herald reached out to leaders of several Italian-American organizations in the Delaware Valley, who wondered whether increasing prosperity and upward mobility in the younger generations of Italian Americans (reported in the IAH in December 2023) might lead them to ignore their heritage and therefore partly be responsible for the Italian population’s reduced self-reported numbers.

Al De Gennaro, a former assistant district attorney in Montgomery County, Pa., who now heads up the Americans of Italian Heritage Council, noted that membership does appear to be dwindling in the remaining Italian-American organizations in central Montgomery County as “older members pass without an equal number of new members joining.”

Speculating on possible explanations for the decline in census numbers – or perhaps in the number of people who self-identified as having Italian heritage –De Gennaro cited several factors including political correctness, extracurricular activities for young people that pull them away from family, and “the demise of the family meal and attending Mass together.”

Crunching the numbers
The survey publishes Italian population estimates in two different categories; those who identify as only Italian and those who identify as either fully Italian or Italian with one other ancestry. This analysis reflects changes in population in both categories. Estimates from 2022 (collected from 2018 through 2022) were compared to 2011 estimates (collected from 2007 to 2011). The nation as well as all states in the Delaware Valley have experienced declines in both the full Italian category and the combined full and mixed Italian category. 

Some key findings:

• The City of Philadelphia and each of its surrounding counties have also experienced Italian population declines in both categories.
• At the local town and ZIP code levels, with several exceptions, several areas that have been known to have high Italian-American populations in the past are also experiencing declines.
• Nationally, at the state level, nine states showed slight gains in the “full Italian” population, while the remaining 41 states lost population. Regarding the “full or partial Italian” category, New York, California, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Illinois all lost a significant number (100,000 or more each) of persons during the 2011-2022 timeframe. The “full or partial Italian” population of several other states did increase, however only Texas incurred a gain of 50,000 or more. 

WHERE HAVE ALL THE ITALIANS GONE?

Source: U.S. Census American Community Survey, 2011 and 2022 5-year data

Cultural context
Speculation about the possible reasons behind the decline in Italian cultural awareness
numbers often centers on a single word: assimilation. 

“Increased assimilation by each generation has diluted our heritage more and more in each generation,” said DeGennaro, from the Americans of Italian Heritage Council. He suggested a sort of “counter-assimilation” to restore pride in Italian identity by renewing emphasis on awareness of heritage in today’s youths.

DeGennaro lives in Penn Valley, Pa., and remains proud of his Italian ancestry. His paternal grandparents were from Abruzzi and Sicily, his maternal grandparents from Basilicata. He’s taught himself some Italian and has visited Italy three times., The group he leads organizes the Columbus Cup (golf, bocce and lots of Italian food) in October and a Feast of the Seven Fishes in December, plus the new Christopher Columbus Monument Committee.

“I believe our greatest success can also be considered out greatest failure,” he said. “With the emphasis on education and career success, we have put our children in a position of focusing on the future and its opportunities, without the proper appreciation of and emphasis on our Italian heritage and its culture and traditions.”

One of the more dramatic parts of the census analysis centered on neighborhoods and ZIP codes that were once considered Italian enclaves, particularly in South Philadelphia.

That came as no surprise to Charlie Sacchetti, a popular regional author who fills his books with memories of growing up in Southwest Philadelphia. He said he noticed the “flight” out of South Philadelphia as far back as the late 1960s and 1970s.

“I had strong ties in South Philly. It was my second home. All of my relatives lived there,” he said. “We spent just about every holiday visiting and shopped in the Italian Market on Ninth Street very often. The Italian stronghold of South Philly is nothing like it used to be. Crime, terrible leadership and the dying off of the old family patriarchs and matriarchs are just a couple of reasons.”

Sacchetti, who now lives in Cinnaminson, N.J., believes that the decline in the Italian population is at least partly due to younger generations marrying outside their original ethnic group.

“When I was a kid, none of my Italian friends were named Scott, Chad or Dutton,” he said. “There was Tony, Louie and Frankie. Capeesh?”

In Delaware, Rick DiLiberto, head of the state’s Commission on Italian Heritage and Culture, said a key tenet of the organization’s mission is to engage and inspire young people to connect with their heritage. The commission belongs to the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations, which held its second annual Italian Future Leaders Conference in January in Sunrise, Fla.

The conference focused on new organizations and events to “attract and engage young people around the Italian-American experience.”

“The path to success comes down to us getting out of the way,” said Basil M. Russo, the foundation’s president. “These young folks have the acumen, drive and charisma to chart a new course for the Italian American culture that pays tribute to our past and ignites a future built on their vision, not mine — and that’s the key. Our culture’s future is in great hands; God bless them.” 

Joe Quartullo is a former data analyst with the U.S. Census Bureau who performed this analysis for the Italian-American Herald. For questions about census estimates, statistical significance, and census data tables, please contact him at joequartullo@gmail.com. Al Kemp is managing editor of the Italian-American Herald. Contact him at akemp@todaymediainc.com