Jewish Population in the United States, 1972


 

Publication Date: January 1973

Publisher: American Jewish Committee

Author(s): Alvin Chenkin

Research Area: Culture and religion; Population and demographics

Keywords: Jewish Identification; Demography; Population Estimate

Type: Report

Coverage: United States

Abstract:

The author presents data on the Jewish population of the United States for 1972, estimated at 6,115,000. This was 2.94 per cent of the general resident population (exclusive of armed forces abroad). The estimate is a summation of individual community estimates with somewhat arbitrary adjustments within states for unknown Jews. The sources for these individual community estimates were
replies to questionnaires addressed to members of the Council of Jewish Federations and Welfare Funds and data supplied by the National United
Jewish Appeal. The limitations of this methodology have been discussed in some detail earlier (American Jewish Yearbook, 1972 [Vol. 73], p. 384). It should be noted that the National Jewish Population Study (NJPS) preliminary evaluation indicates a total of no less than 6,000,000. Unless completed computations will vary markedly, this figure does not differ greatly from the 1971 total estimate of 6,060,000, based on the above procedures.

In American Jewish Yearbook 1973, pp. 307-315.