In 2021, I created a post that described the (registered) US American population in Styria at the time. Back then, 643 U.S. Americans called Styria their home, and 475 of these listed their main residence as Graz (as of 1.1.2021)?
Now it is mid-January 2025, and I wanted to re-visit these statistics.
As of early last year (latest statistics), about 18% of the Styrian population is ‘not from here’ (i.e. do not have Austrian citizenship). Of these, 534 US Americans are registered in Graz, with 469 of these listing the city as their main residence. Among non-EU citizens living in Graz, US Americans are not in the top 20. The Graz statistics show, however, that the US American population has remained stable over the past few years.
Who are all these Americans and why have they chosen to live in Graz?
In my 2021 blog post, I cited an article that appeared in The Local newspaper. One man said he came to Austria to stay for a year…then remained for 30 years. Others came to Austria to explore exciting career opportunities abroad. Even more joined spouses or life partners in Austria. All bravely faced the challenges associated with integrating in a new culture and learning a new language…normally without the support of friends or family. The reasons why US Americans living in Graz have not changed much in recent years.
Would you like to learn more about other populations and communities in Graz? Check out the foreign resident statistics available via the Graz Migrants’ Advisory Council (Migrant:innenbeirat Graz) website.
Another article published in July 2021 mapped out where U.S. Americans lived in Austria. This revealed some surprising results! Vienna came out the clear winner at that time, and the statistics from 2024 show an impressive 4,987 American residents. A particularly interesting detail of these statistics is that 6630 people who name the USA as their land of origin (Herkunftsland) called Vienna home in 2024, but only 75% of these (still) have US citizenship. An interesting question that arises is whether many of this 25% have renounced US citizenship because they plan to stay in (Vienna) Europe permanently or for other reasons.
The US Americans in Graz and Styria Facebook group currently (as of January 2025) welcomes more than 200 members, more than 90% of whom are US citizens. Since 2020, the group has shared information of specific interest to US Americans living and/or working in Graz and provided a forum where members can contact with one another, network, and exchange helpful information and support. See this post for even more information about the Facebook group!
