Indian Community • United States
Where Bihari Families Live in America
Chhath Puja is the measure • Bay Area demand outruns capacity 2:1 • BANA Houston since 1992
Bihari America is one of the fastest-growing Indian communities and one of the hardest to count. There is no Census category for it — Bihari families report Hindi, Bhojpuri or Maithili, and only Hindi is separately tabulated. What can be measured is Chhath Puja, and the numbers are striking: in the Bay Area, demand runs to 4,000 against a venue capacity of 1,700 that sells out in minutes.
Last updated: August 2026 • All Indian community guides →
The Short Answer
Dallas-Fort Worth and the Bay Area have the largest Bihari communities by festival scale — DFW’s BiJUSA Chhath runs to a 4,000 capacity, and the Bay Area’s demand reaches 4,000 against a 1,700-seat venue. Both are recent, tech-driven communities that grew fast.
Houston has the oldest organisation, BANA, founded 1992. Chicago, Seattle and New Jersey all have substantial Hindi-belt populations with established Chhath celebrations. Washington DC has run Chhath at Algonkian Park since 2006 — one of the longest continuous celebrations in the country.
Chhath Puja and Community Scale, City by City
| Metro | Chhath & organisations | Scale and notes | State income tax |
|---|---|---|---|
| The largest celebrations | |||
| Dallas-Fort Worth | BiJUSA — 4,000 capacity | Estimated 5,000–15,000+ community members across three Bihari organisations. | None |
| Bay Area | Bihar Foundation | Demand around 4,000 against a 1,700 capacity that sells out in minutes. | Yes |
| Large Hindi-belt populations | |||
| Chicago | Naperville & Bolingbrook | 33,820 Hindi speakers metro-wide, with 3,536 in Naperville and 2,587 in Bolingbrook. | Yes |
| Houston | BANA — 1992 | The oldest Bihari organisation in Houston. 32,000+ Hindi speakers metro-wide. | None |
| Seattle | Chhath at HTCC Bothell | 6,615 Hindi speakers in Bellevue alone, with litti chokha on the Eastside. | None |
| New Jersey | Edison & Plainsboro | 4,873 Hindi speakers in South Edison and 7,351 in the Plainsboro–South Brunswick corridor. | Yes |
| Established celebrations | |||
| Washington DC | Algonkian Park — since 2006 | 3,771 Hindi-belt speakers in the Herndon–Reston PUMA. One of the longest continuous Chhath celebrations in the US. | Yes |
| Atlanta | Shiv Mandir of Atlanta | 4,465+ Hindi speakers across the Alpharetta and Johns Creek corridor. | Yes |
| Austin | Travis County cluster | 3,500+ Hindi speakers, anchored by Apple and Oracle at the Domain. | None |
| Los Angeles | Chhath at Newport Beach | 2,400+ Hindi speakers in the Artesia–Cerritos corridor. Ocean-side Chhath is unusual and worth seeing. | Yes |
About the Data
There is no Census category for Bihari. Families from Bihar and Jharkhand report Hindi, Bhojpuri, Maithili or Magahi, and of those only Hindi is separately tabulated — the rest fall into a broad “other Indic languages” bucket shared with Nepali and Marathi.
The Hindi figures quoted above are therefore Hindi speaker counts, not Bihari counts. Hindi is a link language across the whole North Indian belt, so those numbers include families from Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and elsewhere. They indicate where a Bihari family will find a North Indian environment; they do not measure the Bihari community itself.
Chhath Puja attendance is the better signal, and we lead with it for that reason. Chhath is specifically Bihari — it is not celebrated by most other North Indian communities — so a metro that fills a 4,000-capacity Chhath has a Bihari community of real size regardless of what the language tables say.
Which City Fits Your Situation
Chhath Puja is what you would miss most
Dallas-Fort Worth runs the largest at 4,000 capacity across three organisations. The Bay Area has comparable demand but a smaller venue — book early. Los Angeles holds Chhath at Newport Beach, one of the few ocean-side celebrations in the country.
You want the longest-running community
Houston, where BANA has run since 1992, or Washington DC, which has held Chhath at Algonkian Park since 2006.
You want no state income tax
Dallas-Fort Worth is the clear choice — the largest Bihari community in the country by festival scale, three organisations, and no state income tax. Houston, Seattle and Austin also qualify.
You want litti chokha you did not cook yourself
A reliable test of community depth. Seattle’s Eastside has it, and Dallas-Fort Worth and New Jersey both have restaurants serving Bihari food specifically rather than generic North Indian.
Chhath, Litti and Community Life
Chhath Puja is unlike other Indian festivals
A four-day festival of the sun god requiring a river, lake or ocean at sunrise and sunset, with a demanding fast at its centre. It cannot be scaled down to a hall booking — a metro either has water access, permits and enough families to sustain it, or it does not. That is why attendance is such a reliable measure.
Where Bihari and wider North Indian community overlap
In most metros Bihari families participate in broader North Indian institutions for everyday purposes — temples, Holi, Diwali — and organise specifically for Chhath. A metro can have a large Hindi-speaking population and only a modest Bihari one, which is exactly why we do not present Hindi counts as Bihari counts.
Litti chokha is the food marker
Where a restaurant serves litti chokha, sattu drinks or Bihari-style thali rather than generic North Indian, the community has reached a size that businesses respond to.
Bhojpuri, Maithili and Magahi
Bihar is linguistically diverse, and families may speak Bhojpuri, Maithili or Magahi at home while reporting Hindi. Maithili in particular has its own script and literary tradition. Our city guides note where separate linguistic or cultural groups organise distinctly.
Common Questions
How many Bihari people are there in the United States?
There is no Census figure. Bihari families report Hindi, Bhojpuri, Maithili or Magahi, and only Hindi is separately tabulated. Chhath Puja attendance is the most reliable available indicator — Dallas-Fort Worth and the Bay Area both reach around 4,000.
Which US city has the largest Bihari community?
Dallas-Fort Worth, by festival scale. BiJUSA’s Chhath runs to a 4,000 capacity, and community estimates across three Bihari organisations range from 5,000 to more than 15,000 people.
Why do you use Hindi speaker numbers on this page?
Because no Bihari count exists. Hindi figures indicate where a Bihari family will find a North Indian environment — groceries, temples, restaurants — but they include families from across the Hindi belt, so they are not a Bihari measure. We label them as Hindi counts throughout and lead with Chhath attendance instead.
Where is the longest-running Chhath Puja in America?
Washington DC has held Chhath at Algonkian Park since 2006, one of the longest continuous celebrations in the country. Houston’s BANA, founded 1992, is the oldest Bihari organisation among our metros.
Is there ocean-side Chhath anywhere in America?
Yes — Los Angeles holds Chhath at Newport Beach. Chhath requires water at sunrise and sunset, and most metros use lakes or rivers, so an ocean setting is unusual.
Bihari City Guides
- Bihari in Dallas-Fort Worth — BiJUSA and the largest Chhath in the country
- Bihari in the Bay Area — Bihar Foundation and sold-out Chhath
- Bihari in Chicago — Naperville and Bolingbrook
- Bihari in Houston — BANA since 1992
- Bihari in Seattle — Chhath at HTCC Bothell
- Bihari in New Jersey — Edison and the Plainsboro corridor
- Bihari in Washington DC — Algonkian Park since 2006
- Bihari in Atlanta — Shiv Mandir and the Johns Creek corridor
- Bihari in Austin — Travis County and the Domain
- Bihari in Los Angeles — ocean-side Chhath at Newport Beach
Data Sources
There is no Census category for Bihari — families from Bihar and Jharkhand report Hindi, Bhojpuri, Maithili or Magahi, and only Hindi is separately tabulated. Hindi speaker figures quoted here are from ACS 2024 5-Year Estimates, Table B16001, variable B16001_048, and are labelled as Hindi counts rather than Bihari counts: they include families from across the North Indian belt. Chhath Puja capacity and attendance figures, and organisation founding dates, are organisation-reported and drawn from our individual city guides. Read our full research methodology →