Indian Community • United States
Where Goan Families Live in America
12,660 Konkani speakers nationwide • Roman Catholic and Konkani-speaking • Associations dating to 1970
Goans are the one Indian community on this site that is predominantly Roman Catholic, a legacy of four and a half centuries of Portuguese rule. There are roughly 12,660 Konkani speakers in the United States (ACS 2017–2021 detailed languages). For most Goan families the parish, not a temple or a cultural association, is where community life happens — which changes what you should look for in a city.
Last updated: August 2026 • All Indian community guides →
The Short Answer
The Bay Area and Los Angeles both have Goan associations dating to 1970 — the oldest in the country. The Bay Area’s Goan Institute has 500+ members and is joined by KAOCA, a Konkani association with 250+ families. Southern California reports 400+ Goan families.
New Jersey’s GoaNJ has run since 1991 along the Cranbury, South Brunswick and Plainsboro corridor. Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth both have active Konkani associations with no state income tax, and Washington DC’s Goan Association has been active for more than twenty-five years.
Goan and Konkani Associations, City by City
| Metro | Association & founded | Scale and notes | State income tax |
|---|---|---|---|
| The oldest and largest | |||
| Bay Area | Goan Institute — 1970 | 500+ members, alongside KAOCA (1984) with 250+ families. The deepest Goan infrastructure in the country. | Yes |
| Los Angeles | Goans of America — 1970 | 400+ Goan families across Southern California, centred on Artesia and Little India. | Yes |
| New Jersey | GoaNJ — 1991 | The Cranbury, South Brunswick and Plainsboro corridor, organised around Catholic parish life. | Yes |
| Active associations | |||
| Washington DC | Goan Association-DMV | Active more than twenty-five years. The Feast of St Francis Xavier is held at St Timothy’s. | Yes |
| Houston | HKCA + HAAS | Two organisations serving Sugar Land and Missouri City. | None |
| Dallas-Fort Worth | G.E.M.s of Texas + DFW Konkani Samaj | Two organisations covering both Goan Catholic and wider Konkani-speaking families. | None |
| Atlanta | KAOG — 2000 | Around 60 active Konkani families. Hosted the NAKA Sammelan in 2016. | Yes |
| Smaller and newer | |||
| Chicago | Portuguese-Goan parish life | Hundreds of families metro-wide, Roman Catholic and Konkani-speaking. | Yes |
| Seattle | SWAS | A nonprofit serving the Eastside tech corridor. | None |
| Austin | India Catholic Association of Central Texas | Held its first Monthi Fest in Cedar Park in 2025 — a community reaching critical mass. | None |
About the Data
The Census publishes a Konkani figure only at national level: roughly 12,660 speakers. There is no metro breakdown — Konkani is folded into a broad “other Indic languages” category alongside Nepali, Marathi and others.
Konkani is also an imperfect proxy for the Goan community. Many Goan families in America speak English at home — English-language education in Goa was widespread — and Konkani is additionally spoken by non-Goan communities along the Karnataka coast, including Mangalorean Catholics and Konkani-speaking Hindus. Some of our city guides serve all of these together, which is why several associations are named “Konkani” rather than “Goan”.
This page therefore uses associations, parishes and festivals as its organising data rather than a population ranking.
Which City Fits Your Situation
You want the deepest Goan community
Bay Area. The Goan Institute has run since 1970 with 500+ members, and KAOCA adds 250+ families — two organisations rather than one, which is rare at this community size.
Parish life is the priority
New Jersey and Washington DC. Both organise around Catholic parishes rather than cultural halls, and DC holds the Feast of St Francis Xavier at St Timothy’s. Where a metro has a parish that hosts Goan feasts, the community has an anchor that a cultural association alone does not provide.
You want no state income tax
Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth each have two organisations. Both serve Goan Catholic and wider Konkani-speaking families together.
You are in tech
Seattle and Austin. Both communities are young — Austin held its first Monthi Fest only in 2025 — but growing with the tech corridors.
You are Mangalorean rather than Goan
Look for organisations named “Konkani” rather than “Goan” — KAOCA in the Bay Area, KAOG in Atlanta, DFW Konkani Samaj. These serve the broader Konkani-speaking Catholic community, including Mangaloreans, and our city guides note where the two are distinct.
Faith, Feasts and Konkani
The parish is the institution
Goan community life in America runs largely through Roman Catholic parishes — Latin Rite, the same as the surrounding American church, which means Goan families integrate into existing parishes rather than building separate ones. That makes the community less visible than others of similar size, and it is why association membership matters as a signal.
Feast days are the calendar
The Feast of St Francis Xavier, patron of Goa, is the central annual event — Washington DC holds it at St Timothy’s. Monthi Fest, the Nativity of Mary celebrated with new harvest and flowers, is the other major marker, and it is often the first thing a growing community organises. Austin held its first in 2025.
NAKA and the Sammelan
The North American Konkani Association federates local Konkani organisations, and its Sammelan rotates between host cities — Atlanta hosted in 2016. For a community this dispersed, the Sammelan is the main point of national contact.
Goan Hindus
Goa has a substantial Hindu population, and Goan Hindu families in America generally participate in the Konkani associations alongside Catholic families while attending pan-Indian temples. The associations are cultural and linguistic rather than religious, which is what allows this.
Common Questions
How many Goans are there in the United States?
There is no direct count. The Census records roughly 12,660 Konkani speakers nationally, but many Goan families speak English at home, and Konkani is also spoken by Mangalorean and other coastal Karnataka communities. Association membership is the more reliable guide.
Which US city has the largest Goan community?
The Bay Area, by institutional depth — the Goan Institute has run since 1970 with 500+ members, alongside KAOCA with 250+ families. Southern California reports 400+ Goan families.
Are all Goans Catholic?
Most Goans in America are Roman Catholic, a legacy of Portuguese rule, but Goa has a substantial Hindu population too. Goan Hindu families generally participate in the same Konkani associations, which are cultural rather than religious.
What is Monthi Fest?
The Nativity of Mary, celebrated with new harvest and flowers — one of the two central Goan and Mangalorean Catholic feasts alongside the Feast of St Francis Xavier. Austin held its first in 2025.
What is the difference between Goan and Konkani organisations?
Goan associations serve families from Goa specifically. Konkani associations serve the wider Konkani-speaking community, including Mangalorean Catholics and Konkani-speaking Hindus from coastal Karnataka. Several metros have both.
Goan City Guides
- Goan in the Bay Area — the Goan Institute since 1970 and KAOCA
- Goan in Los Angeles — Goans of America and Artesia
- Goan in New Jersey — GoaNJ and the Cranbury corridor
- Goan in Washington DC — the Feast of St Francis Xavier at St Timothy’s
- Goan in Houston — HKCA, HAAS and Sugar Land
- Goan in Dallas-Fort Worth — G.E.M.s of Texas and DFW Konkani Samaj
- Goan in Atlanta — KAOG and the 2016 NAKA Sammelan
- Goan in Chicago — parish life across the metro
- Goan in Seattle — SWAS and the Eastside
- Goan in Austin — the first Monthi Fest, 2025
Data Sources
National Konkani figure: U.S. Census Bureau, Detailed Languages Spoken at Home, ACS 2017–2021, released June 2025. The ACS does not publish Konkani at metro level, and Konkani is an imperfect proxy for the Goan community — many Goan families speak English at home, and Konkani is also spoken by Mangalorean and other coastal Karnataka communities. Association founding dates, membership figures and feast details are organisation-reported rather than Census data, drawn from our individual city guides. Read our full research methodology →