MA Regional team
Counting Albanian Americans in Massachusetts.
NAR — the National Albanian Registry — is the community-led count. 54 counted in Massachusetts so far.
1 ambassador organizing the count locally.
Director of Outreach
National outreach director.
Sets cross-state strategy and recruits state directors. Massachusetts's ambassadors report up here until a state-specific director is seated.
Iliriana Sela
Director of Outreach · National
Massachusetts ambassadors report to Iliriana.
Ambassadors in Massachusetts
Regional ambassadors on the ground.
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Klevis Qyrasi
Regional Ambassador · Boston
Helping connect the Albanian community and supporting newcomers as they settle into life in the US.
Why Massachusetts matters
A real count is where the work starts.
ACS 2024 estimate
21,625
Federal count
Community estimate
86,500–108,125
Methodology page
On NAR today
54
From Massachusetts
Capture rate
0.25%
vs. ACS
As Massachusetts's Albanian community becomes visible in the data systems institutions actually use, the recognition story gets stronger — for bilingual-ballot petitions in jurisdictions with significant limited-English Albanian populations, for hospital interpreter staffing, for school home-language reporting, and for university heritage programs. None of these unlock automatically from a count; they come from sustained organizing on top of one. The Census ACS stays the official federal source; NAR builds the parallel community count alongside it.
Massachusetts concentrations
Boston, Worcester, Springfield
Massachusetts has the third-highest ACS count and a dense Greater Boston Albanian community. Worcester State and UMass have organic Albanian-student presence positioning for heritage-language and area-studies programs.
Massachusetts ranks in the published ACS Albanian-ancestry counts at 21,625 (2024). Nationwide the Census counts 224,000 Albanian Americans while community estimates put us close to a million — and the same gap shows up here. NAR is the community-led parallel count that sits alongside the ACS, one self-attestation at a time.
What's happening in Massachusetts
2 upcoming events.
Festivals, services, fundraisers, and community gatherings the Massachusetts team is tracking.
- Sat, Sep 19 6:00 PM – Sep 20, 10:00 PM Cultural
3rd Annual Albanian Film Festival
Showcase of Albanian and Kosovar films, directors, and actors hosted by the Fan Noli Cultural Center at St. George Albanian Orthodox Cathedral, South Boston.
St. George Albanian Orthodox Cathedral · South Boston
- Sat, Nov 28 · 11:00 AM–1:00 PM Cultural
Festa e Flamurit: Albanian Flag Day at Boston City Hall
MAAS Besa's annual Albanian Independence Day flag-raising at Boston City Hall Plaza marking 114 years since the 1912 declaration.
Boston City Hall Plaza · Boston
Organizations in Massachusetts
28 Albanian organizations.
Religious institutions, charities, schools, and cultural associations — free to list, claimable by the people who run them.
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Albanian American Bar Association Professional associations - Albanian American Cultural Center of Western Massachusetts Cultural & community
- Albanian American Law Student Association at Suffolk University Law School Student & youth
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Albanian American Medical Society Inc Professional associations -
Albanian American National Organization (AANO) Civic & advocacy - Albanian American War Veterans (AAWV) Other
- Albanian Boston Community Cultural & community
- Albanian Club at UMass Boston Student & youth
- Albanian Orthodox Archdiocese In America Religious institutions
- Albanian Orthodox Church of the Annunciation Religious institutions
- Albanian Orthodox Church The Holy Trinity Inc Religious institutions
- Albanian Orthodox Diocese of the Americas (Ecumenical Patriarchate) Religious institutions
- Albanian School Illyria Education & Albanian schools
- Albanian Student Association at Boston University Student & youth
- Albanian Student Organization at Bentley University Student & youth
- Albanian Student Union at UMass Amherst Student & youth
- Albanians Fighting Cancer USA Charities & foundations
- Bashkimi Dance Ensemble Cultural & community
- Fan S. Noli Library and Cultural Center Cultural & community
- Frosina Information Network Cultural & community
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Global Albanians Foundation Charities & foundations - Harvard College Albanian Students Association Student & youth
- Illyrian Gardens Inc Cultural & community
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Massachusetts Albanian American Society Cultural & community - Saint Mary's Albanian Festival of Worcester Cultural & community
- St. George Albanian Orthodox Cathedral Religious institutions
- St. Mary's Assumption Albanian Orthodox Church (Assumption of the Virgin Mary) Religious institutions
- St. Nicholas Albanian Orthodox Church (Southbridge) Religious institutions
Businesses in Massachusetts
3 Albanian-owned businesses.
Added by the owners themselves. Listing is free.
- Professional services
Salem, MA
Professional services business in Salem, MA.
- Other
Boston, MA
Albanian-owned business in Boston, MA.
- Construction / trades
Waltham, MA
Construction and trades business in Waltham, MA.
Apply
Join the Massachusetts team.
Each state seats up to three Regional Ambassadors plus one state outreach lead. Volunteer role. Listed publicly. Reimbursed expenses for one local event a year.
Or browse all states with open spots →