PA Regional team
Counting Albanian Americans in Pennsylvania.
NAR — the National Albanian Registry — is the community-led count. 40 counted in Pennsylvania so far.
1 ambassador organizing the count locally.
Director of Outreach
National outreach director.
Sets cross-state strategy and recruits state directors. Pennsylvania's ambassadors report up here until a state-specific director is seated.
Iliriana Sela
Director of Outreach · National
Pennsylvania ambassadors report to Iliriana.
Ambassadors in Pennsylvania
Regional ambassadors on the ground.
- N
Nilda Salavaçi
Regional Ambassador
I am well-positioned to lead initiatives across Pennsylvania due to my strong, long-standing ties to the Albanian Churches of Fan Noli and my active involvement with multiple Albanian nonprofit organizations, where I have consistently supported cultural preservation and community growth. As a deeply patriotic Albanian woman, I am committed to strengthening unity, opportunity, and representation for both younger and older generations. My leadership reflects a vision of empowerment that encourages the community to come together, engage, and thrive across all levels of civic and cultural life.
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Why Pennsylvania matters
A real count is where the work starts.
ACS 2024 estimate
10,430
Federal count
Community estimate
41,720–52,150
Methodology page
On NAR today
40
From Pennsylvania
Capture rate
0.38%
vs. ACS
As Pennsylvania'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.
Pennsylvania concentrations
Philadelphia metro + suburbs
Pennsylvania is the closest mid-Atlantic Albanian concentration outside the New York corridor. Philadelphia has a smaller but historic community; a documented community count strengthens the case for language-access conversations at the city and county level.
Pennsylvania ranks in the published ACS Albanian-ancestry counts at 10,430 (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 Pennsylvania
2 upcoming events.
Festivals, services, fundraisers, and community gatherings the Pennsylvania team is tracking.
- Mon, Jun 29 · 10:00 AM–12:30 PM Religious
Feast of Saints Peter and Paul
Patronal feast Divine Liturgy at Saints Peter and Paul Albanian Orthodox Church in Northeast Philadelphia.
Saints Peter and Paul Albanian Orthodox Church · Philadelphia
- Sat, Nov 28 · 10:00 AM–1:00 PM Cultural
Festa e Flamurit at St. John Chrysostom
Albanian Independence Day Divine Liturgy and parish gathering at the Albanian Orthodox parish in Center City Philadelphia.
St. John Chrysostom Albanian Orthodox Church · Philadelphia
Organizations in Pennsylvania
9 Albanian organizations.
Religious institutions, charities, schools, and cultural associations — free to list, claimable by the people who run them.
- Albanian American Dream Organization Charities & foundations
- Albanian American Muslim Society of Philadelphia Religious institutions
-
Albanian American National Organization — Philadelphia Chapter Cultural & community - Albanian Church Of Philadelphia Religious institutions
- Albanian Society at Penn (Albanian Association at Penn) Student & youth
-
Bijte e Shqipes (Sons of the Eagle) — National Albanian Social Cultural Association Cultural & community - Drexel Albanian Student Organization (ASO) Student & youth
- SS. Peter and Paul Albanian Orthodox Church Religious institutions
- St. John Chrysostom Albanian Orthodox Church Religious institutions
Businesses in Pennsylvania
4 Albanian-owned businesses.
Added by the owners themselves. Listing is free.
- Professional services
Warminster, PA
Professional services business in Warminster, PA.
- Restaurant / café
Garnet Valley, PA
Restaurant and café in Garnet Valley, PA.
- Construction / trades
West Chester, PA
Construction and trades business in West Chester, PA.
- Construction / trades
Philadelphia, PA
Construction and trades business in Philadelphia, PA.
Apply
Join the Pennsylvania 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 →