The United States admitted its 10,000th Syrian refugee this week in a resettlement program announced by President Obama last fall, according to The White House.

Under pressure from Europe and other countries confronting the global migration crisis last fall, Mr. Obama had raised the number of Syrian refugees who would be offered legal status to at least 10,000 in the 2016 fiscal year.

Where Refugees Were Placed

600

300

Number of refugees

placed, 2012-16

Seattle

100

Spokane

10

Beaverton

Richland

Portland

Portland

Fargo

Concord

Syracuse

Albany

Boise

Minneapolis

Rochester

Oshkosh

Boston

Grand

Rapids

Buffalo

Providence

Rochester

Sheboygan

New Haven

Dearborn

Madison

Erie

Allentown

New York

Rockford

Des Moines

Cleveland

Elizabeth

Sacramento

Philadelphia

Pittsburgh

Chicago

Salt Lake

City

Fair Oaks

Omaha

Oakland

Baltimore

Columbus

Indianapolis

San Jose

Denver

Cincinnati

Charlottesville

Kansas

City

Turlock

Salinas

Colorado

Springs

Newport News

Louisville

Lexington

St. Louis

Raleigh

Wichita

Las Vegas

Durham

Winston-Salem

Nashville

Victorville

Charlotte

Los Angeles

Springdale

Tulsa

Glendale

Santa Ana

Irvine

Memphis

Columbia

Albuquerque

Phoenix

Atlanta

San Diego

Savannah

Dallas

Fort Worth

Tucson

Tallahassee

Midland

Jacksonville

Baton Rouge

Pensacola

Orlando

Austin

Houston

New Orleans

Kissimmee

Clearwater

San Antonio

Palm Beach

Tampa

Delray Beach

Miami

600

Number of refugees

placed, 2012-16

300

100

Seattle

10

Spokane

Portland

Portland

Fargo

Concord

Syracuse

Boise

Minneapolis

Boston

Oshkosh

Buffalo

Rochester

Dearborn

New York

Cleveland

Des Moines

Sacramento

Chicago

Pittsburgh

Philadelphia

Salt Lake City

Omaha

Oakland

Columbus

Baltimore

Indianapolis

San Jose

Cincinnati

Denver

Charlottesville

Turlock

Lexington

Kansas City

Newport News

St. Louis

Louisville

Raleigh

Las Vegas

Wichita

Nashville

Winston-Salem

Charlotte

Los Angeles

Glendale

Tulsa

Santa Ana

Memphis

Albuquerque

Columbia

Phoenix

San Diego

Atlanta

Dallas

Savannah

Fort Worth

Tucson

Tallahassee

Jacksonville

Austin

Orlando

New Orleans

Houston

San Antonio

Tampa

Delray Beach

Miami

Seattle

Spokane

Portland

Portland

Syracuse

Boise

Boston

Buffalo

Providence

Dearborn

Sacramento

Philadelphia

Chicago

Omaha

Baltimore

Salt Lake City

Denver

St.

Louis

Kansas City

Louisville

Winston-Salem

Charlotte

Nashville

Memphis

Phoenix

Atlanta

San Diego

Savannah

Dallas

Tucson

Jacksonville

Austin

600

Number placed

2012-16

Houston

Tampa

Delray Beach

100

Miami

600

Number placed, 2012-16

100

Seattle

Dearborn

Boise

New

York

Chicago

Sacramento

St. Louis

Charlotte

Phoenix

Atlanta

San Diego

Dallas

Tucson

Houston

Tampa

Miami

The refugees who have arrived from Syria since 2012 have been placed in 231 towns and cities.

Some of them have reached large cities like Chicago and Houston, but most have been sent to more affordable, medium-size cities. Boise, Idaho, has accepted more refugees than New York and Los Angeles combined; Worcester, Mass., has taken in more than Boston.

Refugees placed each year

2013

2014

2015

2016

2013

2014

2015

2016

2013

2014

2015

2016

2013

2014

2015

2016

With the 10,000 admitted this fiscal year, the United States has now accepted nearly 12,000 Syrian refugees since the civil war began five years ago.

Before the recent surge in admissions, Syrians were just a small percentage of all refugees allowed into the United States. In the 2015 fiscal year, just 2 percent of the 70,000 refugees admitted were from Syria. The majority were from Myanmar, Iraq and Somalia.

In the past, the United States has admitted far larger numbers of refugees. In 1979, it provided sanctuary to 111,000 Vietnamese refugees, and in 1980, it added another 207,000. Around the same time, the country took in more than 120,000 Cuban refugees during the Mariel boatlift, including around 80,000 in one month alone.

To ease integration, Syrian refugees have been placed in communities where there are other Syrian immigrants.

More than 150,000 Syrians already live in the United States, according to census figures, and refugees who have relatives in the country are likely to be resettled with or near them.

Those who do not have family in the United States are placed where jobs are more plentiful and the cost of housing is low.

People with Syrian ancestry, per 100,000 residents

10

50

100

200

Town or city with

at least one Syrian

refugee placed since 2012

10

50

100

200

Town or city with at least one

Syrian refugee placed since 2012

10

50

100

200

Town or city with at least one

Syrian refugee placed since 2012

Areas of

detail below

10

50

100

200

Town or city with

at least one Syrian

refugee placed since 2012

Refugees receive help finding work and housing, but they are expected to become self-sufficient within a year.

Nadim Fawzi Jouriyeh, a former construction worker from Syria, is among the latest group of refugees to be accepted, according to The Associated Press. Mr. Jouriyeh, his wife and four children are headed to San Diego, which has accepted more Syrian refugees since 2012 than any other city.

Mideast_Jordan_Syrian_Refugees.jpg
Mr. Jouriyeh, 49, and his children. Raad Adayleh, The Associated Press

Most of the refugees have been admitted in the past three months.

While Mr. Obama’s resettlement program got off to a slow start, the administration reached its 10,000-refugee goal a month ahead of schedule. Eight months into the program, the United States had accepted only a quarter of the target.

One challenge was that the Syrian refugees were subjected to an additional layer of background checks, which extended a lengthy vetting process.

2,500

2,000

1,500

1,000

Syrian refugees admitted each month

500

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

AUG.

2,500

2,000

1,500

Syrian refugees admitted

each month

1,000

500

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

AUG.

2,500

2,000

Syrian refugees

admitted

each month

1,500

1,000

500

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016