[4] Karen first started arriving in the United States en masse during the mid-2000s and now form a significant minority in several cities.

[8] In November 2017, over 9,000 Karen people gathered in Washington, D.C., to both thank the United States government for granting them settlement[9] and at the same time protest the Burmese government's treatment of the Karen and other minorities, especially the ongoing persecution of Rohingya people and the Trump-era policies on immigration.

[15] The Karen Organization of Minnesota (KOM), was founded to improve the community's social progress, health, and employment opportunities[16] and is today [when?]

[17] The Saint Paul Public Library has commissioned and published two children's books in Karen because of the lack of these resources in the U.S. and the need within the city.

[27] The city of Indianapolis has a significant population of Burmese immigrants which include the roughly 1,000 Karen and 300 Karenni refugees who have been resettled there.

[20] The town of New Bern, North Carolina is believed to have around 1,900[33] Karen and Karenni refugees who came because of the abundance of work and low cost of living in the 1990s.

[36] Many Karen refugees have been settled in Des Moines, Iowa in particular by Adventist charity organizations, as well as in Nashville, Tennessee, and Saint Louis and Kansas City in Missouri.

[44] Since the 2010s the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis has included prayers and hymns in the Karen language in their religious services.

[22] In southern Salt Lake City, the Columbus LDS meetinghouse is now geared towards Karen and Karenni refugees who now make up the majority of the congregation.

[23] Christianity tends to play an important part in many Karen Americans' lives, and church attendance is generally high.

[52] In the late 2000s a Hmong American named Vaj Los Tuam (who later changed his name to "Txiv Nraug Cuam Dub" or Hmong for "Black Father") founded the "Huv" or "pure" religion based on traditional Karen beliefs, whom he perceived to be the most original of all Southeast Asian animist traditions.

[54][55] Owing to the ongoing conflict and warfare in their homeland as well as the harsh conditions of the refugee camps in Thailand where many come from, a sizable percentage of Karen adults in the United States may have PTSD.

[15] A 2013 study found that Karen students were far more likely to miss classes or quit school or sports teams because of lack of fluency.

[31] The issues of English fluency and lack of understanding the justice system were brought to light in 2015 when a mentally disturbed Karen man Eh Lar Doh Htoo attacked a Karenni-speaking family in their home in New Bern, North Carolina, with a machete.

[34] The case also drew attention because neighbors of Htoo had been aware of his violent nature for some time but had not contacted the police because of language and cultural barriers.

[16] Because many priests, elders, and other respected community members smoke or chew betel nut it is difficult to convince Karen youth not to take up the habit.

In Minnesota Karen organizations have started partnering with health anti-smoking groups in hope of improving the problem.

[53] To combat these issues, some schools and non-profit organizations started soccer programs primarily geared towards Karen and other refugee communities.