[2] Peruvian Americans are one of the smaller yet culturally unique subgroups of Latinos, making up about 1.1% of the entire Hispanic population in the United States, according to current studies.

Small but significant waves of immigration occurred in San Francisco during the gold rush (along with Chilean miners beginning in 1848) and the Metro Detroit area in the 1950s.

According to historical reports, several Peruvian immigrants in California during the Gold Rush become active in local groups, helping to establish the first Latin American cultural preservation initiatives in the United States.

Another wave of immigration occurred again early in the twentieth century, due largely to the burgeoning textile industry in New York and New Jersey.

[3] Factors that influenced Peruvian emigration was the decrease in employment, political persecution, public insecurity and violence, economic uncertainty, theft, and impunity.

[4] Beginning in the 1970s another wave of Peruvians arrived in the United States, most of whom were fleeing Peru's militaristic government under the dictatorships of Juan Velasco Alvarado and Francisco Morales Bermúdez, both of which were marked by coups and socio-economic instability.

The various settlement patterns have resulted in the formation of regional networks and community groups throughout these urban centers, all of which support the preservation of Peruvian culture.

The most popular dishes of Peruvian food in the U.S. include ceviche (raw fish "cooked" in lime juice), papa a la huancaína, and anticuchos y tamales.

Market Street, the Little Lima in downtown Paterson, is the largest Peruvian American enclave and is lined with Peruvian-owned restaurants, bakeries, delicatessens, bodegas, travel agencies, and other businesses.