The majority of Russian people who immigrated to North America came from the European region west of the Ural Mountain range, specifically from the Russia metro areas of Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Census reports over 3 million claiming Russian ancestry with many no longer able to speak Russian or associating with other Russians. However, many still speak Russian as their primary language and primarily associate with other Russians, especially in large metro areas like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, etc. (The profile density map reports only Russians who speak Russian as their primary language.)

The majority of Russians claim Christian Orthodoxy or Judaism (For information about Russians who adhere to Judaism, see Russian Jews).

The majority of Orthodox Russians are nominally religious. Orthodoxy often merely serves as a cultural connection into the Russian community. Consequently, they sometimes are in name only Orthodox.

The Orthodoxy of Russians has different forms depending on the origin they are from but all would fall under the same heading as the Greek Orthodox. There are several Russian evangelical congregations in North America found mostly in larger metro areas.

New York City is home to a large Russian and Russian-speaking population. The largest Russian-American communities in New York City are located in Brighton Beach and Sheepshead Bay. Brighton Beach has been nicknamed Little Odessa due to its population of Russian-speaking immigrants from Ukraine and Russia.