page_title: American Mafia
section_title: List of Mafia families
hierarchical_section_title: American Mafia / List of Mafia families
caption_attribution_description: Vito Genovese, American mobster
context_page_description: The American Mafia, commonly referred to in North America as "the Mafia" or sometimes "the Mob", or the Italian-American Mafia, is a highly organized Italian-American criminal society. The organization is often referred to by its members as Cosa Nostra and by the government as La Cosa Nostra. The organization's name is derived from the original Mafia or Cosa nostra, the Sicilian Mafia, with "American Mafia" originally referring simply to Mafia groups from Sicily operating in America, as the organization originally emerged as an offshoot of the Sicilian Mafia; however, the organization eventually encompassed or absorbed other Italian-American gangsters and Italian crime groups living in the United States and Canada that were not of Sicilian origin. It is often colloquially referred to as the Italian Mafia or Italian Mob, though these terms may also apply to the separate yet related Sicilian Mafia or other organized crime groups in Italy.
  The Mafia in the United States emerged in impoverished Italian immigrant neighborhoods or ghettos in New York's East Harlem, the Lower East Side, and Brooklyn.
context_section_description: The following is a list of Mafia families that have been active in the U.S. Note that some families have members and associates working in other regions as well. The organization is not limited to these regions. The Bonanno crime family and the Buffalo crime family also had influence in several factions in Canada including the Rizzuto crime family and Cotroni crime family, and the Luppino crime family and Papalia crime family, respectively.
  Bufalino crime family (Northeastern Pennsylvania)
  Chicago Outfit (Chicago, Illinois)
  Cleveland crime family (Cleveland, Ohio)
  Dallas crime family (Dallas, Texas)
  DeCavalcante crime family (New Jersey)
  Denver crime family (Denver, Colorado)
  Detroit Partnership (Detroit, Michigan)
  The Five Families (New York, New York)
  Bonanno crime family
  Colombo crime family
  Gambino crime family
  Genovese crime family
  Lucchese crime family
  Kansas City crime family (Kansas City, Missouri)
  Houston crime family (Houston, Texas)
  Los Angeles crime family (Los Angeles, California)
  Magaddino crime family (Buffalo, New York)
  Milwaukee crime family (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
  New Orleans crime family (New Orleans, Louisiana)
  Patriarca crime family (New England)
  Philadelphia crime family (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
  Pittsburgh crime family (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
  Rochester crime family (Rochester, New York)
  San Francisco crime family (San Francisco, California)
  San Jose crime family (San Jose, California)
  Seattle crime family (Seattle, Washington)
  St. Louis crime family (St. Louis, Missouri)
  Trafficante crime family (Tampa, Florida)
caption: "Don Vito" Genovese became leader of the Genovese crime family. Genovese served as mentor to the future boss of the Genovese crime family Vincent "Chin" Gigante.[84]
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