Afghan Population in Colorado by County : 2025 Ranking & Insights
According to the latest U.S. Census estimates, the Afghan population in Colorado totals 2,163. Arapahoe County contains the largest Afghan community with 744 residents, followed by Adams County (359), Denver County (283), and others contributing to this statewide total. This demographic analysis ranks all counties in Colorado by their Afghan populations, offering insights into local community distribution and broader settlement trends.
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Top 5 counties with the largest Afghan population in Colorado
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1Arapahoe CountyAfghan population in Arapahoe County is 7440.11% of Arapahoe County population is Afghan
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2Adams CountyAfghan population in Adams County is 3590.07% of Adams County population is Afghan
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3Denver CountyAfghan population in Denver County is 2830.04% of Denver County population is Afghan
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4El Paso CountyAfghan population in El Paso County is 2800.04% of El Paso County population is Afghan
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5Jefferson CountyAfghan population in Jefferson County is 1990.03% of Jefferson County population is Afghan
Overview of Afghan population in Colorado
- Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data indicate Colorado contains 2,163 Afghan residents (0.037% of 5.8 million total state population), positioning the state at the 79th percentile nationally among U.S. states for Afghan population concentrations.
- Comparison to State and National Averages: U.S. Census surveys show Colorado's Afghan demographic representation of 0.037% remains below the national average of 0.05%, positioning the state below typical U.S. demographic distribution patterns.
- Share of Total National Population: Official American Community Survey document Colorado's 2,163 Afghan residents constitute 1.3% of the nation's total Afghan population of 166,723, providing the state with a measurable but modest share of the national demographic community.
- Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey data shows Colorado's density of 0.021 Afghan Americans per square mile remains below the national average of 0.047 per square mile, indicating relatively sparse distribution compared to national demographic concentrations.
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64 Counties in Colorado Ranked by Afghan Population
American Community Survey data [1] show Afghan population in Colorado distributed across multiple counties, led by Arapahoe County, Adams County, Denver County, and El Paso County, while several other counties recorded no residents identified as Americans of full or partial Afghan ancestry. The table below provides broader statistics, including total population figures, density measures, and demographic distributions based on current ACS data for all counties included in this analysis*.
Methodology
This ranking list is based on data from the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. The ACS is one of the most reliable sources for understanding population trends across different locations, and it provides estimates for various racial and ethnic groups at city, county, state and all geography levels down to the Census block group.
This list ranks county in Colorado by their Afghan population, using the most recent ACS data available.
How the Census defines Afghan population
The U.S. Census Bureau allows people to self-identify their ancestry, meaning individuals can write upto ancestries when responding to the survey. In this ranking, we include everyone who identifies as having Afghan ancestry, whether alone or in combination with another ancestry.
Here are a few important things to know about how ancestry is reported:
- Some people identify as Afghan alone, while others identify as Afghan along with another race (such as Afghan and German).
- We’ve used the “Afghan alone or in any combination” category unless noted otherwise, which gives a broader picture of the Afghan population in each area.
How We Ranked the Data
This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as Afghan alone or in combination in county. To provide additional context, we’ve also included two key percentages:
- % of Total County Population – This shows what percentage of the total state population identifies as Afghan .
- % of Total Colorado Afghan Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. Afghan population lives in that state.
To keep things simple, all population numbers have been rounded to the nearest whole number, and percentages are rounded to one decimal place. Because of rounding, some percentages may not add up to exactly 100%.
Things to Keep in Mind
Like all survey-based data, ACS estimates come with some limitations. Here are a few things to be aware of:
- In places with very small Afghan populations, the numbers may not be reported at all due to privacy protections or sampling variability in the survey.
- Since the ACS is based on a sample, the numbers are estimates, not exact counts. That means they may slightly differ from other sources like the decennial U.S. Census.
- County that don’t have any reported Afghan population are not included in the ranking but are listed separately below for reference.
This ranking is meant to provide a clear, data-driven look at where Afghan populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates.
- U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line Shapefiles 2023.
