Afghan Population in New York by County : 2025 Ranking & Insights

According to the latest U.S. Census estimates, the Afghan population in New York totals 9,358. Queens County contains the largest Afghan community with 2,772 residents, followed by Nassau County (1,540), Albany County (1,116), and others contributing to this statewide total. This demographic analysis ranks all counties in New York by their Afghan populations, offering insights into local community distribution and broader settlement trends.

Top 5 counties with the largest Afghan population in New York

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  • 1
    Queens County
    Afghan population in Queens County is 2,772
    0.12% of Queens County population is Afghan
  • 2
    Nassau County
    Afghan population in Nassau County is 1,540
    0.11% of Nassau County population is Afghan
  • 3
    Albany County
    Afghan population in Albany County is 1,116
    0.35% of Albany County population is Afghan
  • 4
    Suffolk County
    Afghan population in Suffolk County is 858
    0.06% of Suffolk County population is Afghan
  • 5
    Erie County
    Afghan population in Erie County is 528
    0.06% of Erie County population is Afghan

Overview of Afghan population in New York

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data indicate New York contains 9,358 Afghan residents (0.047% of 19.9 million total state population), positioning the state at the 93rd percentile nationally among U.S. states for Afghan population concentrations.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: U.S. Census surveys show New York's Afghan demographic representation of 0.047% 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 records show New York hosts 9,358 Afghan residents, representing 5.6% of the nation's total Afghan population of 166,723, establishing the state as a significant demographic concentration center within national boundaries.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey data indicates New York's density of 0.2 Afghan Americans per square mile exceeds the national average of 0.047 per square mile by four and one-quarter times, establishing the state as a significant concentration center for Afghan demographic communities.
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62 Counties in New York Ranked by Afghan Population

View Methodology
American Community Survey data [1] show Afghan population in New York distributed across multiple counties, led by Queens County, Nassau County, Albany County, and Suffolk 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*.
counties in New York ranked by Afghan population count
Rank by Afghan Population
County
Afghan Population
% of Total County Population
% of Total New York Afghan Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Queens County 2,772 0.12% 29.62%
2 Nassau County 1,540 0.11% 16.46%
3 Albany County 1,116 0.35% 11.93%
4 Suffolk County 858 0.06% 9.17%
5 Erie County 528 0.06% 5.64%
6 Monroe County 445 0.06% 4.76%
7 Saratoga County 378 0.16% 4.04%
8 286 0.02% 3.06%
9 253 0.16% 2.70%
10 150 0.03% 1.60%
11 147 0.01% 1.57%
12 140 0.01% 1.50%
13 125 0.04% 1.34%
14 103 0.17% 1.10%
15 98 0.06% 1.05%
16 67 0.07% 0.72%
17 64 0.03% 0.68%
17 64 0.02% 0.68%
18 62 0.03% 0.66%
19 55 0.00% 0.59%
20 43 0.01% 0.46%
21 16 0.01% 0.17%
22 14 0.02% 0.15%
23 10 0.00% 0.11%
24 6 0.01% 0.06%
25 5 0.01% 0.05%
26 3 0.01% 0.03%
26 3 0.01% 0.03%
27 2 0.01% 0.02%
28 1 0.00% 0.01%
28 1 0.00% 0.01%
28 1 0.01% 0.01%
28 1 0.00% 0.01%
28 1 0.00% 0.01%
29 0 - -
29 0 - -
29 0 - -
29 0 - -
29 0 - -
29 0 - -
29 0 - -
29 0 - -
29 0 - -
29 0 - -
29 0 - -
29 0 - -
29 0 - -
29 0 - -
29 0 - -
29 0 - -
29 0 - -
29 0 - -
29 0 - -
29 0 - -
29 0 - -
29 0 - -
29 0 - -
29 0 - -
29 0 - -
29 0 - -
29 0 - -
29 0 - -
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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 New York 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:
  1. % of Total County Population – This shows what percentage of the total state population identifies as Afghan .
  2. % of Total New York 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

  1. 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates.
  2. 2023.