Canadian Population in California by County : 2025 Ranking & Insights

According to the latest U.S. Census estimates, California is home to 66,576 Canadian residents. Los Angeles County contains the largest Canadian community with 14,436 individuals, followed by Orange County (7,569), San Diego County (6,984), and several other counties contributing to this statewide total. The remaining difference may reflect Canadian populations in lower-population counties not listed above or minor reporting adjustments in the census data. This demographic breakdown ranks all counties in California by their Canadian population, offering insights into community patterns across the state.

Top 5 counties with the largest Canadian population in California

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  • 1
    Los Angeles County
    Canadian population in Los Angeles County is 14,436
    0.15% of Los Angeles County population is Canadian
  • 2
    Orange County
    Canadian population in Orange County is 7,569
    0.24% of Orange County population is Canadian
  • 3
    San Diego County
    Canadian population in San Diego County is 6,984
    0.21% of San Diego County population is Canadian
  • 4
    Riverside County
    Canadian population in Riverside County is 5,463
    0.22% of Riverside County population is Canadian
  • 5
    Santa Clara County
    Canadian population in Santa Clara County is 3,243
    0.17% of Santa Clara County population is Canadian

Overview of Canadian population in California

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data indicate California contains 66,576 Canadian residents (0.17% of 39.2 million total state population), positioning the state at the 100th percentile nationally among U.S. states for Canadian population concentrations.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: U.S. Census data documents California's Canadian population of 0.17% corresponding to the national average, placing the state as demographically representative of typical U.S. distribution patterns.
  • Share of Total National Population: Official American Community Survey data indicates California's 66,576 Canadian residents constitute 11.7% of the nation's total Canadian population of 569,095, placing the state among jurisdictions with the highest demographic concentrations, with 11.7% of all American Canadian Americans residing within state boundaries.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey data indicates California's density of 0.43 Canadian Americans per square mile exceeds the national average of 0.16 per square mile by more than double, establishing the state as a significant concentration center for Canadian demographic communities.
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55 Counties in California Ranked by Canadian Population

View Methodology
American Community Survey data [1] show Canadian population in California distributed across multiple counties, led by Los Angeles County, Orange County, San Diego County, and Riverside County, while several other counties recorded no residents identified as Americans whose ancestry is wholly or partly Canadian. 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 California ranked by Canadian population count
Rank by Canadian Population
County
Canadian Population
% of Total County Population
% of Total California Canadian Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Los Angeles County 14,436 0.15% 21.68%
2 Orange County 7,569 0.24% 11.37%
3 San Diego County 6,984 0.21% 10.49%
4 Riverside County 5,463 0.22% 8.21%
5 Santa Clara County 3,243 0.17% 4.87%
6 San Bernardino County 3,020 0.14% 4.54%
7 Ventura County 2,269 0.27% 3.41%
8 1,969 0.12% 2.96%
9 1,738 0.21% 2.61%
10 1,640 0.22% 2.46%
11 1,532 0.13% 2.30%
12 1,434 0.35% 2.15%
13 1,421 0.29% 2.13%
14 1,420 0.32% 2.13%
15 1,410 0.09% 2.12%
16 977 0.10% 1.47%
17 880 0.34% 1.32%
18 799 0.09% 1.20%
19 692 0.25% 1.04%
20 661 0.36% 0.99%
21 637 0.24% 0.96%
22 585 0.43% 0.88%
23 553 0.26% 0.83%
24 499 0.06% 0.75%
25 483 0.09% 0.73%
26 477 0.11% 0.72%
27 426 0.22% 0.64%
28 379 0.08% 0.57%
29 367 0.08% 0.55%
30 332 0.15% 0.50%
31 310 0.30% 0.47%
32 257 0.16% 0.39%
33 192 0.14% 0.29%
33 192 0.07% 0.29%
34 182 0.93% 0.27%
35 175 0.19% 0.26%
36 114 0.40% 0.17%
37 110 0.13% 0.17%
38 100 0.07% 0.15%
39 95 0.17% 0.14%
40 91 0.21% 0.14%
41 65 0.10% 0.10%
42 61 0.06% 0.09%
43 57 0.14% 0.09%
44 50 0.03% 0.08%
45 37 0.12% 0.06%
46 30 0.07% 0.05%
46 30 0.04% 0.05%
47 28 0.32% 0.04%
48 26 0.12% 0.04%
49 24 0.13% 0.04%
50 18 0.07% 0.03%
51 12 0.09% 0.02%
52 11 0.02% 0.02%
53 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 California by their Canadian population, using the most recent ACS data available.

How the Census defines Canadian 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 Canadian 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 Canadian alone, while others identify as Canadian along with another race (such as Canadian and German).
  • We’ve used the “Canadian alone or in any combination” category unless noted otherwise, which gives a broader picture of the Canadian population in each area.

How We Ranked the Data

This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as Canadian 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 Canadian .
  2. % of Total California Canadian Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. Canadian 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 Canadian 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 Canadian 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 Canadian populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.

Sources

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