Canadian Population in San Diego County, CA by City : 2025 Ranking & Insights

The Canadian population in San Diego County, CA is recorded at 6,984 residents, based on the latest U.S. Census estimates. Each city in San Diego County, CA has some Canadian population, but the county''s higher total suggests additional rural or non-municipal representation. The analysis below explores how Canadian communities are spread across San Diego County, CA and comparable counties throughout California.

Top 5 cities with the largest Canadian population in San Diego County

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  • 1
    San Diego
    Canadian population in San Diego is 2,840
    0.21% of San Diego population is Canadian
  • 2
    Oceanside
    Canadian population in Oceanside is 627
    0.36% of Oceanside population is Canadian
  • 3
    San Marcos
    Canadian population in San Marcos is 463
    0.49% of San Marcos population is Canadian
  • 4
    Encinitas
    Canadian population in Encinitas is 426
    0.69% of Encinitas population is Canadian
  • 5
    Chula Vista
    Canadian population in Chula Vista is 349
    0.13% of Chula Vista population is Canadian

Overview of Canadian population in San Diego County

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data document San Diego County with 6,984 Canadian residents (0.21% of 3.3 million total county population), positioning the jurisdiction at the 99th percentile nationally among counties and 94th percentile within California for Canadian population concentrations, despite absolute population figures.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: Census Bureau's ACS show San Diego County's Canadian population of 0.21% surpassing both California's state average of 0.17% and the national average of 0.17%, positioning the county as a high-concentration jurisdiction exceeding demographic benchmarks across all geographic scales.
  • Share of Total State Population: Official American Community Survey indicate San Diego County's 6,984 Canadian residents constitute 10.5% of California's total Canadian population of 66,576, placing the county among jurisdictions with the highest demographic concentrations, with 10.5% of all California Canadian Americans residing within county boundaries.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey indicate San Diego County's density of 1.7 Canadian Americans per square mile exceeds California's average of 0.43 per square mile by more than triple, establishing the county as a significant concentration center for Canadian demographic communities.
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18 Cities in San Diego County Ranked by Canadian Population

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ACS data [1] confirm Canadian populations in every incorporated city in the county, with the largest counts in San Diego, Oceanside, San Marcos, and Encinitas. The table below provides detailed figures, including total population, density measures, and demographic distributions, based on the current ACS data for all 18 incorporated cities included in this analysis*.
cities in San Diego County, CA ranked by Canadian population count
Rank by Canadian Population
City
Canadian Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total San Diego County Canadian Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 San Diego 2,840 0.21% 40.66%
2 Oceanside 627 0.36% 8.98%
3 San Marcos 463 0.49% 6.63%
4 Encinitas 426 0.69% 6.10%
5 Chula Vista 349 0.13% 5.00%
6 Escondido 275 0.18% 3.94%
7 La Mesa 199 0.33% 2.85%
8 174 0.15% 2.49%
9 150 0.31% 2.15%
10 129 0.13% 1.85%
11 117 0.11% 1.68%
12 110 0.18% 1.58%
13 75 0.40% 1.07%
14 41 0.16% 0.59%
15 38 0.30% 0.54%
16 12 0.02% 0.17%
17 7 0.03% 0.10%
18 4 0.10% 0.06%
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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 city in San Diego County, CA 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 city. To provide additional context, we’ve also included two key percentages:
  1. % of Total City Population – This shows what percentage of the total state population identifies as Canadian .
  2. % of Total San Diego County 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.
  • City 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.