Cape Verdean Population in United States by State : 2025 Ranking & Insights

Based on the latest U.S. Census estimates, the Cape Verdean population in the United States stands at 106,084. Massachusetts reports the largest population with 64,742 residents, followed by Rhode Island (18,723) and Florida (3,158). Several other states and the District of Columbia also show meaningful Cape Verdean presence. This national overview explores how Cape Verdean populations are distributed across different U.S. states, with insights into both established communities and emerging patterns.

Top 5 states with the largest Cape Verdean population in United States

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  • 1
    Massachusetts
    Cape Verdean population in Massachusetts is 64,742
    0.93% of Massachusetts population is Cape Verdean
  • 2
    Rhode Island
    Cape Verdean population in Rhode Island is 18,723
    1.71% of Rhode Island population is Cape Verdean
  • 3
    Florida
    Cape Verdean population in Florida is 3,158
    0.01% of Florida population is Cape Verdean
  • 4
    Connecticut
    Cape Verdean population in Connecticut is 3,052
    0.08% of Connecticut population is Cape Verdean
  • 5
    California
    Cape Verdean population in California is 2,905
    0.01% of California population is Cape Verdean

U.S. States by Cape Verdean Population : National Rankings

View Methodology
American Community Survey data [1] show significant Cape Verdean populations in leading states, including Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Florida, and Connecticut, while other states recorded minimal number of residents identified as Americans of Cape Verdean ancestory . The table below provides broader statistics, including total population figures, density measures, and demographic distributions based on current ACS data for all states included in this analysis*.
states in United States ranked by Cape Verdean population count
Rank by Cape Verdean Population
State
Cape Verdean Population
% of Total State Population
% of Total United States Cape Verdean Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Massachusetts 64,742 0.93% 61.03%
2 Rhode Island 18,723 1.71% 17.65%
3 Florida 3,158 0.01% 2.98%
4 Connecticut 3,052 0.08% 2.88%
5 California 2,905 0.01% 2.74%
6 Georgia 1,616 0.01% 1.52%
7 Maryland 1,305 0.02% 1.23%
8 1,165 0.01% 1.10%
9 1,020 0.01% 0.96%
10 1,002 0.01% 0.94%
11 693 0.01% 0.65%
12 685 0.00% 0.65%
13 652 0.01% 0.61%
14 577 0.04% 0.54%
15 491 0.01% 0.46%
16 456 0.01% 0.43%
17 433 0.00% 0.41%
18 375 0.01% 0.35%
19 343 0.01% 0.32%
20 317 0.00% 0.30%
21 278 0.00% 0.26%
22 250 0.00% 0.24%
23 230 0.02% 0.22%
24 227 0.03% 0.21%
25 217 0.01% 0.20%
26 149 0.00% 0.14%
27 119 0.00% 0.11%
28 105 0.00% 0.10%
29 97 0.02% 0.09%
30 86 0.00% 0.08%
30 86 0.00% 0.08%
31 69 0.00% 0.07%
32 64 0.00% 0.06%
33 56 0.00% 0.05%
34 51 0.01% 0.05%
35 48 0.00% 0.05%
36 41 0.00% 0.04%
37 34 0.00% 0.03%
38 30 0.00% 0.03%
39 27 0.00% 0.03%
40 20 0.00% 0.02%
40 20 0.00% 0.02%
41 12 0.00% 0.01%
42 0 - -
42 0 - -
42 0 - -
42 0 - -
42 0 - -
42 0 - -
42 0 - -
Need the complete table? Full rankings and the underlying data sets for California and other locations are available for purchase or license.

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 state in United States by their Cape Verdean population, using the most recent ACS data available.

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

How We Ranked the Data

This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as Cape Verdean alone or in combination in state. To provide additional context, we’ve also included two key percentages:
  1. % of Total State Population – This shows what percentage of the total state population identifies as Cape Verdean .
  2. % of Total United States Cape Verdean Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. Cape Verdean 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 Cape Verdean 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.
  • State that don’t have any reported Cape Verdean 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 Cape Verdean populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.

Sources

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