Costa Rican Population in Los Angeles County, CA by City : 2025 Ranking & Insights

The Costa Rican population in Los Angeles County, CA is reported at 9,449 residents, according to recent U.S. Census estimates. Several cities in Los Angeles County - including Los Angeles, Long Beach, Pasadena, and others - contribute to the Costa Rican population, but the total county figure of 9,449 indicates additional presence beyond municipal borders. The sections below explores how Costa Rican residents are distributed in California and the U.S.

Top 5 cities with the largest Costa Rican population in Los Angeles County

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  • 1
    Los Angeles
    Costa Rican population in Los Angeles is 2,739
    0.07% of Los Angeles population is Costa Rican
  • 2
    Long Beach
    Costa Rican population in Long Beach is 507
    0.11% of Long Beach population is Costa Rican
  • 3
    Pasadena
    Costa Rican population in Pasadena is 319
    0.23% of Pasadena population is Costa Rican
  • 4
    Norwalk
    Costa Rican population in Norwalk is 314
    0.31% of Norwalk population is Costa Rican
  • 5
    Pomona
    Costa Rican population in Pomona is 233
    0.16% of Pomona population is Costa Rican

Overview of Costa Rican population in Los Angeles County

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data document Los Angeles County with 9,449 Costa Rican residents (0.096% of 9.8 million total county population), positioning the jurisdiction at the 100th percentile nationally among counties and 98th percentile within California for Costa Rican population concentrations, despite absolute population figures.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: Census Bureau's ACS show Los Angeles County's Costa Rican population of 0.096% surpassing both California's state average of 0.073% and the national average of 0.055%, 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 Los Angeles County's 9,449 Costa Rican residents constitute 33.2% of California's total Costa Rican population of 28,501, placing the county among jurisdictions with the highest demographic concentrations, with 33.2% of all California Costa Rican Americans residing within county boundaries.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey data shows Los Angeles County maintains 2.3 Costa Rican Americans per square mile, representing twelve and three-quarters times California's average of 0.18 per square mile, establishing the county as an exceptional concentration center comparable to major metropolitan demographic areas.
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86 Cities in Los Angeles County Ranked by Costa Rican Population

View Methodology
ACS data [1] show Costa Rican populations distributed across multiple cities in the county, led by Los Angeles, Long Beach, Pasadena, and Norwalk. The table below provides additional context, including total population, population density, and demographic distributions, based on current ACS data for 86 incorporated cities included in this analysis*.
cities in Los Angeles County, CA ranked by Costa Rican population count
Rank by Costa Rican Population
City
Costa Rican Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total Los Angeles County Costa Rican Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Los Angeles 2,739 0.07% 28.99%
2 Long Beach 507 0.11% 5.37%
3 Pasadena 319 0.23% 3.38%
4 Norwalk 314 0.31% 3.32%
5 Pomona 233 0.16% 2.47%
6 Burbank 207 0.20% 2.19%
7 Downey 175 0.16% 1.85%
8 173 0.09% 1.83%
9 172 0.08% 1.82%
10 159 0.30% 1.68%
11 158 0.51% 1.67%
12 157 0.32% 1.66%
13 152 0.11% 1.61%
14 151 0.09% 1.60%
15 136 0.13% 1.44%
16 131 0.28% 1.39%
17 125 0.12% 1.32%
18 105 0.31% 1.11%
19 102 0.13% 1.08%
19 102 0.13% 1.08%
20 100 0.12% 1.06%
21 78 0.15% 0.83%
22 76 0.35% 0.80%
23 68 0.08% 0.72%
24 67 0.10% 0.71%
25 66 0.07% 0.70%
26 59 0.10% 0.62%
27 57 0.03% 0.60%
28 56 0.17% 0.59%
29 54 0.08% 0.57%
30 53 0.14% 0.56%
31 52 0.15% 0.55%
32 49 0.08% 0.52%
32 49 0.06% 0.52%
33 48 0.09% 0.51%
34 45 0.06% 0.48%
35 44 0.11% 0.47%
35 44 0.05% 0.47%
36 37 0.08% 0.39%
37 32 0.03% 0.34%
38 27 0.16% 0.29%
38 27 0.14% 0.29%
39 26 0.14% 0.28%
40 25 0.06% 0.26%
41 24 0.04% 0.25%
42 23 0.05% 0.24%
43 22 0.17% 0.23%
43 22 0.02% 0.23%
44 18 0.03% 0.19%
45 15 0.07% 0.16%
45 15 0.04% 0.16%
45 15 0.03% 0.16%
46 14 0.04% 0.15%
47 13 0.01% 0.14%
48 11 0.20% 0.12%
48 11 0.10% 0.12%
49 10 0.03% 0.11%
49 10 0.03% 0.11%
49 10 0.04% 0.11%
50 9 0.03% 0.10%
51 6 0.01% 0.06%
51 6 0.05% 0.06%
52 1 0.07% 0.01%
53 0 - -
53 0 - -
53 0 - -
53 0 - -
53 0 - -
53 0 - -
53 0 - -
53 0 - -
53 0 - -
53 0 - -
53 0 - -
53 0 - -
53 0 - -
53 0 - -
53 0 - -
53 0 - -
53 0 - -
53 0 - -
53 0 - -
53 0 - -
53 0 - -
53 0 - -
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 city in Los Angeles County, CA by their Costa Rican population, using the most recent ACS data available.

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

How We Ranked the Data

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

Sources

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